https://www.scmp.com/rss/325523/feed From Akira Kurosawa to Yasujiro Ozu, from Takeshi Kitano to Hirokazu Koreeda, from samurai to yakuza to the Japanese New Wave, and from anime to J-horror to pink films, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from Japan. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com James Marsh James Marsh The Hong Kong International Film Festival returns in April, celebrating its 50th edition with a mouth-watering retrospective of classics from the last half-century of Chinese-language cinema. New and old works alike from masters of the art form, including Zhang Yimou, Tsai Ming-liang and Hou Hsiao-hsien, will play alongside a typically eclectic selection of some of the finest recent offerings from around the world. Acclaimed Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen’s latest work, We Are All Strangers,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346869/hong-kong-international-film-festival-2026-highlights-12-must-see-movies-and-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346869/hong-kong-international-film-festival-2026-highlights-12-must-see-movies-and-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Paul French Paul French You could be forgiven for thinking that the UK has gone samurai mad of late. Director Michihito Fujii’s Last Samurai Standing remains high up the Netflix UK chart, Penguin Books is enjoying a massive bestseller in Shotaro Ikenami’s multi-volume The Samurai Detectives, and the FX miniseries retelling of James Clavell’s Shogun (originally a 1975 novel) was a surprise hit and won various awards. The samurai-inspired Assassin’s Creed Shadows was the fastest-selling video game in Britain in 2025,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3345076/gripping-london-samurai-exhibition-explores-japans-warrior-class-and-cuts-through-myths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3345076/gripping-london-samurai-exhibition-explores-japans-warrior-class-and-cuts-through-myths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram There is a mild, modest satisfaction when we ask Hikari how she feels about her career to date. “So far, so good,” she says briskly. It is a little more than that. The Japanese-born director established her art-house credentials in 2019 with her prize-winning feature debut 37 Seconds. She went on to direct episodes of prestige American TV, including the water-cooler show Beef. Now comes her second feature-length movie, Rental Family, a gentle, sometimes mournful Tokyo-set comedy that strikes a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345114/who-hikari-japanese-director-behind-beef-and-brendan-fraser-starrer-rental-family?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345114/who-hikari-japanese-director-behind-beef-and-brendan-fraser-starrer-rental-family?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:15:07 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This year’s Pokemon Day, which falls on February 27, also marks the 30th anniversary of the internationally known and loved multimedia franchise. Helmed by the determined and compassionate Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum and his loyal but stubborn “pocket monster” partner Pikachu, this Japanese IP has spawned a huge range of anime series, films, video games and merchandise. The now multibillion-dollar franchise began life as a role-playing video game series created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344721/how-pokemon-took-over-world-beloved-franchise-turns-30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344721/how-pokemon-took-over-world-beloved-franchise-turns-30?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2.5/5 stars Premiering in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, Japanese anime A New Dawn is a strange beast indeed. By turns baffling and beguiling, the 76-minute miniature blends issues of climate change and the cosmos, wrapping them up in a generational story that even touches on the pervasive powers of social media. Imaginative though it may be, whether the film is suitable for children or teenagers – despite the youth of the characters – is open to debate. Set in rural... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343958/berlin-2026-new-dawn-movie-review-climate-crisis-meets-fireworks-confusing-anime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343958/berlin-2026-new-dawn-movie-review-climate-crisis-meets-fireworks-confusing-anime?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters An immersive new exhibition devoted to Ponyo – Hayao ⁠Miyazaki’s hand-drawn 2008 ⁠fantasy film about a goldfish-like girl yearning ⁠to be human – invites visitors, especially children, into his world through more than 100 original materials and hands-on animation tools. The show, which opened on February 14 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, showcases rare artwork and production sketches from Studio Ghibli, ‌the animation house Miyazaki co-founded, along with an interactive... