Featuring Over 20 Japanese Films for 2021 Online and On-Screen
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND PASSES
There are five types of HIFF 41 passes available for purchase now at www.hiff.org/hiff41-passes:
Supporter Pass – $900 (general) or $800 (for HIFF members) allows you access to all online screenings from Nov. 4-28, all HIFF 41 in-theater and outdoor screenings from Nov. 4-14, a personalized printed pass, a HIFF41 opening party ticket, reserved seating at in-person screenings, and limited edition HIFF swag.
All Access – $450 (general) or $400 (for HIFF members) allows you access to all online screenings from Nov. 4-28, all HIFF 41 in-theater screenings from Nov. 4-14, and a personalized printed pass.
Hale Pass – $200 (general) or $180 (for HIFF members) allows you access on multiple devices within your home to all online events on watch.hiff.org. from Nov. 4-28.
Individual Pass – $150 (general) or $130 (for HIFF members) allows you access on one device at a time to all online events on watch.hiff.org. from Nov. 4-28.
Limited Access – $100 (general) or $80 (for HIFF members) allows you access on one device at a time to 85% of online screenings on watch.hiff.org. from Nov. 4-28.
The following list of movies, documentaries and shorts features HIFF’s collection of films that highlights Japanese people and culture.
SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
“A BALANCE” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 152 min.
Director: Yujiro Harumoto
When a news story breaks about a student’s suicide after alleged assault by her teacher, it is not long before the teacher also takes his own life. Documentary filmmaker Yuko strikes out to learn the truth behind the incident. What she finds instead is two families’ lives torn apart, first by the loss of their loved ones, and secondly by their ostracization in the community. As Yuko struggles to eke out a story for her film, an incident at home leaves her questioning her own motives.
Available in-person: Nov. 10 | 6 p.m. | Consolidated Theatres Kahala
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
Available online: Monday, Nov. 15 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | Hawai‘i Only
Included passes: Supporter | All Access | Limited Virtual | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“ALONG THE SEA” | North American Premiere | Japan, Vietnam | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 88 min.
Director: Akio Fujimoto
The story follows three Vietnamese women in their early 20s, Phuong, An, and Nhu who moved to Japan to work as technical trainees. When they decide to escape their workplace, where their passports have been confiscated, they become illegal migrants. A broker, based in a quiet fishermen village, helps them to find a shelter and a new job in a small fish factory. Yet, as they begin their new life, Phuong falls ill. Phuong must now figure out how to get fake documents in order to save herself. HIFF is proud to nominate this film for this year’s Kau Ka Hökü Award.
Available in-person: Friday, Nov. 5, 6 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. | Consolidated Theatres Kahala
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
“ARC” | North American Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 127 min.
Director: Kei Ishikawa
Two years after abandoning her baby at age 17, Rina finds herself living on the streets. But when she encounters a mysterious woman, Ema, at a dance performance, an opportunity arises that changes her fate. Ema brings Rina into her world of ‘plastination,’ a new technique that allows the human body to be preserved in perfect condition after death. However, when Ema’s brother discovers how to preserve the living human body indefinitely, it sets the stage to change the course of humanity forever.
Available in-person: Friday, Nov. 12 | 7 p.m. | Consolidated Theatres Kahala
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
Available online: Monday, Nov. 15 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | West Coast (HI, WA, OR, CA) Only
Included passes: Supporter | All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“BARAGAKI UNBROKEN SAMURAI” | International Premiere | Japan | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 144 min.
Director: Masato Harada
Veteran director and HIFF-fan favorite Masato Harada is back with his most action-packed samurai epic to-date. The master of historical drama, Harada turns his impeccable attention to detail on the life of Toshizo Hijikata, vice-commander of the shinsengumi and staunch opposer of the Meiji Restoration. Starring Junichi Okada as Hijikata in one of his best career performances, and supported by an all-star cast, “Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai” is based on the novel ‘Moeyo Ken’ by Ryotaro Shiba.
Available in-person: Saturday, Nov. 6 and Friday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. | Consolidated Theatres Kahala
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
“BELLE” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 122 min.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “U,” a virtual world of 5 billion members on the Internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are. “Belle” is the latest masterpiece from Oscar® nominated Mamoru
Hosoda (“Summar Wars,” “Wolf Children,” “Mirai”) and had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, receiving universal acclaim.
Available in-person: Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Ward | Saturday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., Palace Theater | Sunday, Nov. 21 at 4 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Ka‘ahumanu
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
“DRIVE MY CAR” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 179 min.
Director: Ryüsuke Hamaguchi
Yusuke is a successful stage director and actor married to the enigmatic Oto. But when Oto dies suddenly, Yusuke finds himself left with many unanswered questions. Two years later and still grieving the loss, he accepts a job in Hiroshima and sets off in his red Saab.
Upon arrival, he discovers that he will be required to have a chauffeur drive him. His chauffeur turns out to be the taciturn young Misaki. As they increasingly log hours together in the Saab, Yusuke and Misaki form an unexpected bond.
