Japan Society Film

Japan Society Film Screening Japanese cinema from classics to contemporary premieres at Japan Society in NYC. Organizers of : Festival of New Japanese Film.

Happy Caturday with Ryuichi SakamotoOur recommended listening: “M.A.Y. in the Backyard” (1984) is named after three stra...
08/29/2026

Happy Caturday with Ryuichi Sakamoto

Our recommended listening: “M.A.Y. in the Backyard” (1984) is named after three stray cats—Modaki, Ashura, Yanayatsu—that would come by Sakamoto’s house.

“Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto” runs Sept. 11-12 at Japan Society. 🎟️ and showtimes at the 🔗 in the bio.

Exclusive copies of “Music Sets You Free” will be available at evening screenings ahead of the book’s publication on September 22nd.

08/27/2026

The debut of animation studio Gainax (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION) and a seminal work of cel animation, ROYAL SPACE FORCE: THE WINGS OF HONNÊAMISE was produced as an outsider film, countering the conventions of anime with its with its conceptual, Promethean ambitions.

Screening Sept 11 as part of “Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto”: japansociety.org/events/royal-space-force-the-wings-of-honneamise/

The debut of animation studio Gainax (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION) and a seminal work of cel animation, Hiroyuki Yamaga’s RO...
08/24/2026

The debut of animation studio Gainax (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION) and a seminal work of cel animation, Hiroyuki Yamaga’s ROYAL SPACE FORCE: THE WINGS OF HONNÊAMISE launched a new generation of animators with its conceptual, Promethean ambitions. Set on an alternate Earth in the kingdom of Honnêamise, where space travel has not yet been achieved, Bandai’s first foray into film production finds intrepid pilot Shirotsugh Lhadatt, a member of the country’s oft-ridiculed space program, making one last attempt to man a flight into space. Determined to reach the heavens despite corrupt political machinations and the looming shadow of war, Lhadatt struggles to reconcile his mission with the ramifications of mankind’s progression to the stars. Featuring the talents of Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Shinji Higuchi and Hiromasa Ogura, with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, ROYAL SPACE FORCE, with its rich worldbuilding, countered the conventions of contemporaneous anime—an outsider work “to make anime fans reaffirm reality”.

U.S. premiere of 4K restoration on September 11 as part “Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto”.

R.I.P. Keiko Kishi (1932-2026), known for her roles in Ozu’s EARLY SPRING, Masaki Kobayashi’s KWAIDAN and Hideo Oba’s KI...
08/20/2026

R.I.P. Keiko Kishi (1932-2026), known for her roles in Ozu’s EARLY SPRING, Masaki Kobayashi’s KWAIDAN and Hideo Oba’s KIMI NO NA WA.

The actress, along with Ineko Arima and Yoshiko Kuga, co-founded the Ninjin Club—an independent film company that gave greater creative freedom to actresses and produced numerous acclaimed films, including PALE FLOWER, KWAIDAN and THE HUMAN CONDITION.

We’re excited to announce “Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto”, a weekend film series on the legendary composer featuring rare sc...
08/18/2026

We’re excited to announce “Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto”, a weekend film series on the legendary composer featuring rare screenings of films he scored, in celebration of “Music Sets You Free”—his bestselling autobiography, now available for the first time in English c/o HarperVia Books. Dedicating himself to a life of discovery and the embrace of new sounds and textures, Sakamoto dreamed up new musical idioms, always guided by the ethos that “anything could be music”—a trickling stream, melting ice caps or the urban sounds of a rush-hour commuter train.

📽️ ROYAL SPACE FORCE: THE WINGS OF HONNEAMISE
📽️ Mystery Screening
📹 ALL STAR VIDEO / ADELIC PENGUINS
📽️ TOKYO DECADENCE
📽️ DONALD CAMMELL’S WILD SIDE (Director’s Cut)

Running Sept. 11-12 at Japan Society: japansociety.org/film/music-by-ryuichi-sakamoto/

Exclusive copies of “Music Sets You Free” translated by Sam Bett will be available at select screenings ahead of the book’s publication on September 22nd.

A special afternoon with Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Browse through some highlights from last Saturday’s visit to Japan Society fr...
08/07/2026

A special afternoon with Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Browse through some highlights from last Saturday’s visit to Japan Society from the revered Japanese master, featuring a rare 35mm screening of CHARISMA (1999) and a private VIP reception.

Kurosawa’s latest film THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER is now playing in select cities nationwide. Visit samuraiandtheprisoner.film for more info.

📸: Susanna Chang

A huge thank you to director Kiyoshi Kurosawa for presenting a rare sold-out revival of his fin-de-siècle thriller CHARI...
08/03/2026

A huge thank you to director Kiyoshi Kurosawa for presenting a rare sold-out revival of his fin-de-siècle thriller CHARISMA (1999) this past weekend.

Kurosawa’s whodunit jidaigeki THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER is now in theaters c/o Janus Films

📸: Kiyoshi Kurosawa at Japan Society, 2026

A quick peek at the 35mm print of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s CHARISMA (1999)—to be presented this Sat. 8/1 for a sold-out screen...
07/30/2026

A quick peek at the 35mm print of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s CHARISMA (1999)—to be presented this Sat. 8/1 for a sold-out screening with Kurosawa in person.

Print courtesy of the National Film Archive of Japan

Kurosawa’s visit comes courtesy of Janus Films who are opening his latest film THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER tomorrow!

Kyoko Kagawa by Shotaro Akiyama.The Golden Age star, best known for her work with Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi and Naruse (i...
07/29/2026

Kyoko Kagawa by Shotaro Akiyama.

The Golden Age star, best known for her work with Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi and Naruse (including SANSHO THE BAILIFF and TOKYO STORY), is the subject of “Kyoko Kagawa Rarities”—an an all-celluloid focus at Asia Society New York and Anthology Film Archives, programmed with support from Japan Foundation, New York, which runs Aug 13-16.

Of the selection, our highest recommendation goes to FAREWELL TO THE HIGHLAND STATION (1951)—frequently cited by critic Shiguéhiko Hasumi as a singular work of Japanese cinema—screening quite possibly for the first time in the US with newly commissioned subtitles on a 35mm import c/o the National Film Archive of Japan.

Info here: https://asiasociety.org/new-york/kyoko-kagawa-rarities

A huge thank you to director Hirokazu Koreeda for closing out the 19th edition of JAPAN CUTS with the North American pre...
07/20/2026

A huge thank you to director Hirokazu Koreeda for closing out the 19th edition of JAPAN CUTS with the North American premiere of SHEEP IN THE BOX!

Koreeda’s speculative AI parable opens in NYC theaters this Thurs. 7/23 at IFC Center and AMC Lincoln Sq 13 courtesy of NEON.

📸: Hirokazu Koreeda at Japan Society, 2026

Address

333 E 47th Street
New York, NY
10017

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 7pm
Tuesday 11am - 7pm
Wednesday 11am - 7pm
Thursday 11am - 7pm
Friday 11am - 7pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
11pm - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm
11pm - 5pm

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+12128321155

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