The Third Chicago Japanese Film Collective Brings 10 Japanese Cinemas to The U.S.
All of the photos on this page are courtesy of Ms. Yukako Y. Wrenn
The Music Box Theatre, a retrospective theatre in Chicago’s south side
The third Chicago Japanese Film Collective (CJFC) – the only Japanese cinema festival in the Midwest – was held from June 22 to July first both in a theatre and online. This year CJFC brought a lineup of 10 independent feature films to Japanese cinema fans in the U.S.
CJFC was founded by Yuki Sakamoto (President of the Coyote Sun Productions) and Hiroshi Kono (President of the Mar Creation) in 2021, and the cinema festival was organized by the CJFC Executive Committee and sponsored by FULL SPECTRUM FEATURES and CATCH US PERFORMING ARTS.
As the opening and closing event of the festival, two pieces out of the 10 entries were screened at the Music Box Theatre, a retrospective theatre in Chicago’s south side. Other eight pieces – four narratives, one experiment, and three documentaries - were viewed through platform eventive, which enabled audiences to access CJFC across the U.S.
CJFC poster represents its theme “Regeneration”, the cut thread could be reconnected.
This year, the theme of the CJFC was “Regeneration.” The theme spontaneously emerged when the CJFC Executive Committee members were watching those 10 films, according to Yuki Sakamoto.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people experienced decoupling which caused not only global issues such as race or ethnicity, but also uneasiness in the relationship between spouses, family members, friends and others. But now people are almost getting out of the long, dark tunnel of the pandemic and have more room to mend the divisions. For example, with that positive circumstance, audiences in a theatre simultaneously laugh at a certain scene. That is because the audiences are sharing something in their minds which would be a tie to connect people. The lineup of 10 movies sent an important message to overcome decoupling and regenerate bonds among people.
Hoarder on the Border, on Opening Day of CJFC
Hoarder on the Border directed by Takayuki Kayano was screened on June 22, the opening day of the Chicago Japanese Film Collective at the Music Box Theatre.
Most people are hoarders in some ways, and you can imagen the troubles that those people have. This film depicts overwhelming, but still well-crafted garbage with the warmth of humanity that captivates many film fans.
Synopsis
Ritsuki Shirataka, a promising pianist, faces an abrupt end of his career due to unexplained hand tremors. Seeking a fresh start, he decides to join "Disposal Paradise," a cleaning service for hoarder houses. Amidst the unconventional environment, Ritsuki encounters the hidden stories of the residents, opening his eyes to a previously unimaginable world.
About Hoarder on the Border
The charm of this film attributes to the characters. Ritsuki Shirataka, a pianist who is deprived of his bright future, challenges his new career as a cleaning serviceman, but his devoting nature does not change at all. Broad-minded Ichiki, President of the Disposal Paradise, encourages Shirataka to cope with his difficulties related to his new job. An old nuisance Kaneda is a hoarder-house owner, and actor Shigeru Izumiya plays the old man’s rule very well. An ideal woman Mariko Kishida has a secret. A former idol of AKB48 plays the woman’s rule so nicely.
It is a human comedy, and you feel better after watching it and want to watch it again soon.
Official site: https://danpara.jp
(Japanese language only)
A Japanese film fan Michael William Foster said, “It was wonderful. It was a perfect example of the feature of the Japanese cinema. A lot of Japanese cinemas are delicate, exiteful and retrospective.” He also pointed out some other features which were changes in movie paces, spaces between the scenes, ambiguity and participation. He said, “Japanese cinema takes time and doesn’t have to answer every question and allows us to become a part of someone’s life for a little while.”
He loves Japanese cinema because it shows the different side of society that people usually don’t pay attention.
In his analysis on “Hoarder on the Border,” Foster said with a smile, “I saw the messiness was sort of a symbolic in a way that each of the characters has mess in their life and it was almost like mess in your house was basically mess that excited themselves.”
Hoarder on the Border received “The Audience Award” this year.
Director Takayuki Kayano
Director Takayuki Kayano was born in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu. He is 33 years old this year.
After graduated from Kyushu University, School of Design, Department of Visual Communication Design, he started his film-making career. He received an Excellent Award and Audience Award for “Journey Beyond the Night” at the SKIP City International D-Cinema Festival in 2021, and his film was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. He has worked as a scriptwriter in a film-making project “Super Sapienss” and has been residing in Fukuoka Prefecture, not in the Tokyo area. He uses local sceneries and merges them into his films.
Angry Son, on the Closing Day of CJFC
The movie “Angry Son” depicts emotional conflicts between mother and son who have different cultural backgrounds. It also portrays the struggles, conflicts, and societal pressures faced by foreigners living in Japan and the LGBTQ community through the story of a Filipino mother and her high-school-age son.
Director Kasho Iizuka completed this story based on his own experiences after eight years of contemplation on its storyline.
Angry Son also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Chicago and Osaka in cooperation with the Osaka Asian Film Festival.
Synopsis
Jungo, a high school student living in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, has a Filipino mother who works at a Filipina hostess bar. His mother has never told him about his father, and the only connection he has to his father is the monthly child support payments. Jungo is homosexual and has a boyfriend, Yusuke. Even though Yusuke wanted to form a partnership with him, he was reluctant to do so because of his background. One day, her mother, Reina, brings her boyfriend home, saying she wants to remarry with him. Jungo doesn't want to live with a stranger, so he decides to find his real father.
