We’ve been waiting for this! The NYJCF (New York Japan Cinefest), an independent short film festival with a focus on Japan, has been held online for a long time due to the pandemic. This year marks its 12th edition, and it will take place on November 3rd and 4th.

The event is organized by Asia Society and Mar Creation in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan’s Cultural Affairs Center, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Aichi International Women’s Film Festival, Boston Japanese Film Festival, and Tokyo Independent Film Festival.

One exciting aspect is that the Asia Society venue is making a comeback after four years, so we can look forward to watching movies on the big screen.

On the opening night, the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. will present ‘NYJCFxJICC.’ On the 4th, starting from 1 PM, there will be a program called ‘Japanese Film Festivals,’ featuring recommended films from Japanese film festivals. Following that, at 3:30 PM, there will be three programs of short films longer than 20 minutes each, titled ‘Long Story Short.’ On the 3rd, there will be a reception, and on the 4th, there will be a performance of Japanese calligraphy by Shin Miyoshi from Kyoto starting at 3 PM.

A short documentary titled ‘Shu-Ha-Ri,’ directed by Tatsuya Ina, will be screened twice during the festival. This film is produced by NYJCF Production, which is associated with the festival organizers.

Great news for NY1page.com readers! You can get a discount on tickets when you purchase them online by using the discount code ‘NYJCF23.’

[Details of the 12th NYJCF]

NYJCF was founded in 2012 by three Japanese individuals based in New York: Yasu Suzuki (actor and film director), Kosuke Furukawa (video artist), and Hiro Kono (event and music producer, and president of Mar Creation, Inc.). Since the 2015 season, in addition to touring screenings in metropolitan areas and across the United States, they have collaborated with numerous Japanese film festivals. Starting in 2020, they have been hosting the festival online due to the impact of the new coronavirus, but this year’s 12th edition will feature all the films in a physical venue.

[Real Event]
Dates:
Day 1: November 3, 2023 (Friday) at 6:30 PM (with a reception)
Day 2: November 4, 2023 (Saturday) from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (with a 3:00 PM calligraphy performance)
Venue: Asia Society
Address: 725 Park Ave, NYC (@ 70th St)
Tickets:
General Admission: $15.00 / Members: $8.00
Students/Seniors: Please inquire at the box office
Purchase Links:
Day One: [Link]

Day Two: [Link]

Day One (6:30 PM)
[NYJCF x JICC]
*JICC: Japan Information and Culture Center
– ‘Third Wheel’ (Director: Kevin Heffern, 2023, 4:50, Comedy, Drama, Period Drama, Fantastic, Switzerland)
– ‘What To Do To Be Like You’ (Director: Chris Luedtke, 2022, 5:01, Comedy, Japan)
– ‘Aufguss’ (Director: Daisuke Matsu, 2022, 24:52, Drama, Japan)
– ‘The Floating World’ (Director: Hiroshi Yokota, 2023, 15:17, Documentary, Japan)
– ‘Shu-Ha-Ri – The Way of Calligraphy’ (World Premiere, Director: Tatsuya Ina, 2023, 12:36, Documentary, Japan, USA)
– ‘The Swamp’ (Director: Chikao Sakimura, 2023, 4:55, Animation, Japan)
– ‘Seen’ (Director: Shinji Hamasaki, 2022, 23:37, Drama, Japan)

Day Two (1:00 PM)
[Japanese Film Festivals]
– ‘Tokyo Animals’ (Director: Toshiki Hachiro, 2022, 7:58, Drama, Japan)
– ‘COUNT 100’ (Director: Hiroshi Ono, 2023, 20:00, SF, Japan)
– ‘Oshirasama’ (Director: Takako Saga, 2023, 11:47, Animation, Japan)
– ‘Minwoo and Rie’ (Director: Takaaki Zenimoto, 2022, 26:19, Drama, Japan)
– ‘The Old Young Crow’ (Director: Liam Lopinto, 2022, 12:00, Mystery, Thriller, Animation, USA)
– ‘Shu-Ha-Ri’ (NYJCF) *Refer to Day One

Day Two (3:30 PM)
[Long Story to Short]
– ‘Blue and White’ (Director: Hiroyuki Nishiyama, 2022, 27:22, Documentary, Japan, USA)
– ‘Scabiosa’ (Director: Takeshi Takamura, 2022, 19:47, Drama, Japan)
– ‘Nisei’ (Director: Darren Ray, 2023, 21:18, Drama, Action, USA)
– ‘Don’t Go’ (Director: Daichi Amano, 2023, 24:46, Drama, Japan)

* Collaborations:
– AIWFF: Aichi International Women’s Film Festival
– BJFF: Boston Japanese Film Festival
– SSFF: Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
– TIMF: Tokyo Independent Movie Festival

For inquiries, please contact Hiro Kono/NYJCF, Mar Creation, Inc. at 917-400-9362 or via email at info@nyjcf.com. You can also visit the website at http://www.nyjcf.com and watch the festival at watch.nyjcf.com.