Vietnam’s Japanese Film Festival
14 – 28 Feb 2022
Registration link
From the organizer:
Vietnam’s largest Japanese film festival is celebrating its 13th edition. This year, through the Japan Foundation’s Virtual Cinema, we will bring you free access to outstanding Japanese films in a variety of genres, including documentaries, comedies, animations, and dramas, for seven days from November 15 to 21, 2021 and 15 days from February 14 to 28, 2022. We hope you enjoy this exciting and diverse selection!
Film Lineup:
Bread of Happiness
Drama / 2012 / 114mins
Director : MISHIMA Yukiko
Located in the northernmost part of Japan, is Hokkaido. A young couple has opened a new cafe in a place blessed with beautiful nature. The husband bakes bread, the wife brews coffee and prepares seasonal meals. The people who visit are all carrying emotional burdens—such as, a heartbroken young woman, a girl upset over her parents’ divorce and an elderly couple with their own problems. The couple warmly welcomes these people and quietly reaches out to them.
This humanistic drama brimming with kindness is set in the backdrop of the beautiful and harsh four seasons of Hokkaido. The film is adorned with a variety of breads and dishes made with seasonal ingredients that heal the hearts of the wounded souls. Performing the warm-hearted couple are Yo Oizumi, a popular star skilled at playing both comedic and serious roles, and Tomoyo Harada, who has been popular since her debut in the 1980s with her unchanging charm.
Masked Ward
Thriller / 2020 / 114mins
Director : KIMURA Hisashi
Hayami, a doctor, takes a midnight shift at a hospital he works at for the first time. Suddenly, a supermarket robber brings in a woman he shot during his getaway. The robber holes himself up in the hospital and prowls inside the building. Hayami tries to find out what the robber wants, but there’s something suspicious about the hospital itself and the director and nurses do not feel trustworthy—it is as if everybody is operating behind a mask. Hiding from the robber, Hayami begins to investigate the hospital and discovers patients that are not on the records and an operating room that should not exist. The revelations eventually lead him to a surprising truth.
A tense mystery film set in the eerie confines of a hospital, where a chilling psychological battle unfolds and eventually leads into a chain of surprising twists. The film is an adaptation of a bestselling book written by a real-life doctor, and features two of Japan’s leading young actors, Kentaro Sakaguchi and Mei Nagano.
The Chef of South Polar
Drama / 2009 / 125mins
Director : OKITA Shuichi
In minus 54℃ weather, where the environment is too harsh for even penguins to be living, eight men are co-living at an observation base in the Antartic. They must all spend over a year at the base, far away from their families. Their greatest pleasure is the three meals they eat together. Nishimura, who is in charge of the cooking, fills his teammates’ stomachs and hearts with all kinds of dishes, including Japanese, French, and Chinese cuisine. However, for the young members, long-distance relationships are difficult and the married members are worried about their families getting fed up with them. Everybody’s yearning feelings for Japan only keeps mounting.
A classic entry in the history of Japanese comedies, the film, with a mix of pathos and humor, depicts the daily lives of a group of unique men living in the polar region. An adaptation of a story based on the real-life experiences of a cook in the Antarctic. The joy that exudes from the men wholeheartedly enjoying their meals expresses a fundamental aspect of human existence.
Happy Flight
Comedy / 2008 / 103mins
Director : YAGUCHI Shinobu
An international flight from Tokyo to Honolulu, Hawaii. A new pilot boards as an assistant to a more experienced senior pilot, and a new cabin attendant joins the team of a purser who has a reputation for being strict. The ground staff are struggling with bookings, the staff in the control tower are on alert about the weather and birds, and the mechanics are pouring their hearts and souls into accomplishing speed and precision in their work. With the combined efforts of all the workers, the flight finally takes off but they are soon faced with trouble.
Through episodes related to the work involved in operating large codmmercial passenger flights, the film spins an entertaining tale that shows the growth of new staff members with both humor and suspense. The film exudes a sense of realism through the meticulous research that went into learning about the work of in-flight and on-the-ground flight staff and how they problem-solve. An ensemble of top actors in Japan including Haruka Ayase, one of Japan’s most popular female actors, raises the film to higher planes.
Under the Open Sky
Drama / 2021 / 126mins
Director : NISHIKAWA Miwa
Mikami, a former yakuza, is released from prison after serving a 13-year sentence. He is determined to live an earnest life but has trouble finding a job. He wants to acquire a driver’s license but lacks the money to do so and his short temper also keeps getting in the way. Will Mikami go back to his old yakuza ways or will he be able to find his footing in society?
