JAPAN CUTS — the largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema in North America — returns this year from July 10-20, 2025, with Japanese fashion brand GU presented for the first time as its title sponsor.
JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU will take place at Japan Society in New York City, showcasing 30 films over 11 days. This year’s lineup spans four dynamic sections: Feature Slate, Next Generation, Classics and Short Films. Among the festival’s lineup are:
– 3 World Premieres
– 1 International Premiere
– 9 North American Premieres
– 5 U.S. Premieres
– 1 East Coast Premiere
– 8 New York Premieres
The festival will also welcome major actors, directors and special guests and host four lively parties throughout its run.
“We’re deeply proud to celebrate Japanese film in the heart of New York City,” says Peter Tatara, Director of Film at Japan Society, who organized this year’s festival with Japan Society Film Programmer Alexander Fee. “Each year, JAPAN CUTS presents a look into the contemporary Japanese cinema scene, spotlighting both major award-winners as well as rising stars, and we hope this festival helps build bridges between film lovers in New York and filmmakers in Japan— and more broadly between our two countries—with film a tremendous snapshot into modern Japan’s culture, values and soul.”
Leading this year’s guest lineup, JAPAN CUTS will honor legendary filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa with the 2025 CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film. Widely regarded as one of Japan’s most influential living directors, Kurosawa is known for such modern classics as Tokyo Sonata, Cure and Pulse. The festival will host premieres of his latest films— the psychological thriller Cloud and Serpent’s Path, a bold reimagining of Kurosawa’s own 1998 original. In addition, JAPAN CUTS will present a rare 35mm revival of License to Live, along with the North American Premiere of the Serpent’s Path 4K restoration.
JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU is further honored to welcome acclaimed actress Yuumi Kawai. This year’s Best Actress winner at the Japan Academy Film Prize (the country’s equivalent to the Oscars), Kawai earned the award for her gripping performance in A Girl Named Ann, a harrowing portrait of a young woman navigating life on the margins of Japanese society. Kawai will attend the North American Premiere of A Girl Named Ann, as well as the U.S. Premiere of She Taught Me Serendipity, the latest feature from JAPAN CUTS favorite Akiko Ohku, co- starring Riku Hagiwara. The festival will also present the New York Premiere of Teki Cometh, which swept last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, winning Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor—and also features a standout performance by Kawai.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION:
https://japansociety.org/film/japancuts/
Trailer:
Praise for JAPAN CUTS:
“Meticulously curated… An annual highlight of New York’s film calendar.” — The New York Times
“A comprehensive snapshot of one of the world’s most exciting national cinemas—it’s the closest you can get to Japan without actually going there.” — IndieWire
Highlights of this year’s festival include:
● Next Generation competition with a hand-picked selection of independent narrative features directed by emerging directors. The festival’s only juried section, Japan Society awards the Obayashi Prize to its most accomplished film as determined by a jury of industry professionals.
● SHORT CUTS which explores narrative, documentary and experimental short-length films, including Tree of Sinners, a dark Taisho fable from husband and wife team Rii Ishigara and Hiroyuki Onogawa, and I Am Not Invisible, winner of the Grand Prize at this past year’s PIA Film Festival.
● Classics with three canonical works of independent cinema. The festival will present a rare 35mm screening of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s classic License to Live and the 4K Premiere of his original Serpent’s Path. Further, JAPAN CUTS will present the International Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Love Letter for its 30th anniversary, Shunji Iwai’s lyrical debut.
● Pop culture hits including A Samurai in Time, a breakthrough independent movie which won Best Film at the Japan Academy Film Prize; Blazing Fists from genre icon Takashi Miike; The Gesuidouz from punk director Kenichi Ugana; Kowloon Generic Romance based on a beloved manga from Jun Mayuzuki; and the grim science fiction film The Real You based on a novel by Keiichiro Hirano, with a live introduction from the award- winning author.
● A Closing Night shochu reception following the World Premiere of The Spirit of Japan, a documentary by Joseph Overbey about one of the last remaining traditional shochu distillers in Japan. Overbey will participate in a Q&A and join in a reception featuring shochu from Yamatozakura Distillery, the focus of the film.
Framing the festival this year is title sponsor GU. Fashion brand GU launched in 2006 as a sister label to UNIQLO under the Fast Retailing Group. With approximately 480 stores across Japan and Asia—and a newly opened flagship in New York City at 578 Broadway and its online store which delivers products nationwide—GU brings Japanese trend-forward fashion with a touch of Tokyo. Throughout JAPAN CUTS, GU will share its latest fashion with festival goers, and the festival itself will be spotlighted in GU’s flagship store.
All films will be screened at Japan Society (333 East 47th St., New York, NY 10017) and presented in Japanese with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.
