Mikio Naruse 100th Birth Anniversary

Teruo Ishii Fan Club(ja)

A documentary on Teruo Ishii, the Japanese "King of Cult".

Bâtons d'encens pour Mizoguchi(fr)

A. K.(fr)

An intimate chronicle of the shooting of Ran (1985), a film directed by the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

Sat-chan Tadashi-chan: Sengo minshu-teki dokuritsu pro funtō-ki(ja)

After the war, many filmmakers were expelled from the Japanese film industry due to the Toho Dispute and the Red Purge. Amid such circumstances, there were people who set up their own independent production companies and embarked on film production without relying on corporations. This documentary film focuses on the passionate "spirit of film" of directors such as Satsuo Yamamoto and Tadashi Imai, who, despite many hardships, produced a succession of masterpieces overflowing with humanism and rebellious spirit.

Kiki Kirin's Life(ja)

This documentary follows the last days of actress KIKI Kirin, who passed away on September 15, 2018. The documentary is the first long-term, in-depth coverage of Ki-kin, and is a re-edited version of the NHK documentary of the same title that was broadcast on September 26, 2006, adding previously unseen footage. She was loved all over Japan for her blunt remarks, her attentive concern for those around her, and her overflowing sense of humor. Despite her busy schedule, she valued her daily life and had her own unique style, even though she talked about life as it came. This film captures the last days of her life and gives us hints for living from her "life as it comes" and her many inspiring words.

Ken San(ja)

KEN SAN pieces together the puzzle of the life and legacy of Japan's mythical acting icon, Ken Takakura. Collaborators, friends and family tell intimate stories of Ken's journey: how one man of quiet dignity became a cultural barrier-breaking film star.

The Erotic Empire(en)

A short documentary primarily focused on Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series.

Seijun Suzuki: kabuki & yakuzas(es)

Film director and screenwriter Seijun Suzuki (1923-2017), who in the sixties was the great innovator of Japanese cinema; and his collaborator, art director and screenwriter Takeo Kimura (1918-2010), recall how they made their great masterpieces about the Yakuza underworld for the Nikkatsu film company.

By Player(ja)

The film is a series of vignettes from Taiji Tonoyama's life and film clips, interspersed with a dialogue to camera by Nobuko Otowa, addressing the camera as if she is addressing Tonoyama himself, recollecting events in his life. The film focuses on Tonoyama's alcohol dependence and his various sexual relationships, as well as his film work with Shindo.

Nezumikozo Jirokichi(ja)

Legendary anime director Rintaro’s (Metropolis, X/1999, Galaxy Express 999) first new work in over a decade depicts pioneering 1930s director Sadao Yamanaka and the production of his Nezumikozo Jirokichi. Despite dying before the age of 30, Yamanaka was a pivotal influence in Japanese cinema whose work would go on to inspire future generations. While most of his films have been lost to time, his scripts remain, and Nezumikozo Jirokichi recreates one of these lost films—a tale of a famous, virtuous bandit in old Edo—as imagined by Rintaro together with an all-star team including Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Memories), Taro Maki (Pluto, Millennium Actress) and Masao Maruyama (Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue).

Red Shade(xx)

Keichi Tanaamis new animation work Red Shade (2021) is based on paintings that he had produced on the premise that they will be set in motion. Each of the 80 selected scenes was given a distinct movement of its own, and the edited version of the completed work became the first film. The 80 scenes are each independently complete, and can be freely rearranged. For example, you can start from scent 80 and end in scene one, or arrange them irregularly like 1, 4, 8, 7, and so on. In other words, the essence of the work does not change no matter how the scenes are arranged. Even so, it is possible to produce a strong impact by exchanging the images for each frame, and one can also for instance, create an impression of a refreshing breeze sweeping through the green meadows.

東京シンデレラ娘(ja)

Microcosmos(fr)

A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.

Super Size Me(en)

Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to a diet based only on McDonald's fast food three times a day for thirty days without exercising to try to prove why so many Americans are fat or obese. He submits himself to a complete check-up by three doctors, comparing his weight along the way, resulting in a scary conclusion.

Alien Deception: The Biggest Lie in History(en)

For decades, world governments have lied to the people about the alien presence on Earth. Project Blue Book was reportedly closed down in 1969, but the discovery of the AATP program dispels any notion that the military and ruling powers of the US and other nations aren't interested in UFOs. Now with verified video of UFOs from military sources, it's time to explore the truth and why the ruling factions have been deceiving us since the early 40's, even before Roswell.

The Dalai Lama's Gift(en)

In 1981, a Buddhist monk teaching at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, made the bold request of the Dalai Lama to come and perform a rare ritual, never before done outside of India or Tibet: the Kalachakra, among the highest of the Buddhist tantric teachings. In just a few months, with a team of dedicated students, and cameras rolling, they constructed a temple and organized an event for over a thousand spiritual seekers, in a cornfield outside Madison. The incredible footage was tucked away in the Smithsonian vaults, until now. What unfolds is the story of a powerful ritual, its impact on the people that made it happen, and the meaning behind this ancient initiation.

A Road of Prayer(en)

A Road of Prayer (2014–2016) is a 98-minute documentary that chronicles the filmmaker Tenzin Sedon’s return to her hometown of Lhasa, Tibet, after a long absence. Through her camera, she sought to connect with her homeland and the people—both familiar and unfamiliar—to her. In the film, three narratives intertwine through place, time, and urban change. By capturing the lives of ordinary people on the prayer road (Kora), she embarked on a journey to reconnect with her hometown.

Inside Buffalo(en)

The story of the 92nd Buffalo Division, the exclusively African American segregated combat unit which fought against nazism with outstanding heroism in Italy during the Second World War.

Snaketown- Early Indian Farmers Conquer the Arizona Desert(en)

This film is a documentary on the archaeological excavation of the Snaketown Dig just out of Phoenix Arizona. Snaketown in Arizona is dated by some scholars to around 300 BCE., The site of Snaketown is positioned on the Gila River Basin near Phoenix AZ at the Gila River Indian Community. Both the Hohokam and the Ootam peoples have occupied the land and from what I gather there is some contention on who did what when. Isn't their always. This is a really great film on the excavation of Snaketown and is a valuable educational resource I am fortunate to have. The Pima Indian father of Ira Hayes makes an appearance.

Look at Life: Sea Riders(en)

A look at the world's toughest power-boat race, taking place off Britain's South Coast, from Cowes to Torquay.