A humanistic drama that poses the question of whether human beings can change themselves, whilst boldly depicting the stark realities of an intolerant contemporary society. Koji Yakusho, who plays the lead role, is one of the most famous actors currently active in Japan. He performs the role of a fiercely emotional man trying to reform himself with such ease that this brilliant performance is sure to become one of his greatest works. Director Miwa Nishikawa is one of the leading female directors in Japan whose new works continue to be highly anticipated around the world.
Time of EVE the Movie
Animation / 2010 / 106mins
Director : YOSHIURA Yasuhiro
Set in a time where humanoids have practical applications, many households are using androids/robots to do the housework. Most of the androids are treated poorly. High-schooler Rikuo also treats his female android at home very coldly. One day, while he surveills her actions, he ends up at a cafe. The rule at this cafe was that no distinctions are made between humans and androids. Rikuo cannot help but wonder what the customers hope to get out of being there. Eventually, through the people and robots he meets in the cafe, he begins to understand what having a real soul might look like.
A moving animation consisting of a string of episodes told by the customers about their sorrows of being discriminated against. The social settings of the film, such as the existence of an ethics committee that calls for caution against dependence on androids and issues surrounding old robots getting dumped as garbage provide realistic details to the world depicted.
Until the Break of Dawn
Drama / 2012 / 129mins
Director : HIRAKAWA Yuichiro
High-schooler Ayumi was orphaned and lives with his grandmother. His grandmother has inherited an ability called “Tsunagu,” which allows her to summon the dead and reunite them with the living for one time only. Ayumi helps his grandmother as an apprentice, and interacts with visitors who wish to be reunited with the dead. One day, he receives a request from a girl in his class who is devastated by the loss of her best friend to a rather unique situation.
A spiritual and humanistic drama that depicts the inner conflicts of those who, for various reasons, seek contact with the dead. Unexpected truths are revealed one after another, and a surprising turn of events awaits at the end of the film. The lead actor, Tori Matsuzaki, is one of the most acclaimed young actors working today in Japan, and Kiki Kirin, who plays the grandmother, was a famous actor who appeared in numerous films by prominent directors before passing away in 2018.
Ito
Drama / 2021 / 116mins
Director : YOKOHAMA Satoko
Ito, a high school student living with her father and grandmother in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, is very introverted and has few friends. She has not touched her shamisen, an instrument, which has been handed down to her after her mother’s death after being passed down from generation to generation. It is then, on the spur of the moment, that she applies for a part-time job at a “maid cafe” and is successfully hired.
The senior employees there are all full of character and individuality, including an older single mother and an aspiring manga artist. As Ito is surrounded by the strange yet charming regular customers, she gradually opens herself up to them. Then, one day, an opportunity arises to perform the shamisen, which she had kept locked up…
A fresh and moving tale about a young woman growing out of her shell and about the preciousness of familial bonds. The contemporary and specific “maid café” culture from Tokyo is juxtaposed with the traditional shamisen music of Aomori giving insight into the uniqueness and breadth of Japanese culture.
OZLAND
Drama / 2018 / 105mins
Director : HATANO Takafumi
Kurumi gets a job at a first-class hotel, but is assigned to an affiliated amusement park in Kumamoto Prefecture, far west of Tokyo. She is greeted cheerfully by her boss, who is nicknamed “The Wizard” for his outstanding abilities, and by her colorful new co-workers, but she is tasked with only menial jobs. She suggests new projects but nobody takes her seriously and she begins to spend her days complaining about wanting to go back to Tokyo. Eventually, she learns that she can go back to Tokyo if she becomes the Outstanding Employee of the Year, which motivates her until…
Surrounded by passionate workers, this is the tale of one woman’s growth as she gradually begins to understand the significance of her work. With a humorous and light-hearted touch, the film conveys the joy of working at an amusement park—a place of dreams—and draws the audience into the happiness experienced by the protagonist. Haru, who plays Kurumi, is a popular actor who has been starring in many films in recent years, and her co-star Hidetoshi Nishijima is one of Japan’s top actors who is active in a wide variety of genres.
Aristocrats
Drama / 2021 / 124mins
Director : SODE Yukiko
For Hanako, who was raised in a prestigious and wealthy family, it was her duty to marry a man of high social standing. Now in her late twenties, she has finally met her ideal suitor after continued arranged meetings with potential men. She was supposed to have a happy marriage to look forward to until she learns that her future partner was involved with a different woman. That woman was Miki, who hails from a regular family from rural Japan, working hard to survive in Tokyo. The lives of Hanako and Miki who inhabit very different social environments eventually begin to intersect.
