JAPAN CUTS: A Film Festival

From July 7 to July 22, New York City will give a visual scope into Japanese culture with The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema. Nicknamed Japan Cuts, the festival is a showcase of Japanese filmography boasting Japan’s array of artistic expression. Running on its fifth year, JAPAN CUTS is the world’s largest display of modern-day Japanese film.Co-presented with the New York Asian Film Festival, this year will be its’ largest one yet with 32 new titles for viewing. Most of the showings will be premieres and one-day only availability, making the demand higher and tickets selling out faster. Funded by The Japan Foundation, a wide range of genres are featured in the festival from romantics to action films, and also anime.The first showing of the festival is Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha: The Great Departure. Directed by Kozo Morishita, the film is an animated bio on the life of Buddha detailing his upbringing into the peaceful man he is known as.Another film being shown is the drama Yuki and Nina, which will be making its North American premiere. Directed by Nobuhiro Suwa and Hippolyte Girardot, the movie is a look into the mind of a young girl experiencing the separation of her parents and moving in with one of them. Faced with the crisis of growing up young in a single parent household, the young girl (Yuki) and her best friend come up with a plan to bring the parents back together again.Closing out the film festival is Yoshihiro Fukagawa’s drama Into the White Night. Revolving around the mystery murder of a pawn shop owner, the movie takes a look into the evidence of the crime which is too little leading detectives to rule it suicide. After it is over, an after party to celebrate the end of the festival will take place commemorating the films.Surely not to be missed, JAPAN CUTS will be a slice and dice of Japanese culture everyone should get a piece of. Tickets are now available for purchase at the Japan Society Box Office, online, and by telephone at (212) 715-1258.