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3343694/ponyo-exhibition-invites-visitors-hayao-miyazakis-ocean-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3343694/ponyo-exhibition-invites-visitors-hayao-miyazakis-ocean-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Wealth and good fortune are the twin engines of the Lunar New Year film season, and Hong Kong filmmaker Philip Yung Tsz-kwong’s The Snowball on a Sunny Day is the latest festive offering to find humour in the hunt for millions. Boasting an ensemble led by Chung Suet-ying, Edan Lui Cheuk-on and Elaine Jin Yan-ling, the comedy-drama follows a working-class family living in a public housing estate who believe they have won the Mark Six lottery jackpot, only to discover that the responsible family... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343132/10-asian-movies-about-winning-lottery-and-why-jackpot-never-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343132/10-asian-movies-about-winning-lottery-and-why-jackpot-never-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:15:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars The 91st feature film from veteran Japanese director Yoji Yamada is a typically nostalgic affair, in which screen icon Chieko Baisho plays an elderly woman who bonds with her taxi driver (Takuya Kimura) while reminiscing about her eventful life. A remake of the 2022 French film Driving Madeleine, this beautifully pitched drama was produced as part of Shochiku Studios’ 130th anniversary celebrations. Baisho, a prolific singer and actress who has appeared in well over a hundred films,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342354/tokyo-taxi-movie-review-takuya-kimura-and-chieko-baisho-star-moving-yoji-yamada-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342354/tokyo-taxi-movie-review-takuya-kimura-and-chieko-baisho-star-moving-yoji-yamada-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:15:37 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars A young woman is forced to live the last day of her life on repeat in the animated sci-fi thriller All You Need Is Kill, which is adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 light novel, best known as the inspiration for the Tom Cruise action film Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Marking the feature directing debut of Kenichiro Akimoto, All You Need Is Kill unfolds in the wake of an alien invasion. It follows a plucky heroine who must hone her combat skills and study the otherworldly aggressors... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342213/all-you-need-kill-movie-review-japanese-novel-behind-edge-tomorrow-gets-animated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342213/all-you-need-kill-movie-review-japanese-novel-behind-edge-tomorrow-gets-animated?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:15:36 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Hong Kong movie star and producer Louis Koo Tin-lok is currently rewriting history – and box office records – with the time-travel adventure Back to the Past. Taking in over HK$60 million (US$7.7 million) since its New Year’s Eve debut, the film is a much-anticipated sequel to 2001’s A Step into the Past, a favourite television series from Hong Kong broadcaster TVB. It sends Koo’s security agent hurtling back to the Qin dynasty, reuniting him with many original cast members, including Raymond... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339696/10-best-asian-time-travel-movies-watch-after-hong-kong-hit-back-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339696/10-best-asian-time-travel-movies-watch-after-hong-kong-hit-back-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh In 2025, Asian cinema continues to make its mark around the world. Animated features from mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as Japan, have shattered box office records, while filmmakers and performers from across the region have been honoured at the world’s most prestigious film festivals. From established auteurs to promising newcomers, the region remains a thriving hotbed of rich and diverse commercial and artistic talent. Below are our picks of the 12 best films released this year across... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337826/12-best-asian-films-2025-ranked-ne-zha-2-no-other-choice-and-kokuho?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337826/12-best-asian-films-2025-ranked-ne-zha-2-no-other-choice-and-kokuho?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:15:08 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service In the world of Kokuho, the stomp of a foot can summon art into being. The blend of allegory and reality in the symbol-laden feature film continues to surprise months after its release, making it an unlikely new weapon in Sony’s Japanese content arsenal. Japanese-Korean director Lee Sang-il’s three-hour epic is now Japan’s top-grossing live-action movie of all time, smashing a 22-year-old record, according to domestic distributor Toho. The film, an adaptation of a two-volume novel by Shuichi... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337766/how-surprise-mega-hit-kokuho-could-make-japanese-live-action-movies-global-contenders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337766/how-surprise-mega-hit-kokuho-could-make-japanese-live-action-movies-global-contenders?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 11:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Winner of the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, the latest film by All the Long Nights director Sho Miyake is a beautifully staged and delicately poised rumination on the parallels between writing and travel. Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung stars as Li, a screenwriter living in Japan, who is searching for inspiration for her latest project. The perpetual clash between her desire for solitude and sense of isolation in a foreign land both fuels her own writing and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Amid souring Sino-Japanese relations, Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has abruptly cancelled three screenings of Japanese films for its upcoming film programme. The decision was announced on December 3, three days before “Food for Thought – a Cinematic Feast” was slated to begin. Kamome Diner (2006), previously scheduled for December 6 and January 3, follows a woman working in a quiet cafe who eventually forms an unexpected family with two other solitary... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335189/hong-kong-abruptly-cancels-3-japanese-film-screenings-amid-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335189/hong-kong-abruptly-cancels-3-japanese-film-screenings-amid-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:29:59 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars As one of the most handsome faces to emerge from Hong Kong’s latest generation of film actors, Jeffrey Ngai Tsun-sang’s ascent to a leading role was inevitable. After playing several supporting parts, including two rather silly ones (in the comedies Everything Under Control and Table for Six 2), he is finally getting the chance. Road to Vendetta, a violent, John Wick-inspired action thriller co-produced by Hong Kong and Japan, delivers as a pop idol vehicle with its ample visual... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334515/road-vendetta-movie-review-jeffrey-ngai-plays-assassin-illogical-lead-role-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334515/road-vendetta-movie-review-jeffrey-ngai-plays-assassin-illogical-lead-role-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The last few days have seen Hong Kong reeling from the unspeakable tragedy of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which has left at least 146 people dead and 79 injured, with 40 still unaccounted for. Initial investigations suggest possible negligence on the part of those overseeing renovation work, leaving the community angry and desperate for justice. Meanwhile, the way in which the city’s population has rallied together to provide support for those affected has been truly humbling. In times... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334761/want-find-solace-film-10-movies-may-offer-catharsis-and-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334761/want-find-solace-film-10-movies-may-offer-catharsis-and-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Fans of Japanese singer-songwriter Kokia were disappointed on Wednesday night when a “last-minute technical issue” forced the cancellation of a concert in Beijing. The organiser of the event apologised on Thursday for one of a series of Japanese cultural events that have been cancelled or delayed since China and Japan became embroiled in a diplomatic row this month. “This should have been announced earlier! People waited for an hour and a half, and many came from out of town,” one fan said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333439/young-chinese-fans-fear-losing-access-japanese-pop-culture-amid-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333439/young-chinese-fans-fear-losing-access-japanese-pop-culture-amid-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:04:21 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 5/5 stars Anchored by an astonishing central performance from Ryo Yoshizawa and a fastidious devotion to the traditional art of kabuki theatre, Lee Sang-il’s sumptuous saga Kokuho emerges as the finest Japanese film of the year. Spanning five decades in the life of a celebrated onnagata – a male performer who specialises in female roles – the film chronicles the endless dedication and heart-wrenching sacrifices required to reach the pinnacle of this bewitching art form, and the toll it takes on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332265/kokuho-movie-review-ryo-yoshizawa-stuns-mesmerising-epic-japans-kabuki-theatre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332265/kokuho-movie-review-ryo-yoshizawa-stuns-mesmerising-epic-japans-kabuki-theatre?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh A visually ravishing journey into the afterlife is proving a hit in Hong Kong this week, as the animated feature Another World, an adaptation of Naka Saijo’s novel Sennenki: Thousand-Year Journey of an Oni, is generating plenty of discussion about its unusual subject matter. The film tells the dark, absorbing story of a deceased young girl (voiced by Christy Choi Hiu-tung) who is escorted through the afterlife by the spirit guide Gudo (Chung Suet-ying) as she searches for her little brother. Its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3331421/10-best-animated-films-set-afterlife-grave-fireflies-soul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3331421/10-best-animated-films-set-afterlife-grave-fireflies-soul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars A former Las Vegas magician and a young bride-to-be form an unlikely crime-fighting duo in Black Showman, a murder mystery adapted from Keigo Higashino’s bestselling novel by director Ryo Tanaka, who has also been responsible for several The Confidence Man JP films in recent years. United by their personal connections to the deceased – a popular high school teacher – the two amateur sleuths soon uncover a perplexing conspiracy that appears to implicate residents of a sleepy mountain... