A2
A2, the companion documentary to Tasuya Mori's A, further explores Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, responsible for sarin gas killings in Tokyo's subways. In Japanese with English subtitles.
THE BEAUTIFUL WASHING MACHINE
In this fantasy drama by Malaysian New Wave director James Lee, Teoh's second-hand washing machine makes his life easier, but it has a life of her own -- literally. When Teoh discovers the secret soul of this temperamental household helper, he exploits the washing machine for all it -- or she -- is worth. In Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles.
CARNIVAL IN THE NIGHT
Take a walk on the wild side with edgy indie director Masashi Yamamoto (Junk Food; Robinson's Garden), who captures the punk scene of 1980s Japan in this prickly early film. Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, Yamamoto gets the most out of a cast of young toughs who more or less play themselves, while shooting on 16mm in a gritty, grainy style. In Japanese with English subtitles.
DEAR PYONGYANG
A young girl's father sends her three brothers from Japan to a live permanently in a homeland foreign to them -- North Korea. In this autobiographical documentary spanning ten years, the daughter left behind, filmmaker Yonghi Yang, struggles to understand why her loving father would destroy his family out of political loyalty to an isolated and enigmatic regime.
ELECTRIC BUTTON
She was the star of her erotica writers’ group. He was the group’s newest member. When she discovers that he knows nothing about writing and even less about sex, she decides to teach him -- everything. An erotic comedy written and directed by Japan’s leading new female director, Yuki Tanada.
ELIANA, ELIANA
Riri Riza's award-winning ELIANA, ELIANA leads the new wave of independent Indonesian cinema and depicts two generations of women struggling to reconnect and communicate amidst the raw demands of contemporary life in Jakarta. In Indonesian with English subtitles.
THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON
THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON is a brilliant exploration of memory and war guilt, a subject often ignored in modern Japan. In this controversial documentary, Kazuo Hara follows Kenzo Okuzaki in his real-life struggle against Emperor Hirohito. He proudly declares that he shot BBs at the Royal Palace, distributed pornographic images of the Emperor, and once killed a man for the sake of his strange crusade. As the film progresses, Okuzaki reveals a gruesome mystery: why were some Japanese officers killing their own soldiers during WWII? In Japanese with English subtitles.
EXTREME PRIVATE EROS: LOVE SONG 1974
Director Kazuo Hara makes an obsessive, compelling film about Takeda Miyuki, his former lover. Drawn by her letters, he goes to Okinawa and documents this remarkably strong-willed woman as she has a relationship with an African-American soldier, raises their child alone, and discusses the director's shortcomings with Hara's producer and lover, Sachiko Kobayashi. In Japanese with English subtitles.
GOODBYE CP
GOODBYE CP is Kazuo Hara's first feature film and offers an unprecedented and candid depiction of a man with cerebral palsy. The unsentimental portrayal shocked Japanese audiences at the time and remains controversial to this day. In Japanese with English subtitles.
LONG DREAM
Long Dream. Directed by Higuchinsky (Uzumaki) and based on a horror manga by Junji Ito, Long Dream tells the story of a patient who checks himself into the hospital because he sleeps too much and can't tell what's real life and what's just a dream. Or a nightmare... In Japanese with English and Spanish subtitles.
MARRONNIER
The Japanese horror comic writer, Junji Ito, presents a doll horror movie directed by master puppeteer Hideyuki Kobayashi. In Japanese with English subtitles.
NAOYUKI TSUJI'S EXPERIMENTAL ANIMATION COLLECTION
NAOYUKI TSUJI is an independent animator whose wildly fanciful animated works are unlike any "anime" to come out of Japan heretofore. His films have been invited to screen at the Cannes Film Festival as well as at major art museums worldwide including New York’s Museum of Modern Art. In Japanese with English subtitles.
NORIKO'S DINNER TABLE
NORIKO'S DINNER TABLE is Japanese poet and filmmaker Sion Sono's semi-sequel to his 2001 cult hit Suicide Club. Utilizing a fragmented and non-linear structure, the film depicts a world in which characters only find their true selves by abandoning their identities. In Japanese with English subtitles.
PEEP "TV" SHOW
PEEP "TV" SHOW, Yutaka Tsuchiya's award-winning film, portrays the alienation and media-culture obsession of Tokyo's new generation. In Japanese with English subtitles.
ROBINSON'S GARDEN
Independent filmmaker Masashi Yamamoto, known for his uneasy dramas that capture the restless spirit of Japan's youth, appropriates the central idea from The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and transplants it to modern-day Tokyo. In Japanese with English subtitles.
TAKING FATHER HOME
First-time director Ying Liang's poignant story of a teenage farm boy sent by his mother from his rural roots to find his father who abandoned the family in search of fortune in the big city. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
VISITS
Visits: Hungry Ghost Anthology. A disturbing omnibus of interwoven ghost stories directed by four of the new wave of Malaysian filmmakers.
CHAOS
From Hideo Nakata, the director of "Ring" and "Dark Water", comes a psychological thriller that blends the styles of Japanese suspense, neo-noir and the erotic drama in a tantalizing mélange.
Past Release
DEAD OR ALIVE
Prolific cult-fave auteur Takashi Miike's neon and plasma soaked vision of Tokyo's crime-riddled Shinjuku district, a smoldering netherworld of sleazy strip joints, murky gangster dens and out-of-the-way eateries where there's more on the menu than just noodles!
Past Release
LATE BLOOMER
He was disabled with Cerebral Palsy, but all he wanted was to hang out with his friends, just like anybody else. Beer, rock and roll, and women. But when his best friend steals his secret love, he launches into a cold-blooded rampage of revenge. Directed by Go Shibata, powerful new Japanese talent, LATE BLOOMER features stark and highly stylized camera work and a soundtrack by World's End Girlfriend.
Past Release
THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE
This Kaizo Hayashi film describes a tale of bonding and betrayal among friends, family and gang members. A masterful suspense melodrama set in the seedy underworld of Yokohama and Taiwan, it’s the first in the trilogy featuring private detective Maiiku Hama. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Past Release
SHARK SKIN MAN AND PEACH HIP GIRL
Katsuhito Ishii’s film turns the classic getaway story on its ear in this highly stylized tale of hit men determined to recover their stolen loot. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Past Release
THE STAIRWAY TO THE DISTANT PAST
Can't get enough of the private detective Maiku Hama? Don’t miss The Stairway to the Distant Past, third in the Hama trilogy. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Past Release
THE TRAP
If you loved The Most Terrible Time in My Life, check out The Trap, second in the trilogy featuring private detective Maiiku Hama. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Past Release
UZUMAKI
UZUMAKI. A film by the acclaimed music video director Higuchinsky and based on the manga by Junji Ito, Uzumaki is a harrowing tale of possession, mystery and murder. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Past Release