Brought to you by The Japan Foundation (JF), JFF+ INDEPENDENT CINEMA is a new free online streaming program featuring 12 Japanese independent films that you can enjoy for 6 months* starting from 15 December 2022 to 15 June 2023 for free! This new online streaming programme focuses on Japanese independent films to showcase the variety of Japanese film culture nurtured by the mini-theaters (independent theaters). The 12 films selected for this programme have graced the screens of mini-theaters in recent years, highlighting the lifestyles of people and community issues against the backdrop of local climates and landscapes, as well as films that pursue new cinematic expressions. To complement the programme, we will also be showing interviews with directors, actors, and other creators who were involved with the films, and articles on the mini-theater culture.

  STREAMING PERIOD*  
From 15 December 2022 to 15 June 2023
*Streaming period divided to two terms with 6 films each:
First term: 15 December 2022 to 15 March 2023
Second term: 15 March 2022 to 15 June 2023

  ACCESS  
Free of charge. (Prior registration required)

  SUBTITLES  
English & Spanish for all 12 films and Japanese for 3 films.

  REGION COVERED  
Almost all countries and regions except Japan

>> Click here to start watching now! <<

  FILM LINEUP  

First term – 15 December 2022 to 15 March 2023

Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions (2021), directed by KOMORI Haruka + SEO Natsumi

A documentary about a team of young people who record the memories of a town that was affected by a big earthquake

[Selected by Forum Sendai / Available worldwide except Japan]

Dryads in a Snow Valley (2016), directed by KOBAYASHI Shigeru

A documentary that observes the lives of people living in a mountainous region covered in snow

[Selected by Takada Sekaikan / Available worldwide except Japan]

Wonderwall : the Movie (2020), directed by MAEDA Yuki

A comedy drama that depicts the conflict between students and their university over the continuation of a long-standing college dorm

[Selected by Cinémathèque Takasaki / Available worldwide except Japan]

Somebody’s Flowers (2021), directed by OKUDA Yusuke

A humanistic drama that looks at the emotional recovery of those who have lost close relatives

[Selected by Cinema Jack & Betty / Available worldwide except Japan]

hottamaru・days (2015), directed by YOSHIGAI Nao

A fantastical and beautiful visual poem about joyful spirits who reside in a house

[Selected by Ciné nouveau / Available Worldwide, except Japan]

Leaving on the 15th Spring (2013), directed by YOSHIDA Yasuhiro

A coming-of-age drama about the emotional journey of a young girl who leaves the beautiful and isolated island that she is from

[Selected by Cinema5 / Available worldwide except Japan and China]

Second term – 15 March 2023 to 15 June 2023

On the Edge of Their Seats (2020), directed by JOJO Hideo

A coming-of-age drama about young people who cheer for their high school baseball team playing in a stadium

[Selected by Forum Sendai / Available worldwide except Japan]

Shiver (2021), directed by TOYODA Toshiaki

A music film that shows off the astonishing performance of a world famous taiko troupe

[Selected by Takada Sekaikan / Available worldwide except Japan, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany]

Drive into Night (2022), directed by SAKO Dai

A surprising humanistic drama that questions the meaning of happiness through the strange fate of one man who caused an accident

[Selected by Cinémathèque Takasaki / Available worldwide except Japan]

What Can You Do about It (2019), directed by TSUBOTA Yoshifumi

A heartfelt documentary about the interactions between a film director and his uncle who has low- level autism

[Selected by Cinema Jack & Betty / Available worldwide except Japan]

In the Distance (2022), directed by KATO Saki

A warm and unique story of two women who live under one roof and the strange happenings around them

[Selected by Ciné nouveau / Available worldwide except Japan]

A Little Girl’s Dream (2014), directed by TOKITA Yoshiaki

A miraculous documentary that follows a girl in elementary school who dreams of becoming a vet and the 26 years that follow to make her dream come true

[Selected by Cinema5 / Available worldwide except Japan]