Japan Society Film

Screening Japanese cinema from classics to contemporary premieres in NYC. Organizers of JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film since 2007. Films streaming at film.japansociety.org

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JAPAN CUTS 2023 Festival Trailer

The 16th edition of JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM kicks off on July 26th! The largest festival of its kind in North America, take a quick peek at what's in store with our official JAPAN CUTS 2023 trailer below!

Announcing the North American Premiere of Hideaki Anno's 'Shin Kamen Rider'

We're excited to announce the North American Premiere of Hideaki Anno’s Shin Kamen Rider—screening one night only at Japan Society on May 23. Written and directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion's Hideaki Anno, Shin Kamen Rider reimagines the original 1971 iteration of the masked rider for a whole new generation—commemorating the 50th anniversary of the legendary tokusatsu series. Presented in celebration of the upcoming nationwide release by TOEI Company, Ltd. and Fathom Events on May 31. Limited ticket availability, all North…

Recent reviews

Commemorating 10 years since Nagisa Oshima’s Passing—35mm Presentation. Set in the chilly autumnal air of a rural mountain village, Oshima’s follow-up to his taboo-breaking In the Realm of the Senses summons a morbid tale of passion and guilt at the turn of the 20th century. The illicit coupling of young war veteran Toyoji (Tatsuya Fuji) and Seki, the wife of a rickshaw driver, drives the adulterous pair to murder as they succumb to their own carnal desires and ecstasy—an act…

Drawing influence from the works of Herman Hesse, Riyoko Ikeda (The Rose of Versailles) and Shuji Terayama, Kunihiko Ikuhuhara’s Adolescence of Utena re-envisions the 1997 series, offering an intertextual synthesis of the original anime that expands upon its themes and motifs. Entering Ohtori Academy, an expressionist edifice of towering spires and oblique rose-tinted corridors, Utena Tenjou encounters a spate of sparring duelists and a secretive student council—all vying for an enigmatic bride. Continuing the anime’s avant garde compositions and baroque…

55th Anniversary Screening. Japan Society and Escape From Tribeca, the Tribeca Festival’s official psychotronic sidebar, are pleased to present a special 55th anniversary screening of the 1968 Toho tokusatsu classic Destroy All Monsters. One of the Showa era’s biggest Godzilla spectacles, director Ishiro Honda, special effects supervisor Eiji Tsuburaya (Ultraman), and composer Akira Ifukube send kaiju across the earth for innovative action and destruction spanning Tokyo, Paris, Beijing, Moscow and New York. Featuring an all-star cast including Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra,…

A camcorder confessional focusing on the private lives of six queer Los Angelenos, Gregg Araki’s seminal exploration of alienated youth—and the first of his Teen Apocalypse Trilogy (followed by The Doom Generation, Nowhere)—presents their fragmented desires and nihilistic musings in Godardian fashion. Terminally bored and unmoored in the media-saturated wasteland of '90s America, the group navigates the urban malaise of adolescent life, reconciling with the meaning of it all as they face homophobia, failed romance and existential dread. Featuring Araki’s…

Liked reviews

Angel's Egg

Angel's Egg

★★★★

Absolutely stunning

the Q&A: Amano walks onstage wearing a damn fine hat, says “I haven’t seen the movie in 10 years idk” and leaves. brilliant

Angel's Egg

Angel's Egg

★★★★★

cannot believe i not only caught a screening of this but also that Yoshitaka Amano was in the building. feeling very blessed!

Angel's Egg

Angel's Egg

★★★★

For my screening, Amano gave a “talk” where he stood on stage and said “I haven’t seen the movie in 10 years” and left. Absolute legend