Official site: https://sekaboku.lespros.co.jp
(Japanese language only)
About Director Kasho Iizuka
Director Kasho Iizuka was born in 1990. Being a native of Gunma Prefecture, he studied filmmaking under Director Yoshitaro Negishi and Scriptwriter Masato Kato during his college life.
His first feature film “Our Future” in 2011 won the Special Jury Prize at PIA Film Festival in the same year. In 2019 he received a FILMeX New Director Award. In January 2022, he premiered his fourth feature film “The World for the Two of Us”. Iizuka has focused on modern Japan, especially, through the eye of transgender and cisgender.
CJFC X Initiative
Chicago Japanese Film Collective is launching CJFC X, an initiative to captivate audiences in Chicago by showcasing the best of Japanese cinema. Through collaborations with esteemed film festivals in Japan, CJFC X aims to foster cultural exchanges and bring exceptional film programs to the city.
With immersive screenings enlightening discussions and cultural events, CJFC X celebrates the beauty of Japanese storytelling while fostering meaningful connections between Japan and Chicago.
For more information, visit https://www.cjfc.us/cjfcx.
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Other Lineup of Feature Films:
● Backlight by Director Ren Sudo
(Drama, in Japan, 2021, 64 Min., International Premiere
In the 1970s, 22-year-old Akira, who has feelings for his senior in university, Yoshioka, decides to take him back to Onomichi during summer break. Akira plans to offer his family home to Yoshioka and include his childhood friend Fumie to hang out. However, when Fumie invites her eccentric friend Miiko, unexpected things start to happen. Yoshioka finds himself drawn to Miko, leaving Akira in a state of confusion and distress.
● Cafune by Director Haruki Kinemura
Drama, Japan, 2023, 66 Min. International Premiere
*Osaka Asian Film Festival Recommendation
High school senior Mio Segawa becomes pregnant with her boyfriend Nagisa. Unable to confess her pregnancy to Nagisa or her family, Mio confides in her best friend Natsumi. Despite facing various challenges, Mio decides to express the feelings she had never put into words and heads toward Nagisa. Set in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Kumano, this story delicately depicts the past and future of these individuals living in this town, showcasing the emotional connection between a young woman and man.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cafunekumano
● Quit Being “Friends” by Director Ayako Imamura
Documentary, Japan, 2020, 84 Min., U.S. Premiere
*Aichi International Women’s Film Festival Recommendation
"I am in a minority" Because I have a hearing disability, that is what I thought, but the person who eliminated this self-image was Ma-chan, who has a developmental disability. As we became closer and closer as friends, we had more and more arguments. I wondered how I could become better friends with Ma-chan. In order to try to figure that out, I turned the camera on the two of us.
http://studioaya-movie.com/tomoyame/
● NOT BEER by Director Hirotaka Nakagawa
Drama, Japan, 2022, Min., North American Premiere
*Tokyo Independent Movie Festival Recommendation
Two fraudsters, Samejima and Oshikiri, secure a deal with wealthy wife Harue for buying gold from her. However, upon visiting her again, they discover a funeral wake of her is conducted. As the executor reads the will, stating the inheritance will go to the person who stays until the end of the wake, a deceitful competition ensues among four individuals, including Harue's granddaughter Saki. What is the "final lie" that these skilled impostors will uncover?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Notbeerbut_M
● Resonance by Director Toshinori Tanaka
Documentary, Japan, 2021, 70 Min., International Premiere
Takuji, raised in Tokyo, felt disconnected from nature and the changing city. He chose to move to Okinawa, where he pursued cross-border harmony through music. With local musicians, he launched the "Circle Voice" project, symbolizing a temporary peaceful world created by collective singing. The story explores transcending language barriers. Through Takuji's journey, Okinawa, Tokyo, Munich, Leipzig, and timeless places come alive through visuals and music.
https://resonance-movie.jimdofree.com
● Toward Zero by Director Takashi Ito
Experimental, Japan, 2020, 72 Min., International Premiere
Swing a bat, drag a shovel... A compilation work studded with ITO Takashi’s distinctive, powerful depictions, this feature-length film opens up new territory for this filmmaker. A female university student shooting a film, a woman who wanders around trying to get rid of a man’s hands, a man afraid of visions of a woman wrapped in black garments... Several stories, calm but with a powerful sense of tension, intersect and eventually head toward “zero."
● Twilight Cinema Blues by Director Hideo Jojo
Drama, Japan, 2022, 99 Min., International Premiere
Kondo, a man with a reason for returning to his hometown of Ginpei-cho, where he spent his youth, unexpectedly meets Sato, a homeless man who loves movies, and Kajiwara, the manager of a movie theater. He starts working part-time at the theater. Surrounded by the theater staff and colorful regular customers, he gradually begins to find renewal, but...
● Underdogs by Director Tsuyoshi Kumeta
Documentary, Japan, 2021, 120 Min., International Premiere
This documentary follows the lives of four elderly Japanese men living in Manila's impoverished districts. Known as "distressed Japanese," they navigate their daily lives with minimal earnings and assistance from others. Despite once having jobs and families in Japan, they find themselves spending their final days in Manila for various reasons. The documentary offers a poignant portrayal of their struggles over a span of seven years.
For more information about the Chicago Japanese Film Collective available at