NEW YORK — This year marks the 13th edition of the New York Japan CineFest (NYJCF), which screened a total of 15 Japanese independent short films over two days.

The venue on Nov. 1 was Asia Society in Manhattan, and on Nov. 2 it was Thespis Theater in Queens. The main host was Mar Creation and the first day was co-hosted by Asia Society and by the Hellenic Cultural Center NYC. In collaboration with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia and Jimbocho Movie Festival.

The online festival will be available until Sunday, Nov. 10, at 11:59 p.m. at https://watch.nyjcf.com/. Festival pass is $15.

The 15 selected films for the 2024 edition cover a wide range of themes, from LGBTQ+ narratives like “Me and Her” and the AI-themed “AI Love You,” to stories about post-war Japanese American families such as “Resettlement: Chicago Story.”

The lineup also includes documentaries like “Yasuke the African Samurai,” which focuses on a real-life historical figure; “Yoichi’s White House,” which follows the first Japanese American official photographer at the White House; and “Okinawa Americana,” a music documentary featuring blues and Okinawan folk music.

Additionally, there’s an animation featuring a vegetable as the main character titled “Tomatoes,” and an experimental piece themed around torii gates called “TORII,” making for a rich and diverse selection.

NYJCF was established in 2012 by three Japanese individuals based in New York: Yasu Suzuki (actor and film director), Kosuke Furukawa (visual artist), and Hiroshi Kono (event and music producer, and representative of Mar Creation, Inc.). Since the 2015 season, in addition to screenings in various metropolitan areas across the U.S., including Boston and D.C., they have collaborated with numerous film festivals in Japan.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, they switched to online events starting in 2020, and from 2022, they have been hosting hybrid events. This year, they are also providing works for the Boston Japan Film Festival and Japanese Film Festival of Arizona.

Articles for you