A humanistic drama that explores the llves of women in contemporary Japan through its vibrant depiction of class differences between a protagonist who hails from the upper class in Tokyo and another raised in rural Japan with a low-income class background. The acting, by Japan’s rising star Mugi Kadowaki (Hanako) and Kiko Mizuhara (Miki) whose international successes have become increasingly visible, is a must-watch. The wonderful visuals also provide depth to the story.
The God of Ramen
Documentary / 2013 / 90mins
Director : INNAMI Takashi
There used to be a ramen shop called “Daishoken” in Ikebukuro, near central Tokyo. Every day, there were long lines of people waiting to get in, and in four hours they would serve up ramen to 200 people. The number of regulars who became captivated by the taste of Daishoken were countless and even other ramen shop owners came to learn at the eatery.
This documentary depicts the life of Kazuo Yamagishi, the founder of Daishoken who had an immense influence on the Japanese ramen industry. Yamagishi’s passion for making ramen went uninterrupted for 40 years. He readily accepted many apprentices and generously taught them his techniques while also delighting his customers. The source of Yamagishi’s passion was his wife, who passed away at an early age, and the film tells the story of his love for her as well as his love for delicious ramen. This uniquely moving film is a record of Yamagishi’s uncompromising attitude expressed to its fullest.
AWAKE
Drama / 2020 / 119mins
Director : YAMADA Atsuhiro
The year 2015 marked the first time that a shogi game software played against a professional human player. Riku, a talented young professional, was not afraid of the risk of losing to the computer and offered to play against it. What he didn’t know was that the developer of the software was Eiichi, who had once been a fellow student at an institute for boys training to become professionals. Why did young Eiichi give up on his dream of becoming a professional and become passionate about developing shogi software?
Inspired by a true story, this moving coming-of-age film is, on one hand, about a game between an AI and a human, but it is also about a fateful battle between two rivals, and the hard work that each of them had gone through to get there. The story plays out with the thrill and excitement of a good sports film. Ryo Yoshizawa, who plays Eiichi, is one of the most popular actors working in Japan today, and Ryuya Wakaba, who plays Riku, is a talented young actor who continues to add to his long list of appearances.
Patema Inverted
Animation / 2013 / 99mins
Director : YOSHIURA Yasuhiro
A catastrophic event occurs and all the buildings in the world get sucked up into the sky. A few years later, Patema, a vivacious girl who lives in a base camp, falls into a hole while exploring a dangerous area in the premises. Patema “falls” from the undergound of the base to above ground and continues to almost fall into the sky. She is saved when she manages to cling on to a boy named Age who is above ground. The two children with opposite gravitational forces, support each other upside-down and learn about each other’s worlds in the post-catastrophe era. In doing so, they learn hidden terrible truths that they begin to confront.
As Patema and Age travel to and from each other’s worlds, they must support each other while being upside down or they will fall. A truly unique sci-fi fantasy that almost numbs our own senses of up and down. A touching animation that creatively depicts the beauty of love, friendship and courage.
Her Love Boils Bathwater
Drama / 2016 / 125mins
Director : NAKANO Ryota
After the disappearance of her husband, Futaba takes a break from the family business of running a public bathhouse to work part-time and raise her daughter, Azumi. With her characteristic strength and cheerfulness, Futaba cheers on Azumi, who is having problems at school. However, Futaba is diagnosed with an illness with only a short time left to live. In the time that she has left, Futaba decides on what she must do and begins to make it happen. That is, to get rid of all of the secrets in her family.
A deeply moving story about Futaba’s fair and passionate love towards everyone around her and her bond with her children and others who are close to her. The daughter’s earnestness to inherit her mother’s strength overflows from the story. The unexpected ending of the film inspires a zest for life. Rie Miyazawa, one of Japan’s star actor, gives a wonderful performance as the powerful Futaba, and Hana Sugisaki as Azumi gives a true-to-life performance that makes holding back tears a difficult task.
RASHOMON
Classic / 1950 / 88mins
Director : KUROSAWA Akira
The story takes place in Japan about a thousand years ago. The body of a samurai is found in the mountains. His wife, local villagers, a bandit in the mountains, and others who witnessed the man’s death, all testify in front of the officials. However, everyone’s story is completely different.
Released in 1950 and directed by Akira Kurosawa—the world’s most famous Japanese director. It won the top prize at Venice Film Festival, making it an important film that put Japanese cinema on the world map. The beauty of the summer light shining in through the trees, and the high-contrast black-and-white cinematography was met with high praise. Toshiro Mifune, who played the bandit, became a regular in Kurosawa’s films, which launched him into international stardom. There is no shortage of legendary stories surrounding the filmmaking, such as that they mixed black ink in water to make the rain look more intense. A masterpiece of Japanese cinema.
