New York Japan CineFest: Program 1

Highlighting some of the most exciting new voices in cinema, New York Japan CineFest presents two nights of short films by emerging Japanese and Japanese-American filmmakers.

The first night's program is followed by a reception. 

Click here to check out Program 2 on Thursday, June 7, 2018.

Program 1: 

The Apologizers
Dir. Yasu Suzuki. 2018. USA. 21 mins. 

Two mysterious men wearing identical suits, coats and even glasses walk into a restaurant. Are they assassins? Secret government agents? The IRS? No, they are The Apologizers. Did you make some mistakes? A business deal gone wrong? Call The Apologizers for big or small businesses, even domestic disputes. There is no place they won't go. They will show up with their ultimate sincerity and apologize from the bottom of their hearts...

First Samurai in New York 
Dir. Justin Ambrosino. 2018. USA. 14 mins.

In the late 1800s, a Japanese-born woman, trained as a samurai warrior by her late father, immigrates with her widowed mother and siblings to New York, looking for a better life–only to find racism, violence and corruption instead.

Sugihara Survivors: Jewish and Japanese, Past and Future
Dir. Junichi Kajioka. 2017. Japan/UK. 24 mins.

A short documentary film about Chiune Sugihara—considered Japan’s Oskar Schindler—a diplomat who saved 6,000 Jewish refugees in WWII. The film follows Japanese writer, Akira Kitade, trying to trace the identities of some of the “Sugihara survivors” and uncover historic connections between Japanese and Jewish people. This film was made for the 30th anniversary of Mr. Sugihara's death.

And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool 
Dir. Makoto Nagahisa. 2017. Japan. 28 mins.

One summer day, 400 goldfish were found in the swimming pool of a secondary school. This is the story of the four 15-year-old girls who put them there.

Perfect World
Dir. Yuske Fukada. 2017. USA. 11 mins.

In 2121, DR_06 is an abortionist in The City—the last human utopia on an artificial island designed purely for the highest optimization on the desert-like earth. DR_06 works diligently to maintain his citizenship despite his low genetic score, called a “spec”; he aborts deficient fetuses in order to improve the efficiency of society in The City. His perfectly optimized life falters when his ex-lover, Grace, returns to ask for an illegal fake operation to save her baby.

Hatis Noit
Dir. Nick Hughes. 2016. USA. 8 mins.

A glimpse into the music of Japan's Hatis Noit, whose experimental vocals recollect memories of her snowy hometown, Hokkaido. Hatis creates a richly layered sonic landscape that recalls familiar musical techniques while recontextualizing them and transcending traditional forms. 

Co-presented with Mar Creation

Beer generously provided by Asahi