Available in-person: Saturday, Nov. 6, 4 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Kahala | Tuesday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Kahala | Saturday, Nov. 20, 1:30 p.m., Consolidated Theater Ka‘ahumanu
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
“ETERNALLY YOUNGER THAN THOSE IDIOTS” | United States Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 118 min.
Director: Ryohei Yoshino
Horigai is more than eager to finish her college career and begin her new job at a child welfare center in her hometown. She strikes up an awkward friendship with a fellow classmate named Inogi, but after the sudden death of a friend, their friendship evolves, leading Inogi to share the secret of her tragic past. Horigai realizes she’s been willfully blind to the adult world and the deeper sadness experienced by everyone around her.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival, Individual
“GIFT OF FIRE” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 111 min.
Director: Hiroshi Kurosaki
During World War II, the Japanese government commissions a young scientist named Shu to develop a bomb that could change the course of the war. As his research progresses yet the war effort sways heavily against their nation, Shu has to choose between his devotion to science, his country, and his sense of humanity. Based on actual historical events, it focuses on the lives of three young people, blending the romanticism of scientific exploration and the moral conundrums that emerge in the process.
Available in-person: Saturday, Nov. 6, 1 p.m. | Consolidated Theatres Kahala
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
“ITO” | Return Engagement | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 116 min.
Director: Satoko Yokohama
High school student Ito lives in rural Aomori prefecture in northern Japan. Teased at school for her thick accent and Tsugaru dialect she has become introverted and afraid to speak. Her only creative outlet is the shamisen, which she learned to play in the style she learned from her mother and grandmother. When Ito sees a job advertisement for a ‘maid cafe’ in Aomori, she sees this as an opportunity to break free of her shyness. But it may be the shamisen that rescues her (and the cafe) after all.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“IT’S A SUMMER FILM” (Series Version) | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 97 min.
Director: Soushi Matsumoto
Hadashi aka “Barefoot” is a samurai cinema-obsessed Japanese high-school teen who feels alienated from the rest of her school’s film club. She spends most of her time watching the classics with her two best friends: a kendo enthusiast and a sci-fi geek. Tired of competing for attention with the club’s director and her incessant rom-com endeavors, Barefoot decides to finally produce her unrealized script Samurai Spring over the course of a summer. It’s a Summer Film! is a film for cinephiles, a love letter to the affirmative power of the medium.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“LAST OF THE WOLVES” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 139 min.
Director: Kazuya Shiraishi
Set three years after “The Blood of Wolves,” Detective Shuichi Hioka successfully implements Shogo Ogami’s plan to control the yakuza as Ogami, his slain partner, intended. But when a sinister individual is released from prison, Hioka’s plan unravels, and his wish for peace between gangs and a crimeless community is put to the test. “Last of the Wolves” follows up the first film as an inventive, crime-thriller and a reinvention of the cop-versus-gangster genre.
Available in-person: Sunday, Nov. 7 | 4:30 p.m. | Consolidated Theatres Kahala
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
Available online: Monday, Nov. 15 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | Hawai‘i Only
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“MIRACLE CITY KOZA” | World Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 119 min.
Director: Kazuhiro Taira
Koza City, Okinawa, present day. Shota, the grandson of legendary rocker Haru, has been spending his days in idleness, when his grandfather is killed in a traffic accident. Shortly thereafter, Haru’s ghost appears to Shota with an otherworldly proposition: trade bodies so grandpa can take care of unfinished business! Suddenly, Shota finds himself transported to the 1970s, his spirit transmuted to the then young Haru. The problem is Shota doesn’t know how to play rock n’ roll …
Available in-person: Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Kahala | Friday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m., Palace Theater | Saturday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., Waimea Theater
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
Available online: Wednesday, Nov. 10 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“NINJA GRIL” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 88 min.
Director: Yu Irie
A Japanese city servant cares for her dying grandfather, a prominent opposer to the Immigrant Elimination Ordinance. Suddenly, a family friend commits suicide after admitting his role in concocting a fraudulence scheme to help push the act through. The city servant takes it upon herself to make things right after her grandpa informs her that she is actually the last survivor in a long lineage … of ninjas. Directed by Yu Irie, “Ninja Girl” goes beyond the stereotypes of ninja culture and cinema and offers a satirical take with strong, socially-relevant themes to current events in Japan.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“OFFICER ROYALE” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 102 min.
Director: Kazuaki Seki
Naoko Tanaka (Nao) is an ordinary office lady, who witnesses constant violence between the warring OL factions within her place of employment. The factions are blindsided by a newcomer, Ran Hojo, who quickly defeats everyone within the company. After extending her control over many factions throughout the city, Ran catches the eyes of opponents, who challenge her position as top office lady. Meanwhile, Nao discovers new abilities that may allow her to secure that position for herself…
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“ONE SUMMER STORY” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 138 min.
Director: Shuichi Okita
High school student Minami has a happy life with her mom and stepdad. She’s never met her biological father, but hasn’t been too bothered about that. However, when she receives a mysterious handwritten talisman it sets off her interest in her ‘real dad’. With help from classmate Shohei, she learns that her father was the leader of an infamous cult who has disappeared. Determined to track him down, Minami masterminds a plan to sneak off from her summer swim camp and meet her enigmatic dad.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“SHRIEKING IN THE RAIN” | North American Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 102 min.
