Japanese Movies at Hot Docs Cinema

 
Presented by The Japan Foundation, Toronto and the Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto
 
    • FREE ADMISSION
    • No RSVP required
    • All films in Japanese with English subtitles
    • First come first served 

Our annual event returns to the Hot Docs Cinema in January 2020 with five contemporary films that show the creativity and depth of story telling on the big screen by Japan’s celebrated filmmakers.

Hot Docs Cinema (formerly Bloor Cinema)
506 Bloor St. W. (Bloor and Bathurst)

Saturday, January 11, 2020
Mirai未来のミライ

Doors: 11:00am , Film: 11:30am

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
2018, 100 minutes

A young boy named Kun feels forgotten by his family when his little sister Mirai arrives. Running away from home, Kun stumbles upon a magical garden that serves as a time-travelling gateway where he encounters his mother as a little girl and has a series of adventures with his baby sister, who is all grown up, opening a new perspective on his world.

Starring Nozomu Takahashi, Yūichirō Saitō, Takuya Itō, Yūichi Adachi, Genki Kawamura
details

Saturday, January 11, 2020
Shoplifters 万引き家族

Doors: 1:30pm , Film: 1:45pm

Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda

2018, 121 minutes

On the margins of Tokyo, a dysfunctional band of outsiders is united by fierce loyalty and a penchant for petty theft. When the young son is arrested, secrets are exposed that upend their tenuous, below-the-radar existence.

Starring  Mayu Matsuoka, ‎Kirin Kiki, Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki 
details

Sunday, January 12, 2020
Mori, The Artists Habitat モリのいる場所

Doors: 11:00am , Film: 11:30am

Directed by Shuichi Okita 2018, 99 minutes 

In the last 30 years of of his long life, reclusive artist Morikazu Kumagai (1880-1977), aka Mori, almost never left his Ikebukuro home. Instead, he took pleasure in a daily routine of observing the cats, fish, birds and insects living in his luxuriant garden for hours, eventually rendering them into his distinct paintings. 

Starring Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kirin Kiki, Ryo Kase, Ken Mitsuishi.

details

Sunday, January 12, 2020
Before We Vanish 散歩する侵略者

Doors: 1:30pm , Film: 2:00pm

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa 
2017, 129 minutes

Three aliens travel to Earth on a mission in preparation for a mass invasion. Having taken possession of human bodies, the visitors rob their hosts of the very essence of their being, leaving psychological and spiritual devastation in their wake.

Starring Masami Nagasawa, Ryuhei Matsuda, Mahiro Takasugi, Yuri Tsunematsu, Hiroki Hasegawa

details

Sunday, January 12, 2020
Tremble All You Want

勝手にふるえてろ

Doors: 4:30pm , Film: 4:45pm

Directed by Akiko Ohku
2017, 122 minutes

Yoshika is a social awkward 24-year-old obsessed with fossils and a boy from her middle school days. When an earnest co-worker confesses his feelings for her she struggles to set her obsessions aside. Mayu Matusoka’s hilarious and heartfelt central performance, a witty script and breakneck pacing make it one of 2017’s best films

Starring Mayu Matsuoka, Daichi Watanabe, Anna Ishibashi, Takumi Kitamura

details

all images © Gkids, © 2017 ‘Mori, The Artist’s Habitat’ Production Committee, © Magnolia Pictures, © 2017 ‘Before We Vanish” Film Production Committee © 2017 ‘Tremble All You Want’ Film Production Committee