Movies: Heisei Project

Three men are possessed by the spirits of ancient samurai determined to build their master's castle, even if they must use cardboard....

Japan and Iran are not in close relationship. More than 4 centuries ago, however, Persian carpets were used in the festival of Takayama, a historic city in mountainous area of Honsyu. A man planned to resume the carpet in the festival, and asked Kinu...

With all the unrest and uncertainty in the world today, now feels as good a time as any for a movie portraying good will and love between people from opposing countries. The film is a love story set in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture on the...

A 100-year-old resident of a Lake Biwa nursing home dies mysteriously. Did a respirator keeping him alive suddenly malfunction, or was he murdered? A young detective on the case meets a female caregiver. The investigation runs into a dead end, but th...

Keiko Tsuruoka’s film is at once traditional and contemporary: it gently mixes present-day gender and sexuality politics with the old-fashioned Japanese domestic drama. Traditional lacquerwork kitchenware is the Aoki family’s legacy, handed down to p...

From a young age, Natsuki knew she was a girl despite her sex assigned at birth. Against the backdrop of conservative Japanese society, this poignant docudrama tells her remarkable story of gender transition. Reflecting on her high school years, Nats...