Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival

Director: Yûki Kumagai Run Time: 102 min. Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Starring: Jin Katagiri, Matsumi Fuku, Renji Ishibashi, Wakana Aoi

Lost in Ramen follows the stories of three people: a girl contemplating suicide, a widower, and a chef who survived a car accident, and how they learn to rise above their troubles with the help of a ramen restaurant.

Sat Mar 30 @ 12:30 pm: DUBSun Mar 31 @ 6:00 pm: SUB

Director: Kitarô Kôsaka Run Time: 94 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese | English

Starring: Nana Mizuki, Rina Endô, Satsumi Matsuda, Seiran Kobayashi

In this 2018 animated film from Studio Ghibli veteran Kitaro Kosaka, a young girl, Okko, becomes the new junior inn keeper at her grandmother’s enchanted countryside inn and through the help of her new spirit friends, she learns the meaning of dedicating yourself to others, and being a welcoming host.

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Run Time: 121 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Starring: Jyo Kairi, Lily Franky, Mayu Matsuoka, Sakura Andô

This 2018 drama follows a low-income family that relies on shoplifting to cope with their life of poverty. The story begins when the family takes in a neighborhood girl and they must face the new challenges of integrating her into their home, and keep her hidden from those who are looking for her.

Run Time: 53 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Together, the stories (Kanini & Kanino, Life Ain’t Gonna Lose, Invisible) explore ideas of heroism in everyday life, and the infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds in this unforgettable showcase that is further demonstration of the studio’s exciting future.

Director: Kaku Arakawa Run Time: 70 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Starring: Atsushi Okui, Hayao Miyazaki, Michiyo Yasuda, Nobuo Kawakami, Toshio Suzuki, Yuhei Sakuragi, Yukinori Nakamura

This Japanese documentary follows Academy Award-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, as he struggles to deal with the woes of retirement, and the challenges he faces when he begins to work on a new CGI short film, that’s nothing like what he’s seen before.

Director: Kinji Fukasaku Run Time: 114 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Starring: Aki Maeda, Chiaki Kuriyama, Sosuke Takaoka, Taro Yamamoto, Tatsuya Fujiwara

An isolated group of high schoolers are forced to fight to the death by the government in this hugely influential (and controversial) modern classic.

Mon Apr 1 @ 2:45 pm: DUBSat Apr 6 @ 2:40 pm: DUBSun Apr 7 @ 6:25 pm: SUB

Director: Mamoru Hosoda Run Time: 98 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese | English | Russian

From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children). After his baby sister Mirai is born, four-year-old Kun feels left out of the family. Kun’s jealousy grows, until one day he stumbles into a magical garden, where past and future family members guide him on a journey through their family’s history.

Director: Toshiya Fujita Run Time: 97 min. Format: Digital - CinemaScope Ratio (2.39) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Starring: Masaaki Daimon, Meiko Kaji, Miyoko Akaza, Toshio Kurosawa

In this 1970s cult classic, a woman raised to be an assassin exacts vengeance upon the people who destroyed her family. Based on the manga of the same name, it’s a dazzlingly violent adventure into the heart of revenge in early 20th century Japan.

Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda Run Time: 96 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Starring: Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama

One Cut Of The Dead is a low budget horror film, within a low budget horror film, wrapped in a meta making-of mockumentary, and filled with enough laughs, gags, and zombie-genre references to make anyone want to watch it over and over again.

Run Time: 137 min. Format: Digital - Academy Ratio (1.37) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Often cited as one of the greatest films ever made, Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story has been a classic since its release in 1953. This masterpiece follows an aging couple’s trip to visit their grown children in Tokyo, and the generational conflict that arises as they discover how they’re seen as a burden to their family.

Run Time: 120 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese

No one does game shows quite like Japan. We’re screening a compilation of some of the wildest, wackiest, grossest, and funniest clips from Japanese Game Shows. (Please note this is for adult audiences).

Director: Keith Reimink Run Time: 75 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

Day of the Western Sunrise is an animated documentary telling the true story of the crew onboard a fishing vessel who survived the Castle Bravo thermonuclear bomb test in the Pacific Ocean in 1954. This movie includes survivor interviews, beautiful animation, and was made by Pittsburghers!

Run Time: 92 min. Format: Digital - Flatscreen Ratio (1.85) Language: Japanese w/ English Subtitles

This animated romantic comedy follows a night out for two unnamed university students, as one tries to confess his feelings for the other, but hilarious circumstances won’t allow it.