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3329808/black-showman-movie-review-masaharu-fukuyama-leads-boring-murder-mystery-adaptation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3329808/black-showman-movie-review-masaharu-fukuyama-leads-boring-murder-mystery-adaptation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Boasting an eclectic programme of features, shorts, documentaries and retrospectives, the 22nd Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) opens its doors on October 22 with the Asian premiere of new Hong Kong animation Another World. Other local debuts include esports fantasy Gamer Girls, starring the increasingly ubiquitous Angela Yuen Lai-lam, and the Canada-set drama Finch & Midland, featuring Anthony Wong Chau-sang and Patrick Tam Yiu-man. Thai filmmaker Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit is this year’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3327321/hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2025-12-best-movies-see-including-another-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3327321/hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2025-12-best-movies-see-including-another-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 04:45:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Better known for directing feel-good crowd pleasers like The Waterboys and Swing Girls, Japanese director Shinobu Yaguchi proves he is equally adept at delivering genuine scares with the riotously entertaining Dollhouse. Masami Nagasawa plays a grieving mother who unwittingly brings a possessed toy into her home, only for the inanimate plaything to turn tormentor when its services are no longer required. From Annabelle to Chucky, haunted dolls have been a horror staple for decades. In... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326459/dollhouse-movie-review-haunted-doll-j-horror-masami-nagasawa-great-fun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326459/dollhouse-movie-review-haunted-doll-j-horror-masami-nagasawa-great-fun?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Modern film has shown that it can breathe new life into traditional art forms, particularly in Japan, where live-action films have historically struggled to make a lasting cultural mark. Kokuho, which focuses on the classical Japanese theatre art of kabuki, has not only become a surprise box office hit in Japan but has rekindled public interest in the centuries-old performing art. Portraying a captivating mix of onstage action with resplendent costumes and personal dramas within insular kabuki... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3326136/how-hit-japanese-film-kokuho-reviving-centuries-old-performing-art-kabuki?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3326136/how-hit-japanese-film-kokuho-reviving-centuries-old-performing-art-kabuki?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 07:15:16 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars The cluttered confines of Kowloon Walled City have recently been given a new lease of life. The once notorious Hong Kong neighbourhood of dilapidated and densely populated residential buildings was demolished in 1994, but was resurrected on screen 30 years later in Soi Cheang Pou-soi’s 2024 box office hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled in. The martial arts action thriller delighted local audiences with its faithful recreation of the enclave, and the sets have since become a tourist... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324838/kowloon-generic-romance-movie-review-walled-city-set-japanese-fantasy-makes-zero-sense?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324838/kowloon-generic-romance-movie-review-walled-city-set-japanese-fantasy-makes-zero-sense?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3/5 stars To be(head) or not to be(head)… that is the question in Scarlet, Mamoru Hosoda’s Hamlet-inspired anime. Playing out of competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival, this is a curious, gender-flipped tale of vengeance and forgiveness, one that asks us to give peace a chance. The story largely takes place in an “Otherworld”, a purgatory of sorts where the past and future are interwoven and Eternity is just a staircase away. It is here where we find the flame-haired Scarlet (voiced by... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324414/venice-2025-scarlet-movie-review-mamoru-hosodas-hamlet-inspired-anime-curiosity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324414/venice-2025-scarlet-movie-review-mamoru-hosodas-hamlet-inspired-anime-curiosity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 02:32:18 +0000 Wei Wei Wei Wei This year, China marks the 80th anniversary of its victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression – part of the broader victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. Across the country, commemorative exhibitions, television documentaries and a wave of summer blockbuster films have been rolled out to mark the occasion. These films, set in the dark days of the 1930s and 1940s, are not just historical dramas; they are cultural reminders. They show the destruction of war, the brutality of the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322220/chinas-wartime-message-can-sit-alongside-love-todays-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322220/chinas-wartime-message-can-sit-alongside-love-todays-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 21:30:08 +0000 June Xia June Xia There’s a new king atop China’s 2D animated box office, and it’s Nobody. Shanghai Animation Film Studio’s movie has overtaken Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume as the highest-grossing 2D animated film in Chinese box office history while becoming a dark horse in the nation’s summer movie season. With its success, Nobody has dethroned the dominance of Japanese animated films in China. Before Nobody’s debut on August 2, the all-time top three such movies at the Chinese box office were Suzume, having... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3322376/surprising-many-nobody-becomes-chinas-top-2d-animated-film-box-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3322376/surprising-many-nobody-becomes-chinas-top-2d-animated-film-box-office?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 10:30:07 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk As Indonesia prepares to mark its 80th Independence Day, a new symbol of resistance has emerged – not from the pages of history, but from the world of Japanese anime. Traditionally, the nation’s red-and-white flag adorns homes, vehicles and public spaces in the lead-up to the national holiday. But this year, many Indonesians have chosen to raise The Jolly Roger pirate flag from the Japanese anime series One Piece in an act of defiance. The fictional skull-and-crossbones, topped with main... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3320683/indonesians-fly-anime-pirate-flag-independence-day-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3320683/indonesians-fly-anime-pirate-flag-independence-day-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:05:06 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Every summer, the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) stages Summer IFF, a mini showcase that presents a crowd-pleasing smorgasbord of brand new festival delights, future cult favourites and restored classics from around the world. This year’s line-up includes a number of highlights from the latest Berlin and Cannes film festivals, including It Was Just an Accident, the Palme d’Or winner from controversial Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi. The programme also includes documentary, animation... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319989/hong-kongs-summer-international-film-festival-2025-10-must-see-movies-and-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319989/hong-kongs-summer-international-film-festival-2025-10-must-see-movies-and-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 10:16:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japanese horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa will bring his signature edge-of-your-seat storytelling to a genre he has not yet tackled: the samurai movie. “I do want to do it once, and it looks like it might be really happening, although things are still uncertain. I may finally be able to make my samurai film,” he says, adding he cannot give away much just yet. His upcoming project will not have sword-fight scenes or action-packed outdoor shots typical of samurai films, or jidaigeki. Instead, it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319808/japanese-horror-master-kiyoshi-kurosawa-making-his-first-samurai-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319808/japanese-horror-master-kiyoshi-kurosawa-making-his-first-samurai-film?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars For more than a century, movies have been adapted from novels, plays, television shows and real-life historical events. But recently, cinematic spectacles have derived from board games, toys, emojis – and now biscuits. Dream Animals: The Movie is a colourful, family-friendly animation inspired by the Japanese snack of the same name. The bite-sized animal-shaped cookies emblazoned with words such as “lion”, “monkey”, and “rabbit” – in English – have been a beloved confection around... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3317400/dream-animals-movie-review-japanese-animation-inspired-biscuits-cracking-fun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3317400/dream-animals-movie-review-japanese-animation-inspired-biscuits-cracking-fun?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 09:45:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Winner of the Fipresci prize at the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors Fortnight programme in 2024, Desert of Namibia serves up a potent cocktail of adolescent malaise and assertive femininity, and proves an eye-catching breakthrough for 28-year-old writer-director Yoko Yamanaka. Her second feature film, after 2017’s Amiko, chronicles the trials and tribulations of 20-something Kana (Yuumi Kawai) as she searches for meaning in Tokyo’s chaotic urban sprawl. By turns alluring and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3317311/desert-namibia-movie-review-yuumi-kawai-superb-intriguing-portrait-japans-gen-z?