Opening Night Film
ChaO (New York Premiere)
Thursday, July 10 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Yasuhiro Aoki, 2025, 90 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Ouji Suzuka, Anna Yamada.
JAPAN CUTS kicks off with a special screening of ChaO, the hotly anticipated animated feature debut from director Yasuhiro Aoki. Produced by Studio 4ºC, the avant-garde animation house behind Mind Game and Tekkonkinkreet, ChaO reimagines a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale through a cyberpunk lens, transporting audiences to a near-future Shanghai where humans and mermen coexist. JAPAN CUTS is hosting the special screening ahead of the film’s theatrical release in Japan in August.
Centerpiece Film
Cloud (New York Premiere)
Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 124 min, DCP, Color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Amane Okayama.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s third film in a prolific year, following the creative spurt of Chime and Serpent’s Path, shapes up to be a slow-burn techno-thriller that takes aim at the internet’s amplifying nature to radicalize the pettiest of grievances into real-world danger. CUT ABOVE Award Ceremony, Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Centerpiece Reception.
Closing Film
The Spirit of Japan (World Premiere)
Sunday, July 20 at 5:00 PM
Dir. Joseph Overbey, 2024, 48 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Tekkan Wakamatsu, Kazunari Wakamatsu, Ranko Wakamatsu.
The story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been distilling sweet potato shochu by hand at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s. The Spirit of Japan offers a rarified look inside shochu production, an intimate portrait of family succession and an unflinching glimpse into the harsh realities of preserving tradition in the modern world. Q&A with Director and Producer, Reception featuring shochu from Yamatozakura Distillery.
FEATURE SLATE (in alphabetical order)
Visit the JAPAN CUTS website for full descriptions of all films: japansociety.org/japancuts
Blazing Fists (U.S. Premiere)
(BLUE FIGHT Aoki Wakamono-Tachi No Bureikingudaun)
Friday, July 19 at 8:30 PM
Dir. Takashi Miike, 2025, 119 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Danhi Kinoshita, Kaname Yoshizawa, Gackt, Anna Tsuchiya.
From iconoclastic director Takashi Miike and with a cast including pop stars Gackt and Anna Tsuchiya, Blazing Fists is the story of two men in a juvenile reformatory determined to redeem themselves through a fighting tournament, told with exuberant outbursts of Miike’s hallmark action, humor and violence.
Cloud (New York Premiere)
(Kuraudo)
Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 124 min, DCP, Color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Amane Okayama.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s third film in a prolific year, following the creative spurt of Chime and Serpent’s Path, shapes up to be a slow-burn techno-thriller that takes aim at the internet’s amplifying nature to radicalize the pettiest of grievances into real-world danger. CUT ABOVE Award Ceremony, Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Reception.
The Gesuidouz (U.S. Premiere)
(Za Gesuidouz)
Friday, July 11 at 9:00 PM
Dir. Kenichi Ugana, 2024, 94 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Natsuko, Leo Imamura, Yutaka Kyan, Rocko Zevenbergen, Yuya Endo.
Musician Hanako believes she has one year left to live and embarks with her horror-themed punk band on a quest to write the world’s best punk song… in a rural farming village. An offbeat, delightful and deadpan musical comedy from cult filmmaker Kenichi Ugana.
A Girl Named Ann (North American Premiere)
(An No Koto)
Sunday, July 13 at 5:30 PM
Dir. Yu Irie, 2024, 113 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Yuumi Kawai, Jiro Sato, Goro Inagaki.
Yuumi Kawai won Best Actress at this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize for her stunning performance in A Girl Named Ann, the story of a teenage dropout attempting to rebuild her life amid a world which sees her as only garbage. Written and directed by the lauded Yu Irie and inspired by a painfully true story. Q&A with Yuumi Kawai.
Gridman Universe (North American Theatrical Premiere)
(Guriddoman Yunibasu) Sunday, July 20 at 12:30 PM
Dir. Akira Amemiya, 2023, 118 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hikaru Midorikawa, Yuya Hirose, Yume Miyamoto, Soma Saito, Junya Enoki.
Studio Trigger, one of the most explosive anime studios in Japan, reimagines Tsuburaya Productions’ classic tokusatsu series Gridman: The Hyper Agent in an all-new big screen spectacle celebrating the tokusatsu and kaiju genres and injecting them with their trademark over- the-top, stylish action.
Kaiju Guy! (North American Premiere)
(Kaiju Yaro!) Sunday, July 20 at 3:00 PM
Dir. Junichiro Yagi, 2024, 80 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Gumpy. Ichiro Yamada (Japanese comedian Gumpy) is ordered to produce a “local movie” to increase tourism in his sleepy city. However, Yamada proposes something else—a local kaiju movie. A delightful, heartfelt and rewarding comedy, Kaiju Guy! will make you roar.
