OSAKA ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2025
Japan’s Largest Asian Festival Marks 20 Years
Venue(s): ABC Hall, Theatre Umeda (former Cine Libre), T-Joy Umeda, Nakanoshima Museum of ArtMarch 14 (Fri) - March 23 (Sun), 2025
Language: Multilanguage with Japanese and English subtitles
Official website: www.oaff.jp/en/
Theater website: www.asahi.co.jp/abchall/map/
Tariff: Adults: ¥1,300, Under 22: ¥500 for tickets at door.
Advance tickets: https://oaff.jp/en/oaff2025/tickets/
Title: 第20回大阪アジアン映画祭 (Dai 20 Kai Osaka Asian Eigasai)
The Osaka Asian Film Festival, running March 14 – 23, turns 20 with an exciting lineup of 67 features and shorts—including 19 world premieres, 5 international premieres, 4 Asian premieres and 32 Japan premieres—as well as stage appearances by leading filmmakers, actors and other industry luminaries. Many of the films are “coming in hot,” as OAFF memorably puts it, with buzz from insiders and other festivals. Japan’s essential spring festival, this is a showcase for the discovery of new visions and voices, and the chance to get a first look at the best new films from around the region, nearly all of them with English subs. While Tokyo Filmgoer only covers Japanese films, we also urge you to explore all the other titles on offer.
As in previous years, OAFF Programming Director Sozo Teruoka and his team have programmed an impressive balance of commercially oriented work and arthouse-leaning work by emerging filmmakers, many of them from Japan. During its 10-day run, OAFF will present work from throughout the region (and beyond), vying for prizes and audience approval in various sections: Competition, Spotlight, Indie Forum and Special Screenings, with Special Programs coming from Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong, along with programs comprising student work.
Closing Film
I am Kirishima/「桐島です」
Banmei Takahashi/高橋伴明
105min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
The Closing Film on March 23 hails from Japan and a writing-directing veteran, Banmei Takahashi. He is world premiering his latest title, I Am Kirishima, which takes a surprising true story as the basis of its narrative. In January 2024, a 70-year-old man with terminal cancer confessed to his doctor that he was actually Satoshi Kirishima, who had been a fugitive in Japan for nearly 50 years, labeled a “terrorist” for his involvement with a radical group in the early 1970s.
The confession made headlines instantly, since most Japanese had seen Kirishima’s smiling face on Wanted posters for decades. But the man died just days after identifying himself, and police weren’t able to confirm his confession, nor to question him about how he had evaded justice for so long, where he’d been and what he’d been doing. Takahashi takes a personal interest in the story, as a former participant in the student movement while at Waseda University, and it shows in his very sympathetic depiction of Kirishima. Katsuya Maiguma (Ken and Kazu) portrays the fugitive from early youth until his death, making his solitude both moving and ultimately tragic. Takahashi explores the idealistic fervor of his generation with regret, but also pride.
(There is another film by legendary filmmaker Masao Adachi about the same subject, called Escape, that is currently in theaters. Both are worth seeing.)
Competition Films
This year’s international Competition jury members are Yukiko Nakamura, programming producer, Le Cinéma in Tokyo; Kazakh director Farkhat Sharipov, whose Soldier of Fortune is the OAFF 2025 Opening Film; and actor Angela Yuen, who is serving as Ambassador for the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival. They will consider the fortunes of 13 diverse films, many of which are from filmmakers with an OAFF history. The Competition lineup includes one Japanese title:
Yoyogi Johnny/代々木ジョニーの憂鬱な放課後
Satoshi Kimura/木村聡志 (KIMURA Satoshi)
109min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
Director Satoshi Kimura, who’s had a long career working in animation and TV, and attended OAFF with his 2023 Take Me to Another Planet, is world premiering Yoyogi Johnny, an ensemble comedy set in high school. The titular character hangs around the squash club but doesn’t do much until he meets two young women. The first is a serious player who inspires him to get more involved in the sport; the second works at a used-book store and incites a different kind of interest from Johnny. Gradually, the teen’s life changes.
Spotlight
In the Spotlight section, Jaime Paceña II has created a moving story about a Filipina woman who must journey to Japan to attend the funeral of her beloved father, and meets his Japanese wife and their daughter for the first time. The Philippines-Japan coproduction, suitably called This Place, is set in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which is only now emerging anew from the 3/11 disaster and is beautifully shot.
