Toronto Japanese Film Festival | Toronto Japanese Film Festival

カメラを止めるな！

ONE CUT OF THE DEAD
(Special Screening with Reel Asian )

Director Shinichiro Ueda’s tiny indie production opened in two small cinemas but by positive word of mouth alone shot to the top of the box-office.

A low-budget zombie movie – shot in one take – turns real when actual zombies attack the crew. But then the film abruptly transforms into something entirely different: Japan’s smartest comedy of the year, a father-daughter story, a sharp film industry satire and a movie about the value of perseverance. Winner of film festival awards around the world.

Starring Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Mao and Takayuki Hamatsu

Thursday November 15 at 7pm / 96 min
In Japanese with English subtitles

眩 ~北斎の娘~

KURARA
-The Dazzling Life of Hokusai’s Daughter-

NHK’s handsome dramatization of the life of O-Ei, the daughter of Hokusai, one of Japan’s most renowned 19th-century ukiyo-e artists.

O-Ei, herself a brilliant painter, married but soon returned home to become her father’s assistant. She was by Hokusai’s side as he completed his iconic “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” series. When Hokusai grew too old to wield a brush, O-Ei painted for him and devoted her life to art, founding her own style of painting while helping her father.

Starring Aoi Miyazaki, Ryukei Matsuda, Hiroki Miyake and Kimiko Yo

Preceded by Alice Shin’s short film HARU’S NEW YEAR with the director and cast members in attendance.

Thursday December 6 @ 7pm / 73min
In Japanese with English subtitles

万引き家族

SHOPLIFTERS

Master filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s newest masterpiece won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or.

Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold and take her home. Although the family is poor, barely surviving through petty crime, they live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them...

Starring Lily Franky, Kirin Kiki and Sakura Ando.

Thursday January 31 at 7pm / 121 min
In Japanese with English subtitles