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3317311/desert-namibia-movie-review-yuumi-kawai-superb-intriguing-portrait-japans-gen-z?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 08:45:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Japan’s Oscar-winning anime house Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month. Here are the studio’s top five films that have delighted fans over the decades: 1. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985, but this post-apocalyptic story featuring a young, independent princess curious about giant insects is considered its first film. It was based on a comic-strip series that Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki wrote for a magazine targeted at anime fans. Set 1,000 years after a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3313693/5-top-films-studio-ghiblis-first-40-years-spirited-away-princess-mononoke?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3313693/5-top-films-studio-ghiblis-first-40-years-spirited-away-princess-mononoke?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:15:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Japan’s Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans young and old won over by its films’ complex plots and hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with the latest hit, The Boy and the Heron, probably the final feature from its celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio behind the Oscar-winning Spirited Away has become a cultural phenomenon since Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata established it in 1985. Its popularity has been fuelled recently... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3313378/studio-ghibli-turns-40-fans-worry-about-its-future-once-hayao-miyazaki-retires?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3313378/studio-ghibli-turns-40-fans-worry-about-its-future-once-hayao-miyazaki-retires?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jun 2025 23:15:15 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh This week sees the cinema release of Ballerina, the first in a series of planned spin-off movies from the incredibly successful John Wick action franchise. Focusing on a new character, Eve, portrayed by Ana de Armas (No Time to Die), the film follows the exploits of a young orphan who is recruited into the secret Ruska Roma organisation, where she is raised as a deadly assassin. Once unleashed into the world, however, Eve applies her new skill set to track down the gangsters responsible for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3312842/15-best-female-assassin-movies-ballerina-new-john-wick-spin-releases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3312842/15-best-female-assassin-movies-ballerina-new-john-wick-spin-releases?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Japanese characters were usually portrayed as cruel and dishonourable in the Hong Kong martial arts films of the 1960s and 1970s. But such on-screen animosity did not stop Hong Kong production companies from collaborating with their Japanese counterparts. Although Hong Kong wuxia film producers studied the action sequences in Japanese swordplay films to learn the techniques behind them, companies such as Shaw Brothers Studio were mainly interested in their advanced technology and efficient... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3311524/zatoichi-and-one-armed-swordsman-fight-duel-hong-kong-japan-co-production?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3311524/zatoichi-and-one-armed-swordsman-fight-duel-hong-kong-japan-co-production?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 01:45:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram When Japanese video game company Kotake Create published The Exit 8 in 2023, it became an instant cult hit. Initially released on Steam, and later on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S, Android and iOS, this walking simulator was an utter original. Players find themselves in a Japanese metro subway passageway stuck in an endless loop as they try to figure out clues on how to remove themselves from the hellish trap. It is hard to imagine how this might be adapted into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3311250/exit-8s-director-and-star-turning-video-game-thrilling-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3311250/exit-8s-director-and-star-turning-video-game-thrilling-film?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 10:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars Love on Trial is an absorbing look at the Japanese music industry inspired by real events. Unveiled in the Cannes Premiere sidebar of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Koji Fukada’s film has a universal quality. The story may centre around a J-pop girl group, but its exploration of the pressures put on young performers feels like it could also apply to Western groups. The story is about Happy Fans, a quintet who are rapidly becoming popular with teens. The movie starts with them busy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3311299/cannes-2025-love-trial-movie-review-koji-fukada-explores-dark-side-japanese-pop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3311299/cannes-2025-love-trial-movie-review-koji-fukada-explores-dark-side-japanese-pop?