This Place/この場所
Jaime Paceña II
109min, World Premiere
Philippines, Japan , 2025
Gabby Padilla stars as Ella, and Arisa Nakano (who played Koji Yakusho’s niece in Perfect Days) is her half-sister, Reina. The two young women are initially wary, but with the aid of an iPhone translator and the healing nature of the landscape—not to mention the encouragement of the local Filipino community—they gradually find common ground. The director, also a visual artist, has been documenting the development of the area, and includes some of his own poignant work in the film.
Indie Forum
The 15-film Indie Forum, the section for new discoveries at OAFF, includes both shorts and features, many of them directed by women. The Japan Cuts Award will be bestowed by the Japan Society of New York on a film from this section. Feature-length highlights include:
Good Luck/Good Luck
Shin Adachi/足立紳
104min
Japan, 2025
Popular screenwriter Shin Adachi’s fourth film as director, Good Luck, was apparently planned as a short, but evolved into a feature after its location (in and around the beautiful hot spring enclave of Beppu, Kyushu) begged for something longer. It follows indie filmmaker Taro, who drifts around aimlessly as his girlfriend pays the rent. While networking after a film festival, to his surprise, Taro meets the sunny actress Miki, who’s also wandering/wondering about the meaning of life.
Their time together recalls Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, as the film provides both a travelogue and some witty comedy — Adachi’s trademark— to the encounter.
Johatsu – Into Thin Air/蒸発
Andreas Hartmann, Arata Mori/アンドレアス・ハルトマン/森あらた
86min, Japan Premiere
Japan/Germany, 2024
Johatsu – Into Thin Air is an illuminating documentary by Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori that has received extensive play in festivals around the world. But it’s receiving its Japan premiere at OAFF. Johatsu (evaporated) is the term used for the estimated 80,000 Japanese who disappear every year for a variety of reasons, either to escape insurmountable debt, crime or difficult personal relationships.
Through interviews and fly-on-the wall footage of subjects in Tokyo, Osaka and elsewhere, the co-directors delve into the process of “night moving” services, which will whisk people away and help them begin a new life. The film follows several individuals who vanish and the impact on those left behind, and prevents identification by selective blurring.
Rainy Blue/レイニー ブルー
Asuna Yanagi/柳明日菜
120min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
Another world premiere in the section is Asuna Yanagi’s Rainy Blue, which was inspired by the director’s own experiences and has some interesting tricks up its sleeve. Focusing on a 17-year-old girl name Aoi (played by the director), the only member of her high school’s film club, it soon reveals that the school is the alma mater of legendary actor Chishu Ryu (1904-1993), star of countless Yasujiro Ozu films. One day, Aoi discovers an old script in the film clubroom, prompting a journey to find out who wrote it.
The film’s comic elements are enhanced by actor-director Hirobumi Watanabe (in whose hilarious 2023 Techno Brothers, Yanagi played the memorable Boss), along with well-known actors from Kumamoto, including Kengo Kora, Runa Nakajima, Mayu Ozawa, and even Chishu Ryu’s grandson, Kenzo Ryu.
See You Again/また逢いましょう
Nobuyoshi Nishida/西田宣善
91min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
See You Again is the directorial debut of experienced producer Nobuyoshi Nishida, and tells the story of manga artist Yuki (Ayaka Onishi), who must rush home to Kyoto when she learns that her father (Tokyo Filmgoer favorite Shinsuke Kato) has been badly injured in an accident. After he’s discharged from the hospital, he moves to the Hallelujah nursing home for rehab. There, Yuki begins discovering what care workers do and why they’re so essential.
The Tales of Kurashiki/蔵のある街
Emiko Hiramatsu/平松恵美子
103min
Japan, 2025
Emiko Hiramatsu, who had a long career working as co-screenwriter and assistant director on many Yoji Yamada productions before directing Seven Days of Himawari and Her Puppies (2012) and Organ (2019), returns to her hometown of Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, to shoot her third feature. The Tales of Kurashiki is a youth film focusing on a group of friends who decide to shoot fireworks from Mount Tsurugata in the city’s Bikan Historical Quarter. As often happens in Japanese films, the fireworks soon take on a larger meaning.
V. MARIA/V. MARIA
Daisuke Miyazaki/宮崎大祐
94min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
Daisuke Miyazaki returns to OAFF with another youth-and-music themed film, V. Maria. If you enjoyed his earlier titles like his 2016 Yamato (California), Videophobia (2019) and Plastic (2023), you won’t want to miss this one. Against the backdrop of the 1990s boom in Visual Kei bands, this stars Hina Kikuchi as Maria, whose late mother left behind belongings like CDs and an unplayable demo tape marked “MARIA.” Curious about her mom’s past, Maria heads to a live music club that her mother used to frequent and there, discovers a lively new world. Miyazaki recreates the original vibe with extensive use of posters, fliers, photos, fashions and other ephemera, and the music will take you back—even if you aren’t old enough to remember the heyday of the bands.
