The festival will be screened over three weekends during October, launching initially at Cinema Nouveau Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria (Friday, 2 to Sunday, 4 October). The festival then moves to Cinema Nouveau V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from Friday, 9 to Sunday, 11 October, with the final weekend’s screening being hosted at Cinema Nouveau Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg from Friday, 16 to Sunday, 18 October.

The 22nd Japanese Film Festival, featuring a line-up of five Japanese films (with English sub-titles), is free to the public. There is no pre-booking for this festival: tickets for each film can be collected at the participating cinemas’ box-offices an hour before each film is screened.

The Japanese Film Festival is made possible by the the Cultural and Information Section of the Embassy of Japan, based in Pretoria. The festival offers cinema-lovers the opportunity to explore contemporary Japanese cinema that they would not otherwise have the chance to see.

The five films to be screened during the festival are:

Until the Break of Dawn 

Ayumi’s grandmother is a Connector – she holds the power to bring solace to the living by summoning the dead. Before passing this gift to Ayumi, she wants to be sure that he fully understands what it entails. By helping a series of clients to meet with their departed friends and loved ones, Ayumi learns the importance of living without regret, and at the same time comes to terms with the doubts that have haunted his own past. Until the Break of Dawn is based on a prize-winning novel by Mizuki Tsujimura called Tsunagu.

Tamako Love Story

Tamako Love Story is the sequel to the popular anime Tamako Market and follows schoolgirl Tamako Kitashirakawa in her day-to-day life as she discovers a love that has been there all along. Tamako is the eldest daughter of a family that runs Tama-ya mochi (rice cake) shop in the Usagiyama Shopping District. Mochizo is Tamako’s childhood friend whose family owns the mochi shop across from Tama-ya.

The movie picks up where the anime left off, with Dera the talking bird bringing us back into the story - Mochizo is attempting to build up his courage to confess his feelings to Tamako before leaving for university in Tokyo. When he eventually does, Tamako goes into a state of shock as she grapples to deal with this revelation and her own feelings.

The Kirishima Thing

The complex and intricate web of school life all seems to revolve around cool kid Kirishima. When Kirishima falls inexplicably off the radar, this sets off a ripple effect that slowly undermines the established hierarchy, exposing the arbitrary spectres that govern the lives of big fish in a little pond.

Exquisitely shot and with a finale to savour, The Kirishima Thing is a subtle revolution which quietly mushrooms into a moment of film-making glory. Based on an award-winning novel, and featuring the ever-stoic Ai Hashimoto.

Wood Job

This charming coming-of-age comedy/drama by Shinobu Yaguchi, (Waterboys, Swing Girls Robo-G) is based on the popular novel by Shion Miura.

Having flunked his university entrance exams, 18-year-old Yuki Hirano decides to leave the city behind to take part in a one-year forestry programme, swayed not by a passion for lumberjack life but rather by the attractive girl in the recruiting brochure. Knowing little of what lies ahead, Yuki winds up in rural Kamusari, a small village deep in the mountains, far from modern conveniences and facing a much tougher challenge than anticipated. The story, rich with ancient mythology and Japanese forest legend, has drawn praise from Studio Ghibli animation filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki.

My Little Sweat Pea

After their father’s death, Mugiko and her brother have only each other to depend on. One day, their estranged mother unexpectedly reappears in their lives, but emotions run high and reconciliation is always just out of reach. When their mother passes away just as suddenly as she appeared, Mugiko begrudgingly travels to her mother’s hometown with the weight of bitter memories and an urn in her arms to bury her mother’s ashes. There, Mugiko finds herself revisiting what she knows about her mother and starts to discover the life and dreams of the parent she hardly knew.

For more information about the 22nd Japanese Film Festival, visit www.cinemanouveau.co.za or sterkinekor.mobi. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter. For any queries, phone Ticketline on 0861 668 437.