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 19:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars With three of Japan’s most accomplished actresses under 30 – Suzu Hirose, Hana Sugisaki and Kaya Kiyohara – performing under the assured stewardship of director Nobuhiro Doi, and with a script by Cannes Film Festival award winner Yuji Sakamoto (Monster), supernatural drama Unreachable should have been an easy win. But this persistently baffling tale of three young ghosts navigating modern-day Tokyo is dead on arrival. Fantasies dealing with the dead and their attempts to interact with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310998/unreachable-movie-review-suzu-hirose-hana-sugisaki-and-kaya-kiyohara-baffling-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310998/unreachable-movie-review-suzu-hirose-hana-sugisaki-and-kaya-kiyohara-baffling-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Clarence Tsui Clarence Tsui 3/5 stars It’s hardly every day that a novelist-turned-filmmaker will follow up an award-winning, genial family drama with a live-action adaptation of a video game. Appropriating images and ideas aplenty from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Genki Kawamura has turned a simple premise – in which a player is made to run repeatedly down a short underground passage to search for a way out – into a psychological thriller exploring a man’s guilt and redemption. For those who haven’t played The Exit 8,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310965/cannes-2025-exit-8-movie-review-live-action-adaptation-walking-simulator-video-game?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310965/cannes-2025-exit-8-movie-review-live-action-adaptation-walking-simulator-video-game?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 14:25:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Kazuo Ishiguro’s mother was in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb was dropped. When Ishiguro, the Nobel laureate and author of Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, started writing fiction in his twenties, his first novel, 1982’s A Pale View of Hills, was inspired by his mother’s stories, and his own distance from them. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki but, when he was five, moved to the UK with his family. A Pale View of Hills marked the start of one of the most lauded writing careers in contemporary... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310853/cannes-2025-author-kazuo-ishiguro-films-adapting-his-books-and-becoming-homer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310853/cannes-2025-author-kazuo-ishiguro-films-adapting-his-books-and-becoming-homer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 04:45:07 +0000 Clarence Tsui Clarence Tsui 4/5 stars In Renoir, hardly anybody cries. Its eerily calm characters shed barely a tear even when caring for the dying, mourning the dead or struggling with their lifeless marriages. Yet Chie Hayakawa’s second feature isn’t set in the kind of dystopia seen in her debut film Plan 75, in which the elderly are encouraged to participate in a state-sponsored euthanasia programme to make the country young again. Set in Japan in the 1980s and revolving around the life of a schoolgirl whose father lies... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310774/cannes-2025-renoir-movie-review-plan-75s-chie-hayakawa-considers-amorality-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310774/cannes-2025-renoir-movie-review-plan-75s-chie-hayakawa-considers-amorality-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 15:31:54 +0000 Clarence Tsui Clarence Tsui 3.5/5 stars Towards the end of Kei Ishikawa’s visually captivating new film A Pale View of Hills, Niki (Camilla Aiko) tells her mother, Etsuko (Yoh Yoshida), she shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving Japan for Britain after the second world war. “We all need to change,” she says. For Etsuko, that comment rings very true: trapped by both the trauma of war and the tyranny of patriarchy, reinvention was perhaps Etsuko’s only option to attain a more rewarding life. But some of Ishikawa’s changes to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310534/cannes-2025-pale-view-hills-movie-review-suzu-hirose-fumi-nikaido-lead-adaptation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310534/cannes-2025-pale-view-hills-movie-review-suzu-hirose-fumi-nikaido-lead-adaptation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 15:08:26 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Anime compilation films are far from a new phenomenon. Since the 1970s, feature-length re-edits of animated television series have been a mainstay in Japanese cinemas. Offering diehard fans the opportunity of a big-screen refresher, while giving franchise newcomers a crash course that is all killer no filler, every self-respecting series from Space Battleship Yamato to Mobile Suit Gundam has swung for a splashy theatrical cash grab. Recently, Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan both... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310117/kaiju-no-8-mission-recon-movie-review-sci-fi-anime-compilation-not-par?