OAFF Theaters
The Osaka Asian Film Festival, running March 14 – 23, turns 20 with an exciting lineup of 67 features and shorts—including 19 world premieres, 5 international premieres, 4 Asian premieres and 32 Japan premieres—as well as stage appearances by leading filmmakers, actors and other industry luminaries. Many of the films are “coming in hot,” as OAFF memorably puts it, with buzz from insiders and other festivals. Japan’s essential spring festival, this is a showcase for the discovery of new visions and voices, and the chance to get a first look at the best new films from around the region, nearly all of them with English subs. While Tokyo Filmgoer only covers Japanese films, we also urge you to explore all the other titles on offer.
As in previous years, OAFF Programming Director Sozo Teruoka and his team have programmed an impressive balance of commercially oriented work and arthouse-leaning work by emerging filmmakers, many of them from Japan. During its 10-day run, OAFF will present work from throughout the region (and beyond), vying for prizes and audience approval in various sections: Competition, Spotlight, Indie Forum and Special Screenings, with Special Programs coming from Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong, along with programs comprising student work.
Closing Film
I am Kirishima/「桐島です」
Banmei Takahashi/高橋伴明
105min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
The Closing Film on March 23 hails from Japan and a writing-directing veteran, Banmei Takahashi. He is world premiering his latest title, I Am Kirishima, which takes a surprising true story as the basis of its narrative. In January 2024, a 70-year-old man with terminal cancer confessed to his doctor that he was actually Satoshi Kirishima, who had been a fugitive in Japan for nearly 50 years, labeled a “terrorist” for his involvement with a radical group in the early 1970s.
The confession made headlines instantly, since most Japanese had seen Kirishima’s smiling face on Wanted posters for decades. But the man died just days after identifying himself, and police weren’t able to confirm his confession, nor to question him about how he had evaded justice for so long, where he’d been and what he’d been doing. Takahashi takes a personal interest in the story, as a former participant in the student movement while at Waseda University, and it shows in his very sympathetic depiction of Kirishima. Katsuya Maiguma (Ken and Kazu) portrays the fugitive from early youth until his death, making his solitude both moving and ultimately tragic. Takahashi explores the idealistic fervor of his generation with regret, but also pride.
(There is another film by legendary filmmaker Masao Adachi about the same subject, called Escape, that is currently in theaters. Both are worth seeing.)
Competition Films
This year’s international Competition jury members are Yukiko Nakamura, programming producer, Le Cinéma in Tokyo; Kazakh director Farkhat Sharipov, whose Soldier of Fortune is the OAFF 2025 Opening Film; and actor Angela Yuen, who is serving as Ambassador for the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival. They will consider the fortunes of 13 diverse films, many of which are from filmmakers with an OAFF history. The Competition lineup includes one Japanese title:
Yoyogi Johnny/代々木ジョニーの憂鬱な放課後
Satoshi Kimura/木村聡志 (KIMURA Satoshi)
109min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
Director Satoshi Kimura, who’s had a long career working in animation and TV, and attended OAFF with his 2023 Take Me to Another Planet, is world premiering Yoyogi Johnny, an ensemble comedy set in high school. The titular character hangs around the squash club but doesn’t do much until he meets two young women. The first is a serious player who inspires him to get more involved in the sport; the second works at a used-book store and incites a different kind of interest from Johnny. Gradually, the teen’s life changes.
Spotlight
In the Spotlight section, Jaime Paceña II has created a moving story about a Filipina woman who must journey to Japan to attend the funeral of her beloved father, and meets his Japanese wife and their daughter for the first time. The Philippines-Japan coproduction, suitably called This Place, is set in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which is only now emerging anew from the 3/11 disaster and is beautifully shot.
This Place/この場所
Jaime Paceña II
109min, World Premiere
Philippines, Japan , 2025
Gabby Padilla stars as Ella, and Arisa Nakano (who played Koji Yakusho’s niece in Perfect Days) is her half-sister, Reina. The two young women are initially wary, but with the aid of an iPhone translator and the healing nature of the landscape—not to mention the encouragement of the local Filipino community—they gradually find common ground. The director, also a visual artist, has been documenting the development of the area, and includes some of his own poignant work in the film.