Kowloon Generic Romance (World Premiere)
(Kuron Jenerikku Romansu) Sunday, July 13 at 12:30 PM
Dir. Chihiro Ikeda, 2025, 120 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Riho Yoshioka, Koshi Mizukami.
Reiko (Riho Yoshioka) works at a real estate agency in the Kowloon Walled City. As she starts to develop feelings for a coworker, her budding emotions surface long-forgotten memories and soon yesterday and tomorrow swirl in a world of perpetual nostalgia as Jun Mayuzuki’s acclaimed science fiction romance manga comes to life.
My Sunshine (New York Premiere)
(Boku No Ohisama) Saturday, July 19 at 2:30 PM
Dir. Hiroshi Okuyama, 2024, 90 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sosuke Ikematsu, Keitatsu Koshiyama, Kiara Nakanishi.
An aching film about an adolescent ice-dancing duo that captivates with a wistfulness for the wonders and pain of young love—and at the same time confronts the deeper subjects of Japan’s attitudes towards masculinity and homosexuality.
The Real You (North American Premiere)
(Honshin)
Friday, July 11 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Yuya Ishii, 2024, 122 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sosuke Ikematsu, Ayaka Miyoshi, Koshi Mizukami, Taiga Nakano.
Based on a novel by the Akutagawa-Prize winning Keiichiro Hirano. Following the death of his mother, Sakuya Ishikawa (Sosuke Ikematsu) creates a “Virtual Figure” from her memories in a dark science fiction mystery injected with the same sharp satire as Black Mirror. Featuring an introduction by author Keiichiro Hirano, followed by a book signing.
A Samurai in Time (New York Premiere)
(Samurai Taimusurippa)
Monday, July 14 at 8:30 PM
Dir. Junichi Yasuda, 2024, 131 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Makiya Yamaguchi, Norimasa Fuke, Yuno Sakura.
At the end of the Edo period, a flash of lightning sends a samurai into the present day. The biggest Japanese indie phenomenon since One Cut of the Dead, this low budget film was initially shown in only one theater, but through word-of-mouth grew into a sensation and ultimately took home Best Film at this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize.
Serpent’s Path (2024) (East Coast Premiere)
(Hebi No Michi)
Thursday, July 17 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 113 min, DCP, Color, in French with English subtitles. With Ko Shibasaki, Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Hidetoshi Nishijima.
A higher budget remake of Kurosawa’s 1998 straight-to-video effort, Serpent’s Path is a fascinating variation on the original, supplanting Tokyo for the overcast banlieues of Paris. Eerily echoing its predecessor in its snaking narrative, Kurosawa’s psychological experiment explores the haunting obsession of a man subsumed by the desire for retribution after his daughter is killed. Q&A with Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
She Taught Me Serendipity (U.S. Premiere)
(Kyo No Sora Ga Ichiban Suki, To Mada Ienai Boku Wa)
Saturday, July 12 at 6:30 PM
Dir. Akiko Ohku, 2025, 127 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Riku Hagiwara, Yuumi Kawai, Aoi Ito, Kodai Kurosaki.
JAPAN CUTS’ favorite Akiko Ohku explores the life of college student Konishi who forms a unique bond with classmate Hana (Yuumi Kawai). Sensory and sonically attuned, She Taught Me Serendipity inventively constructs an approximation of Konishi’s psyche, and shines in its open- hearted confessions, soul-baring and poignant in their nature. Q&A with Yuumi Kawai, followed by a Reception.
Teki Cometh (New York Premiere)
(Teki)
Monday, July 14 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Daihachi Yoshida, 2024, 108 min., DCP, black and white, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kyozo Nagatsuka, Kumi Takiuchi, Yuumi Kawai, Asuka Kurosawa.
A retired college professor lives a quiet life alone, until one day he finds a post on the internet about an approaching “enemy” and the world around him begins to melt into paranoia, dream, delusion and fantasy. Widely praised in Japan, Teki Cometh won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
Yasuko, Songs of Days Past (North American Premiere)
(Yuki Teka Heranu)
Saturday, July 12 at 3:00 PM
Dir. Kichitaro Negishi, 2025, 128 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Suzu Hirose, Taisei Kido, Masaki Okada. Screenplay by Yozo Tanaka.
A resplendent Taisho-set historical drama penned by Seijun Suzuki scribe Yozo Tanaka (Zigeunerweisen) and directed by 80s auteur Kichitaro Negishi, Yasuko fixates on the tumultuous entwinement of modernist poet Chuya Nakahara, aspiring actress Yasuko Hasegawa and literary critic Hideo Kobayashi.