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3310117/kaiju-no-8-mission-recon-movie-review-sci-fi-anime-compilation-not-par?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 May 2025 10:15:07 +0000 The high-speed bullet train says Japan as much as Godzilla, sushi and Mount Fuji. And it takes centre stage in Shinji Higuchi’s new film Bullet Train Explosion, which premiered on Netflix this week. Higuchi, the director of the 2016 film Shin Godzilla, has reimagined the 1975 Japanese film The Bullet Train, which has the same premise: a bomb will go off if the train slows to below 100km/h (62mph). That movie also inspired Hollywood’s Speed, starring Keanu Reeves, which takes place mostly on a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307726/bullet-train-explosion-director-shinji-higuchi-examining-evil-netflix-movie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307726/bullet-train-explosion-director-shinji-higuchi-examining-evil-netflix-movie?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:15:07 +0000 It is no exaggeration to say that Sakura Ando is one of the most important actresses of contemporary Japanese cinema. A winner of numerous accolades, including five Japan Academy Film Prize awards, the hugely popular performer has had an eclectic career since she started acting in 2006. Over those two decades, Ando has navigated deftly between indie hits from cult directors like Sion Sono and Takashi Miike, to award-winning dramas from celebrated auteurs such as Hirokazu Koreeda, to appearing in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306756/how-top-japanese-actress-sakura-ando-defied-traditions-and-never-had-grand-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306756/how-top-japanese-actress-sakura-ando-defied-traditions-and-never-had-grand-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Apr 2025 04:15:07 +0000 4/5 stars After breathing new life into some of Japanese cinema’s most beloved monsters in Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman, animator-turned-director Shinji Higuchi now turns his attention to the classic 1970s disaster thriller The Bullet Train. Part reboot, part sequel, Bullet Train Explosion revisits the nail-biting scenario of a high-speed train that will explode if its speed drops below 100 miles per hour (161km/h). The 1975 film pitted superstars Ken Takakura and Sonny Chiba against one... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306192/netflix-movie-review-bullet-train-explosion-breathless-remake-shin-godzilla-director?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306192/netflix-movie-review-bullet-train-explosion-breathless-remake-shin-godzilla-director?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Apr 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Japanese actress-singer Ryoko Hirosue – once dubbed “the last beautiful girl at the end of the 20th century” by Japanese media – is making headlines again after she was arrested for assault. The 44-year-old was detained by police this week on suspicion of kicking a nurse. She had been admitted to a hospital in the Japanese city of Shimada in Shizuoka prefecture after sustaining minor injuries in a car accident. Hirosue was reportedly agitated and in distress during police questioning, raising... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306087/ups-and-downs-ryoko-hirosue-scandal-hit-japanese-singer-actress-arrested-assault?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306087/ups-and-downs-ryoko-hirosue-scandal-hit-japanese-singer-actress-arrested-assault?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Apr 2025 05:27:41 +0000 Sit back and break out the popcorn as the 49th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) prepares to fire up the projectors from April 10 to 21. The 2025 edition of one of Asia’s oldest cinematic events will screen nearly 200 films from 69 countries and regions, including six world premieres, two international premieres and 52 Asian premieres. HKIFF’s main draw this year is Louis Koo Tin-lok, who has become a household name over a 32-year career producing movies as well as... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3305172/catch-cinematic-gold-hong-kong-international-film-festival-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3305172/catch-cinematic-gold-hong-kong-international-film-festival-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:00:16 +0000 Artificial intelligence risks taking Japanese anime artists’ jobs but nothing can replicate Hayao Miyazaki, the creative lifeblood of the studio behind classics such as Spirited Away, his son says. Thanks to ChatGPT’s new image generator, the internet is awash with pictures imitating Studio Ghibli’s whimsical style, raising fresh debate over potential copyright infringements. Movies such as My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle are famous for their lush nature and fantastical machinery,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3304976/ai-will-take-anime-artists-jobs-studio-ghiblis-hayao-miyazaki-irreplaceable-son-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3304976/ai-will-take-anime-artists-jobs-studio-ghiblis-hayao-miyazaki-irreplaceable-son-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Apr 2025 01:21:08 +0000