Indie Forum
The 15-film Indie Forum, the section for new discoveries at OAFF, includes both shorts and features, many of them directed by women. The Japan Cuts Award will be bestowed by the Japan Society of New York on a film from this section. Feature-length highlights include:
Good Luck/Good Luck
Shin Adachi/足立紳
104min
Japan, 2025
Popular screenwriter Shin Adachi’s fourth film as director, Good Luck, was apparently planned as a short, but evolved into a feature after its location (in and around the beautiful hot spring enclave of Beppu, Kyushu) begged for something longer. It follows indie filmmaker Taro, who drifts around aimlessly as his girlfriend pays the rent. While networking after a film festival, to his surprise, Taro meets the sunny actress Miki, who’s also wandering/wondering about the meaning of life.
Their time together recalls Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, as the film provides both a travelogue and some witty comedy — Adachi’s trademark— to the encounter.
Johatsu – Into Thin Air/蒸発
Andreas Hartmann, Arata Mori/アンドレアス・ハルトマン/森あらた
86min, Japan Premiere
Japan/Germany, 2024
Johatsu – Into Thin Air is an illuminating documentary by Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori that has received extensive play in festivals around the world. But it’s receiving its Japan premiere at OAFF. Johatsu (evaporated) is the term used for the estimated 80,000 Japanese who disappear every year for a variety of reasons, either to escape insurmountable debt, crime or difficult personal relationships.
Through interviews and fly-on-the wall footage of subjects in Tokyo, Osaka and elsewhere, the co-directors delve into the process of “night moving” services, which will whisk people away and help them begin a new life. The film follows several individuals who vanish and the impact on those left behind, and prevents identification by selective blurring.
Rainy Blue/レイニー ブルー
Asuna Yanagi/柳明日菜
120min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
Another world premiere in the section is Asuna Yanagi’s Rainy Blue, which was inspired by the director’s own experiences and has some interesting tricks up its sleeve. Focusing on a 17-year-old girl name Aoi (played by the director), the only member of her high school’s film club, it soon reveals that the school is the alma mater of legendary actor Chishu Ryu (1904-1993), star of countless Yasujiro Ozu films. One day, Aoi discovers an old script in the film clubroom, prompting a journey to find out who wrote it.
The film’s comic elements are enhanced by actor-director Hirobumi Watanabe (in whose hilarious 2023 Techno Brothers, Yanagi played the memorable Boss), along with well-known actors from Kumamoto, including Kengo Kora, Runa Nakajima, Mayu Ozawa, and even Chishu Ryu’s grandson, Kenzo Ryu.
See You Again/また逢いましょう
Nobuyoshi Nishida/西田宣善
91min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
See You Again is the directorial debut of experienced producer Nobuyoshi Nishida, and tells the story of manga artist Yuki (Ayaka Onishi), who must rush home to Kyoto when she learns that her father (Tokyo Filmgoer favorite Shinsuke Kato) has been badly injured in an accident. After he’s discharged from the hospital, he moves to the Hallelujah nursing home for rehab. There, Yuki begins discovering what care workers do and why they’re so essential.
The Tales of Kurashiki/蔵のある街
Emiko Hiramatsu/平松恵美子
103min
Japan, 2025
Emiko Hiramatsu, who had a long career working as co-screenwriter and assistant director on many Yoji Yamada productions before directing Seven Days of Himawari and Her Puppies (2012) and Organ (2019), returns to her hometown of Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, to shoot her third feature. The Tales of Kurashiki is a youth film focusing on a group of friends who decide to shoot fireworks from Mount Tsurugata in the city’s Bikan Historical Quarter. As often happens in Japanese films, the fireworks soon take on a larger meaning.
V. MARIA/V. MARIA
Daisuke Miyazaki/宮崎大祐
94min, World Premiere
Japan, 2025
Daisuke Miyazaki returns to OAFF with another youth-and-music themed film, V. Maria. If you enjoyed his earlier titles like his 2016 Yamato (California), Videophobia (2019) and Plastic (2023), you won’t want to miss this one. Against the backdrop of the 1990s boom in Visual Kei bands, this stars Hina Kikuchi as Maria, whose late mother left behind belongings like CDs and an unplayable demo tape marked “MARIA.” Curious about her mom’s past, Maria heads to a live music club that her mother used to frequent and there, discovers a lively new world. Miyazaki recreates the original vibe with extensive use of posters, fliers, photos, fashions and other ephemera, and the music will take you back—even if you aren’t old enough to remember the heyday of the bands.
OAFF Theaters
Please be sure to check with the theater before going.