Director: Eiji Uchida
A first-time young female film director pushes her production to the brink. Frequently melting down, isolating herself from everyone, giving vague directions, and insisting on dozens of takes per scene, her mostly male subordinates berate her constantly. A pure and genuine artist at heart, however, the director insists on a specific vision to the very end. “Shrieking in the Rain” ventures behind the scenes of filmmaking with a cast of misfits who are all a little overwhelmed by their shared circumstances.
Available online: Monday, Nov. 15 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“THE FABLE: THE KILLER WHO DOESN’T KILL” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 131 min.
Director: Kan Eguchi
Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, “The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill” stars Junichi Okada as legendary assassin Akira Sata, aka The Fable. Following his boss’s order to “kill no one and live like a normal man for a year,” Akira lives a peaceful life that is interrupted when he encounters a young woman in a wheelchair and a shady NPO representative he was once assigned to kill.
Available in-person: Thursday, Nov. 11, 5 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Kahala | Saturday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Consolidated Theatres Kahala | Friday, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Waimea Theater
Included passes: All Access | Supporter
“THE LAST GOZE” | World Premiere | Japan | 2020 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 109 min.
Director: Masaharu Takizawa
Blind since infancy, Haru had little opportunity as a young girl in Japan. With her father passed and her mother ill, Haru’s best option is to become a “goze” – a traveling singer and storyteller respected by many of the common folk. “The Last Goze” is the tragic yet inspiring true story of Haru Kobayashi, one the last artists of her kind. Haru endures relentless emotional and physical violence to become one of the most famous performers of her generation, eventually named one of Japan’s Living National Treasures.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 121 min.
Director: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi
In this triptych of short films, coincidence and chance encounters interrupt the fragile reality of everyday life. Alternately playful, comedic, and cynical, “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” plumbs the theatrical depths beneath simple stories: an unexpected love triangle, an attempt to blackmail a professor, and a meeting between two old friends. Appearances deceive, actions lie, and people are not who they seem to be.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | Hawai‘i Only
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“ZOKKI” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 113 min.
Directors: Takumi Saitoh, Naoto Takenaka, Takayuki Yamada
Based on several short stories by manga artist Hiroyuki Ohashi and co-directed by Takumi Saitoh, Naoto Takenaka, and Takayuki Yamada, “Zokki” is difficult to categorize and best described as an off-beat comedy from Japan that interweaves five stories into an intelligent yet often-absurd cohesive whole. All of the stories deal with ways in which loneliness can manifest itself into deception. By the end, these disparate narratives indeed collide into a satisfying conclusion.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
EAT.DRINK.FILM.
“COME BACK ANYTIME” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 81 min.
Director: John Daschbach
A self-taught master chef, Masamoto Ueda serves delicious ramen to a loyal community of regular customers from a small storefront in Tokyo. Renowned for his delicious cooking and charming personality, Masamoto balances his restaurant with pilgrimages to the Japanese countryside with some of his closest friends and customers. Easily one of the most delicious films from Hot Docs 2021, Come Back Anytime is a soul-nourishing crowd pleaser guaranteed to spike your appetite.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | Hawai‘i Only
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
“TANAGOKORO: A CULINARY PORTRAIT” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan, United Kingdom | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 32 min.
Director: Victoria Fistes and Masashi Nozaki
When Japanese chef Yoshinori Ishii is dismayed by the quality of fish in London, he takes it upon himself to investigate why. Through skill, ethics and passion, he sparks a fish revolution in the United Kingdom.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: Limited Virtual | Virtual | Hale Virtual Festival
“THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION” | Hawai‘i Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 79 min.
Director: Toshimichi Saito
“The Pursuit of Perfection” follows four leading chefs in Japan today as they relentlessly work to pursue their dreams and perfect their cuisine. Featuring kaiseki chef Takemasa Shinohara of Ginza Shinohara, pastry chef Natsuko Shoji of Été, French-trained Yosuke Suga of Sugalabo, and sushi chef Takaaki Sugita of Nihonbashi-Kakigaracho Sugita. Presented in the style of “Chef’s Table,” with mouth-watering photography of food, this film will leave you salivating for more.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | U.S.A.
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
DOCUMENTARY
“OKAGESAMA DE: HAWAI‘I NIKKEI WOMEN’S TRAJECTORY” | World Premiere | Japan | 2021 | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 112 min.
Director: Hiroyuki Matsumoto
On February 8, 1885, the first 153 Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawai‘i to work in the plantations. Almost 150 years later, “Nikkei” have become one of the most influential groups to shape the Hawai‘i we know today. In Okagesama De, filmmaker Hiroyuki Matsumoto focuses on documenting testimonials and stories of Nisei women, especially stories about their parents, the Issei generation, unveiling stories about plantation life, WWII, and their contribution to Hawai‘i in reshaping government and society during the post-war.
Available online: Thursday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 28 | Worldwide (except Japan)
Included passes: All Access | Limited Virtual | Supporter | Hale Virtual Festival | Individual
