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CULTURE

Film

Entertainment news

Five high school classmates bond and grow over the course of their sophomore to senior years in “I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t.”

CULTURE / Film

May 29, 2025

‘I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t’ gives teen angst a whimsical twist

By Mark Schilling

Shun Nakagawa’s emotionally resonant ensemble drama reveals deep truths about the inner lives of adolescents.

“Marion” provides a glimpse into the lives of bull dodgers, who perform a nonlethal version of bullfighting.

CULTURE / Film

May 23, 2025

Six short films that capture our world in mere minutes

By Mark Schilling

The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia proves that less time doesn't have to mean a lack of substance.

A once-famous Filipino actor (Carlo Aquino, left) joins forces with a struggling Japanese businessman (Takehiro Hira) to track down a serial killer in “Crosspoint."

CULTURE / Film

May 22, 2025

‘Crosspoint’ can’t quite find its target

By Mark Schilling

Donie Ordiales’ dark comedy about a washed-up Filipino actor and a broke Japanese businessman teaming up has thrills and social commentary but loses momentum along the way.

Author Kazuo Ishiguro (left) and director Kei Ishikawa pose during a photocall for the film “Toi Yamanamino Hikari” ("A Pale View of Hills") at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.

CULTURE / Film

May 21, 2025

Adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel premieres at Cannes

By Hanna Rantala and Miranda Murray

The author says that adapting the novel — which he wrote when he was 25 — was different from bringing his other books to the big screen.

The cast and crew of Indian drama film "All We Imagine As Light" pose with their award for best film at the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 16.

CULTURE / Film

May 21, 2025

Women fight for the spotlight in India's macho movie industry

By Seema SINHA

Women filmmakers in India are reshaping cinema with authentic, female-led stories, challenging outdated stereotypes and finding box office success.

"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.

CULTURE / Film

May 16, 2025

For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece

By Matt Schley

With no script or crew, the animator created "Jinsei," a bold debut inspired by classics such as "Citizen Kane" and "Scarface."

Along with running a commissary located outside a prison, Shinji Kaneko (Ryuhei Maruyama) carries out requests on behalf of detainees and their families in “Kaneko’s Commissary.”

CULTURE / Film

May 15, 2025

‘Kaneko's Commissary’ explores prison culture from the outside in

By Mark Schilling

First-time director Go Furukawa’s heartfelt film stands out from the genre crowd for its informed examination of how the prison complex operates.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.

How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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