Day Two of New York Japan CineFest takes place on November 4, 2023 at 1 p.m. 

Join us to celebrate Japanese independent filmmaking at New York Japan CineFest 2023. Now in its twelfth year, this film festival is back in person for the first time since 2019 with a screening of eighteen provocative short films over two days. The films comprise a diverse and exciting array of genres and styles from around the world— including fiction, documentary, and anime—that portray historical and contemporary Japanese culture and society.

On Friday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m., the two-day festival opens with a ninety-minute screening of short films, followed by a reception.

On Saturday, November 4, more short films follow at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with a beautiful calligraphy performance by acclaimed artist Chifumi Niimi at 3 p.m. Asia Society is proud to co-host the world premiere of Chifumi’s first short documentary film, Shu Ha Ri on New York Japan CineFest Day Two.

Screenings | Day One

6:30 p.m.

Film selection for this session is a collaboration between New York Japan CineFest [NYJCF] and the Japanese Information and Culture Center [JICC], operated by the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.

Third Wheel

Dir. Kevin Haefelin | 2023 | 4:50 | comedy, drama, period, fantasy | Switzerland

Edo Period. Following his abrupt death, Gohei, a master carpenter, returns as a ghost to make peace with his wife, Sachi but finds out he is invisible. He must rely on Sakichi, his once-neglected apprentice gifted with psychic abilities.

What To Do To Be Like You

Dir. Chris Rudz | 2022 | 5:01 | comedy | Japan

Young Natsumi returns to the island of her ancestor to become an Ama-san - Traditional female diver of Japan. She follows her mentor Reiko, who's the best Ama-san in the area, to discover her secrets.

In Association With Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Aufguss

Dir. Daigo Matsui | 2022 | 24:52 | drama | Japan

A sauna spa that has been in business for fifty years is about to reach the very last day without letting any of its regular customers know. An Aufgussmeister, Toji is preparing for the last Aufguss session. Regular customers are puzzled as to why he is so fired up. This is a story about this special night for a small sauna business.

In Association With Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

The Floating World

Dir. Hiroshi Yokota | 2023 | 15:17 | documentary | Japan

When a university student struggling with an environmental studies assignment searches for inspiration for an assignment at an art gallery, she is magically transported into a painting and lands in 19th-century Japan. In Edo, today’s Tokyo, she witnesses a range of everyday sustainable practices––using ashes in the dyeing process, fertilizing fields with night soil, repurposing used kimonos into towels and rags––that helped the country overcome environmental collapse.

Shu Ha Ri (World Premiere)

Dir. Tatsuya Ino | 2023 | 12:38 | documentary | Japan, USA

Born and raised in Kyoto, Japanese calligrapher, Chifumi Niimi, teaches students not only how to write characters beautifully but also break through tradition to develop self-esteem and find a new you through shodo (Japanese calligraphy).

The Swamp

Dir. Sorao Sakimura | 2023 | 4:55 | animation | Japan

He, in the painful days of living deep in a shell, picks up a stone. It gains an identity in a moment and becomes a different individual from him. It pulls him up and takes him somewhere he would never imagine. This is written as a record of the writer himself who has kept creating while feeling the hardness of life.

In Association With Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Seen

Dir. Shinji Hamasaki | 2022 | 23:37 | drama | Japan

A love story based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short story "The Nose." Tatsuya, a man afflicted with a nose complex, meets Fumi, a reclusive woman with an eye patch. Both burdened with their emotional scars, the two find themselves drawn to each other.

In Association With Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Chifumi Niimi was born in Kyoto, Japan. She was exposed to the world of calligraphy by her calligrapher mother from an early age. After graduating from Heian Jogakuin St.Agnes College in Japan, she studied in China as part of her calligraphy research. She is the president of her own shodo school, Calligraphy Kyoto and has received multiple awards. Chifumi also started the Shodo to the World Project (SWP) over a decade ago and performed and introduced Japanese calligraphy in many countries such as the U.S.A., U.K., India, Turkey, and so on.

CineFest was founded by filmmakers Yasu Suzuki and Kosuke Furukawa and music producer Hiroshi Kono. While the three friends initially planned for the event to be a small one-night program, the 2011 Japan earthquake's devastating effects made them change their minds. Since then, the founders have grown the event exponentially in an effort to connect Asian, American, and global cinema.

CineFest highlights independent filmmakers who are committed to expressing their voice and vision to the world. Their mission is to explore and find unique talent, supporting filmmakers' work, vision, and causes while providing a playground for creativity in New York City.