There are fifteen films you shouldn’t miss at the 21st Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection (Germany) which will take place online from June 1st – 6th, 2021. *Films available only in Germany. There are some exceptions tho*

How to watch:
The complete program as well as tickets for all films and events is available on NipponConnection.com. The films can be accessed from June 1 to 6, 2021 on Watch.NipponConnection.com. One film costs 6€ and can be viewed within 24 hours of it being started. Price for each film is 6 Euros but you can buy different bundles, for more information please go to: https://nipponconnection.com/en/service/tickets

Selected Films:

After being exploited by their company, three Vietnamese migrants leave their jobs, but without getting their passports back. Akio FUJIMOTO stages the odyssey of the now illegal migrant women in naturalistic, almost documentary-like images. In his second feature film, the director depicts the harsh reality of being an immigrant in Japan.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

Two women fall in love with the son of a powerful family of politicians. Through its use of subtle drama, ARISTOCRATS shows that it isn’t yet another simplistic romance. Hanako, born to a rich family, and Miki, eking out a living on low-wage jobs, present stark social opposites rarely seen in Japanese cinema. Yukiko SODE is among the most exciting directorial newcomers in Japan.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

Café owner Kato discovers that his PC monitor shows what will happen two minutes in the future. Another screen downstairs in his café shows the past of two minutes ago. His friends decide to place the two mysterious devices opposite each other, which creates a loop to see into the future. Naturally, chaos ensues. A unique and original film, shot in “one take”-aesthetic.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

Based on the Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011, BOLT conveys the physical and psychological impact of the tragedy affecting Japan to this day. A crew of men is assigned to tighten a bolt inside the nuclear power plant to prevent the leakage of contaminated water. Unbeknownst to them, this disaster will forever change their lives and those of many others.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Trailer:

A weekend getaway meant to provide healing for a group of employees following a case of workplace harassment does not go as planned. An austere and probing look at everyday discrimination that shines a light on challenges many groups of people regularly face. The staged situations and discussions of the film are based on a real case.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Koharu and Ayano work in the fashion and design industry and share a flat in Tokyo. After one of their many nights of partying, Ayano has a one-night stand. She gets pregnant and decides to keep the child, but doesn’t tell the father. In his first feature-length film, director Hajime TSUDA combines a sensitive drama with stylish video clip aesthetics.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

The film-obsessed schoolgirl Barefoot has a passion for samurai films. However, the school film club prefers to shoot cheesy romances. Barefoot and two friends start planning their own samurai epic. IT’S A SUMMER FILM! is at once a hilarious feel-good comedy, a wistful coming-of-age tale and a declaration of love for filmmaking and being an outsider.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

Disaffected teenager Sora embarks on a quest for her recently deceased grandfather’s old war weapon while a mysterious backwards-walking vagabond enters her life. Anshul CHAUHAN’s coming-of-age drama deals with the still lingering effects of Japan’s wartime past and is infused with an enigmatic and downright somnambulistic atmosphere.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Trailer:

On March 20th, 1995, a sarin gas attack by the Omu Shinrikyo cult killed 13 and injured more than 6,000 people on the Tokyo metro. For his documentary, survivor Atsushi SAKAHARA persuades one of the sect’s members to join him for a therapeutic journey into the past, during which the cultist’s suppressive ideology starts to crack.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

For Yuji and his clique, Sasaki was the perfect friend: loyal, always up for a laugh and completely fearless. After graduation, the friends lose touch with Sasaki, and Yuji only later recollects what it truly meant to be with him. In his feature-length film debut, Takuya UCHIYAMA tells the youthful story of fragile dreams and unrepeatable moments.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany, Austria, Switerland

Trailer:

Starting as an investigation into the daily routine of the news channel Tokai TV, a camera team follows three employees for a look behind the scenes. As precarious work conditions, lack of ethos, and self-doubts are revealed, director Koji HIJIKATA spreads doubt about the credibility of his own project.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

In 2020, the specter of the Olympics looms over Japan and a mysterious epidemic makes people lose their minds. The monk Kenichi sets out to exorcise the demons from this world. THE DAY OF DESTRUCTION is an angry punk poem featuring an ear-shattering soundtrack. In TOYODA’s short film WOLF’S CALLING, a mystic gathering of warriors takes place.

Screening Status:
Available WORLDWIDE except in USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia

Trailer:

“The Witches of the Orient” is the nickname given to the most successful Japanese volleyball team in history. With 258 wins and no losses, the team remains a legend to this day. Director Julien Faraut interviews the aging players to explore the myth behind their success in this gripping essay on Japanese culture.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

Haru lost her family in the 2011 Tohoku tsunami and lives alone with her aunt. When her aunt loses consciousness and is hospitalized, Haru breaks down and starts a journey across Japan during which she gradually regains vitality. Having had its German premiere at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival, this oppressive drama by Nobuhiro SUWA depicts humans’ endurance and their will to live.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Germany

Trailer:

Death is the dominant motif in YES, YES, YES, which deals with the diagnosis of a terminal illness of family matriarch Sayuri. Despite this, director Akihiko YANO has succeeded in making a film that, above all, is about life – staged in bleak black-and-white photography that shines its light on the impressive and moving performances of the actors and actresses.

Screening Status:
Available ONLY in Europe

Trailer:

For more information please go to https://nipponconnection.com/en/start/