Japan Cuts to Open With Yasuhiro Aoki’s ‘ChaO,’ Festival’s 2025 Lineup Unveiled

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The upcoming 18th installment of Japan Cuts, North America’s biggest festival showcasing contemporary Japanese cinema, is set to begin with an exclusive premiere of the highly anticipated first animated film by director Yasuhiro Aoki, titled ChaO.

Created by Studio 4ºC, known for their innovative animations like Mind Game and Tekkonkinkreet, ChaO offers a fresh take on a classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, set against a cyberpunk backdrop of future Shanghai, where humans live alongside mermen. The narrative centers around an ordinary office worker who finds himself in an unforeseen diplomatic marriage with a mermaid princess, leading to a tumultuous mix of political chaos and emotional exploration. Over a period of seven years, more than 100,000 individual frames were hand-drawn for this project, making Aoki’s film a visually stunning and emotionally unique labor of love. Japan Cuts is set to host the U.S. premiere prior to its Japanese theatrical release in August. Gkids has secured the domestic rights for the movie.

From July 10th to July 20th, the Japan Cuts film festival will be taking place at the headquarters of the Japan Society in New York City. This event is jointly organized by Peter Tatara and Alexander Fee from the Japan Society, and this year it includes three world premieres, nine North American debuts, along with a variety of special guests, receptions, and live question-and-answer sessions.

Tatara expressed great joy in honoring Japanese cinema right here in New York City. Japan Cuts is an annual event showcasing the latest trends in Japanese filmmaking, featuring both acclaimed films and emerging talents. Our aim is to foster connections between movie enthusiasts in New York and Japanese filmmakers, as well as strengthen ties between our two nations, using film as a window into contemporary Japanese culture, beliefs, and spirit,” said Tatara.

Notable attendees at this year’s event includes acclaimed director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who will be honored with the 2025 Cut Above Award for his exceptional work in cinema. Kurosawa is scheduled to appear at the New York premiere of his latest suspenseful film titled “Cloud,” as well as a screening of “Serpent’s Path,” a French-language remake he directed in 2024, which is based on his own 1998 V-Cinema production. Both movies will be shown with question and answer sessions featuring Kurosawa himself. Japan Cuts will also present 4K restorations of the original “Serpent’s Path” and the seldom-seen 1998 feature “License to Live” on 35mm film for viewing.

acclaimed actress Yuumi Kawai, who recently won the award for Best Actress at the Japan Academy Film Prize, is set to make an appearance at the event as well. Kawai will present the first screenings of two films: “A Girl Named Ann,” directed by Yu Irie, where she plays a young woman struggling to find her place in Japanese society, and “She Taught Me Serendipity,” directed by Akiko Ohku. Additionally, Kawai gives an exceptional performance in “Teki Cometh,” Daihachi Yoshida’s genre-blending black-and-white thriller that won numerous awards at the Tokyo International Film Festival and will have its New York premiere during the festival.

Additional features of this event are: “The Real You”, a captivating techno-mystery by Yuya Ishii based on Keiichiro Hirano’s novel, with an in-person introduction and book signing from the author; “A Samurai in Time”, an acclaimed indie film about a time-jumping Edo-era warrior; and “Kowloon Generic Romance”, a heartwarming manga adaptation set in a romanticized Kowloon Walled City. The iconic 1995 film “Love Letter” by Shunji Iwai will be back on the big screen in a fresh 4K restoration, celebrating its 30th anniversary.

As a passionate admirer, I’m thrilled to share that the ‘Next Generation’ segment, the festival’s unique competition category, will showcase an exquisitely chosen assortment of independent films from budding directors. One fortunate movie will be bestowed with the Obayashi Prize, a tribute named after the legendary cult filmmaker, Nobuhiko Obayashi.

On July 20, Japan Cuts Festival is set to conclude with the world debut of “The Spirit of Japan“, a documentary by Joseph Overbey showcasing a Japanese family’s centuries-old shochu distillery in Kagoshima. Following the screening, attendees can enjoy a reception offering samples from the Yamatozakura Distillery, along with a Q&A session with the director himself, Overbey.

The full 2025 Japan Cuts selection is below. 

Feature Slate

Upcoming Film Screenings:

* Blazing Fists – Directed by Takashi Miike (U.S. Debut)
* ChaO – Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki (Special Screening / Opening Night)
* Cloud – Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (New York Premiere)
* The Gesuidouz – Directed by Kenichi Ugana (U.S. Debut)
* A Girl Named Ann – Directed by Yu Irie (North American Premiere)
* Gridman Universe – Directed by Akira Amemiya (North American Theatrical Debut)
* Kaiju Guy! – Directed by Junichiro Yagi (North American Debut)
* Kowloon Generic Romance – Directed by Chihiro Ikeda (World Premiere)
* My Sunshine – Directed by Hiroshi Okuyama (New York Premiere)
* The Real You – Directed by Yuya Ishii (North American Premiere)
* A Samurai in Time – Directed by Junichi Yasuda (New York Premiere)
* Serpent’s Path (2024) – Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (East Coast Premiere)
* She Taught Me Serendipity – Directed by Akiko Ohku (U.S. Debut)
* Teki Cometh – Directed by Daihachi Yoshida (New York Premiere)
* Yasuko, Songs of Days Past – Directed by Kichitaro Negishi (North American Premiere)

Next Generation

Title Translations:
– Michiyuki – Voices of Time: Echoes of Time – Dir. Hiromichi Nakao (World Premiere of Final Version)
– See You Tomorrow: Meet Again Tomorrow – Dir. Saki Michimoto (North American Premiere)
– Promised Land: Our Guaranteed Homeland – Dir. Masashi Iijima (New York Theatrical Premiere)
– So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely: Such a Gorgeous, Marvelous and Adorable – Dir. Megumi Okawara (North American Premiere)

Classics

Right to Exist – Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Archival 35mm Showing)

Love’s Missive – Directed by Shunji Iwai (First International Screening of 4K Restoration)

Serpentine Journey (1998) – Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (First North American Showing of 4K Restoration)

Short Cuts

1. “The Extinction of Dinosaurs” directed by Kako Annika Esashi (U.S. Debut)
2. “River’s Movement” directed by Shoko Tamai (New York First Showing)
3. “I Am No Longer Unseen” directed by Yuki York (U.S. Debut)
4. “Sinners’ Tree” directed by Rii Ishihara & Hiroyuki Onogawa (North American Premiere)

Documentary

1. Pioneers in Japanese Avant-Garde Cinema – Directed by Amélie Ravalec (New York Debut)
2. The Essence of Japan – Directed by Joseph Overbey (World First Show / Final Night)
3. What If We Had Act Otherwise? – Directed by Tomoaki Fujino (New York Debut)

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2025-06-10 17:26