The best and most innovative films to have recently emerged from the land of the rising sun, consistently rated one of the most creative places in the world of modern cinema.
All Around Us and Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Akira
(Country: Japan; Year: 1988; Director: Katsuhiro Otomo; Writer: Izô Hashimoto, based on the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo.; Stars: Nozomu Sasaki, Mitsuo Iwata, Mami Koyama, Hiroshi Ôtake),
Official Site
The classic anime tale of rivalry between two boys who uncover the mysterious secret of a post-apocalyptic world. On re-issue.
All Around Us (Gururi no koto)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Ryosuke Hashiguchi; Writer: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, Ryosuke Hashiguchi; Stars: Lily Franky, Tae Kimura, Tamae Ando, Hirofumi Arai, Mitsuko Baisho, Akira Emoto, Ryo Kase, Reiko Kataoka, Yuichi Kimura, Rie Minemura)
Witty drama about eight years in a marriage.
Bare Essence Of Life Ultra-Miracle Love Story (Urutora mirakuru rabu sutôrî)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Satoko Yokohama; Writer: Satoko Yokohama; Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Kumiko Aso, Arata, Yumiko Fujita, Yoshio Harada, Seiji Nozoe, Misako Watanabe)
A traumatised school teacher attracts the attentions of a 'differently wired' young man.
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Jessica Oreck)
A documentary exploring the Japanese fascination with insects, made by an entomologist from New York's Museum of Natural History.
Island Of Dreams (Yume No Shima)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Tsuta Tetsuichro; Stars: Makoto Adachi, Toshio Ando, Kakeru Hirasawa)
A film noir focusing on a young man who works on an artificial island made of rubbish and becomes an eco-terrorist as a consequence, launching deadly bomb attacks.
Kakera and Zero Focus
Kakera (Kakera - A Piece Of Our Life)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Momoko Andô; Writer: Momoko Andô; Stars: Hikari Mitsushima, Eriko Nakamura, Ken Mitsuishi, Tasuku Nagaoka)
One love, two girls, Japanese-style.
Ran
(Country: Japan; Year: 1985; Director: Akira Kurosawa; Writer: Akira Kurosawa, based on the play by William Shakespeare; Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Mieko Harada)
A warlord splits his kingdom between his sons only to see the older two cause chaos as they battle for supremacy in this vivid Japanese reworking of King Lear.
Vacation (Kyûka)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Hajime Kadoi; Writer: Akira Yoshimura, Dai Sakô; Stars: Kaoru Kobayashi, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Nene Otsuka, Ren Ôsugi, Keiichi Asada, Asami Imajuku, Taro Kanazawa, Shuuji Kashiwabara, Yuji Kato, Lily, Ren Murakami, Shunpei Ohtani, Gô Rijû, Hideo Sakaki, Toshio Sakamoto)
An unlikely friendship develops between a prison guard and a death row prisoner.
Yatterman (Yattaman)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Takashi Miike; Stars: So Sakurai, Fyoko Fukada, Saki Fukude)
Two teenagers and their giant robot dog take on the minions of an evil villainess with a succession of bizarre leather outfits in this adaptation of the hit TV anime.
Zero Focus (Zero No Shôten)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Isshin Inudou; Writer: Seicho Matsumoto; Stars: Ryoko Hirosue, Miki Nakatane)
A young woman begins to uncover dark secrets as she searches for her husband who has disappeared shortly after their wedding night.
