Is change sweeping the sclerotic Japanese film industry?
The Japan Academy awarded top honors to the LGBTQ-themed drama “Midnight Swan” and its star, and Tokyo International Film Festival announced that its 34th edition would see more diversity.
‘Hold Me Back’: Listen to the voice in your head
Akiko Ohku’s charming rom-com explores the inner struggles of working women in modern-day Tokyo.
Japanese rom-com 'Hold Me Back' wins sole prize awarded at 2020 Tokyo film festival
Director Akiko Ohku received the Audience Award for her film, "Hold Me Back." She also won the award at the festival in 2017 for "Tremble All You Want."
Filmmaker Eiji Han Shimizu finds his 'True North' in animated film about North Korea
Eiji Han Shimizu seeks to accurately reflect the experiences of prisoners in North Korean camps with his animated film.
Veteran Koji Yakusho brings his movie star clout to the Tokyo International Film Festival
This year’s TIFF ambassador discusses the festival experience, the effects of COVID-19 on the film industry, and discovering his inner Marie Kondo.
Tokyo joins world film festivals for 10-day YouTube event
Tokyo International Film Festival's competition programmer says that We Are One is just the start of a more digital-friendly future for festivals.
In today's world of visual entertainment, it's hard to argue that Japan has any stronger export than animation. The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), which this year ran from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, seems to be waking up to that fact. From 2014 to ...
Nobuhiko Obayashi: A life spent working among Japan's movie greats
As the Tokyo International Film Festival stages a retrospective of his work, filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi talks of a past working with movie greats, such as Akira Kurosawa
Shin Adachi's mission to bust the myth of marital bliss in 'A Beloved Wife'
Shin Adachi discusses his latest feature, 'A Beloved Wife,' which will be screened in the main competition at the 2019 Tokyo International Film Festival
Yoji Yamada and Tora-san: The resurrection of a Japanese film institution
The latest installment in Japan's long-running 'Tora-san' series opens the Tokyo International Film Festival as the series marks its 50th installment on its 50th anniversary
Tokyo International Film Festival to celebrate homegrown talent
The 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off on Oct. 28, and promises a celebration of local talent alongside its program of interntional films
'Lust in a Karaoke Box': Celebrating the joys of student life
When I taught at colleges here in the 1980s, I marveled at my students' freedom, including freedom from study. They could spend most of their waking hours at part-time jobs or club activities and still, somehow, graduate. But, as Shinya Tamada's ensemble drama, "Lust in ...
