What better way to open the 41st BIFFF than with a teenage girl jumping from one dimension to the next, trying to save the world from impending doom alongside a magical cat and a talking three-legged chair? That teenager is Suzume, a seemingly ordinary high-schooler who on her way to class meets a strange fellow,… Continue reading SUZUME
Country: Japan
THE THREE SISTERS OF TENMASOU INN
There’s this quaint out-of-time place called the Tenmasou Inn. It’s pretty exclusive though, in a world parallel to ours and strictly for people heading for the light at the end of the tunnel, also known as folks hanging between life and death. Don’t try looking for Trip Advisor comments either, just trust us it’s a… Continue reading THE THREE SISTERS OF TENMASOU INN
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART
Wakaba is many things: one of the most kawaii grade-schoolers ever, the #1 fan of pop musician Kohei Shirasaki and someone with a particularly strong sense of righteousness. So when she witnesses her dorky classmate Koki being pushed around by two grade-A bullies, she can’t help but stand up for him. Not used to having… Continue reading LOVE WILL TEAR US APART
MAD CATS
Next time someone casually ask you whether you’re more of a cat person than a dog person, think wisely before you answer because it may have grave consequences. Cause you see, Mad Cats, a half-female half-feline mutant breed that may look human but that has cat-like strength, stealth, agility… and an irrepressible urge to cough… Continue reading MAD CATS
ONE-PERCENTER
Big action star Takuma Toshiro has succeeded in riling up the whole profession against him by declaring that cinematographic fights should be closer to reality than these choreographed ballets, where shrimps without talent tickle each other with foam swords. After a ten-year hiatus, Takuma is attempting a comeback with a very personal project, a straight-up… Continue reading ONE-PERCENTER
SADAKO DX
Several people are found dead all over Japan. Rumor goes around that they died 24 hours after watching a mysterious videotape. Of course it doesn’t take long before Sadako’s name is dropped and everyone is smashing their old VHS player to smithereens. But Ayaka, a young TV journalist with an IQ of 200, doesn’t believe… Continue reading SADAKO DX
LIFE OF MARIKO IN KABUKICHO
A man is on the run in Tokyo. People sometimes see him wandering the streets at night holding a mysterious basket. But those unfortunate enough to peek inside, end up X-rayed into a smoldering pile of bones… A couple of days earlier, a UFO allegedly crashes in the outskirts of the city and the FBI… Continue reading LIFE OF MARIKO IN KABUKICHO
INU-OH
Japan, 14th century. Some music-lovin’ priests and Noh theater actors set up the 14th century equivalent of the Critereon channel: culturally approved, ideal for stroking your goatee but ultimately a little stiff and lifeless. Even the legendary battle between two rival Samurai clans, the Heike and the Genji, turns to boring Bible school fodder in… Continue reading INU-OH
XXXHOLIC by Mika Ninagawa
At first glance, Kimihiro Watanuki looks like any other student. But then again, your eyes can’t see everything. Unlike Wakanuki’s eyes, which see all there is to see… including the spiteful spirits called “ayakashi” that are always attacking him. Being on the run for enemies that are invisible to ordinary mortals around him doesn’t help… Continue reading XXXHOLIC by Mika Ninagawa
KAPPEI
On a remote Japanese island, a severe kung-fu master trains a group of boys to become “Doomsday Warriors”. After the inevitable Apocalypse, which Nostradamus predicted would take place in 1999, they are to fight for justice in a ravaged world. When this doomsday scenario still hasn’t materialized in 2022 (!), the sensei decides to throw… Continue reading KAPPEI