The Floating Castle
History / 2012 / 144mins
Director : INUDO Isshin, HIGUCHI Shinji
Approximately 400 years ago in Japan, after continued battles amongst the samurai class, the overwhelmingly powerful Hideyoshi Toyotomi is on the verge of unifying the country. He orders his men to attack a small castle, the last remaining resistance. Surrender is debated in the castle but the young lord, who always seems to be in a daze, chooses to fight. Is the lord of the castle a reckless fool or a genius?
A riveting historical spectacle about those who stand up for their dignity as samurai, armed with their wisdom, courage and love for their people. The lead actor Mansai Nomura, who captivates with his comical performance, is originally a performer of Noh, a traditional Japanese theater genre. His specialized skills in movement and dance are put to great effect in performing the role of the eccentric lord of the castle. A huge hit upon its release in Japan, the intensity of the fight scenes and the battle of the wits became the talk of the town.
Mio’s Cookbook
History / 2020 / 131mins
Director : KADOKAWA Haruki
After a catastrophic flood, a young girl Miho, leaves her hometown of Osaka to work in a restaurant in Edo. She is blessed with great talent, but is troubled by the difference in taste between Osaka and Edo, and toils to find a solution. Meanwhile, she learns that her best friend, Noe, is in Edo but she is rarely allowed to see her because of her lowly status.
Set in Japan about 200 years ago, this entertaining period drama refreshingly portrays the bond between Miho, who stakes her life on cooking, and Noe, who has become a courtesan (high-class geisha) in Yoshiwara, Japan’s largest red-light district. The Edo period (that spanned 200 years from 17th to 19th century) was a time of relative peace and cultural maturity in Japan, and the meticulously prepared dishes in the film seem to represent the “iki” spirit of Japanese culture. It is also said it was not easy back then for even a lord to meet a courtesan of the highest caliber.
It’s a Summer Film!
Drama / 2021 / 97mins
Director : MATSUMOTO Soushi
Hadashi, a high schooler, is obsessed with old Japanese samurai films. When her film club rejects her samurai film project, she decides to gather her friends and craft the film on her own terms. She convinces a reluctant young man into playing the lead and they begin their shoot but is faced with one problem after another. Will they be able to finish the film? What’s more is that this young man might be from the future?
An innovative coming-of-age masterpiece that incorporates elements of science fiction while providing a fresh look at young people who are serious about filmmaking. Packed with action, romance and suspense—this film exudes with so much passion towards the movies that any film fan is bound to get excited by it. Marika Ito, a former member of a famous idol group who is also active as an artist, plays the dynamic Hadashi, and her charm shines in the film. Look forward to the emotional final scene!
SUMODO～The Successors of Samurai～
Documentary / 2020 / 104mins
Director : SAKATA Eiji
Sumo wrestling is said to have already existed in Japan over a thousand years ago and is still a nationally popular event today. Sumo wrestlers (a.k.a. rikishi), who boast huge physiques, not only compete in physical matches, but also serve in Shinto rituals. This film closely follows famous sumo wrestlers to show how they live, train, and how they feel when they step onto the ring.
There is no other sport in the world where two wrestlers weighing 200 kilograms collide head-on without protective gear. Sumo wrestlers are always at risk of injury, but no matter the amount of pain, it is is never used as an excuse in the stoic “way of sumo” and “way of the samurai”. This is an invaluable record of the lives of these modern-day samurai up close and personal. The excitement of live sumo tournaments are also palpable.
ReLIFE
Drama / 2017 / 119mins
Director : FURUSAWA Takeshi
27-year-old Arata has no jobs or goals, and his days are spent in the doldrums. When he is recruited into the “ReLIFE” project, that promises to let him re-do a year of his high school days, he is suspicious but takes the rejuvenating potion anyway and is transformed back into a 17-year-old. Thus, begins his high school life with a limit of one year. Despite his plans to stay inconspicuous, he finds himself making friends and eventually falling in love with a very shy girl named Hishiro. However, this season full of happiness passes by in a flash, and Arata’s remaining time begins to dwindle.
This refreshing and touching love story suggests that perhaps living out one’s youth to the fullest can effect the direction that one’s life can take. A big surprise awaits at the end. A noteworthy group of popular young Japanese actors were assembled to realize this project, including Taishi Nakagawa, Yudai Chiba, Yuna Taira, Elaiza Ikeda, and Mahiro Takasugi.
