{"id":459794,"date":"2026-06-04T01:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T01:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/459794\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T01:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T01:37:17","slug":"kore-edas-sheep-in-the-box-hirose-suzu-lead-japan-cuts-2026-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/459794\/","title":{"rendered":"Kore-eda’s ‘Sheep in the Box,’ Hirose Suzu Lead Japan Cuts 2026 Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tJapan Cuts<\/a> 2026 has unveiled its full lineup for the 19th edition of North America\u2019s largest Japanese film festival, with Ishikawa Kei\u2019s \u201cA Pale View of Hills\u201d \u2013 an adaptation of Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro<\/a>\u2018s debut novel \u2013 serving as centerpiece and Kore-eda Hirokazu<\/a>\u2018s \u201cSheep in the Box<\/a>\u201d closing the festival following its world premiere at Cannes. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe festival runs July 8\u201318 at the Japan Society, with global technology company Canon joining as title sponsor for the first time.<\/p>\n

\n\tIshikawa\u2019s film, a Japanese-British-Polish co-production that had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, stars Hirose Suzu and Yoshida Yoh as the same character at different points in time, tracing a woman\u2019s postwar memories across 30 years. The festival will honor Hirose with the 2026 Cut Above Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film at the July 13 centerpiece screening, which also includes a Q&A and reception. Hirose will also appear to introduce a revival screening of Kore-eda Hirokazu\u2019s \u201cOur Little Sister\u201d \u2013 the film that marked her breakthrough \u2013 with the festival asking attendees to refrain from requesting photos or autographs at either event.<\/p>\n

\n\tKore-eda Hirokazu\u2019s \u201cSheep in the Box,\u201d which had its world premiere at this year\u2019s Cannes Film Festival, screens July 18 as the closing night film, with the director attending in person for a Q&A and reception. The science-fiction parable stars Ayase Haruka, Yamamoto Daigo and Kuwaki Rimu as a grieving couple who adopt an AI-powered robot built in the image of their dead son.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe festival opens July 8 with the East Coast premiere of \u201cTokyo Taxi,\u201d veteran director Yamada Yoji\u2019s remake of the French film \u201cDriving Madeleine.\u201d The film marks Yamada\u2019s 91st feature, reuniting him with longtime collaborator Baisho Chieko alongside Kimura Takuya and Aoi Yu.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong the competition and premiere titles, Uchida Eiji\u2019s \u201cNight Flower\u201d and Nagai Akira\u2019s \u201cSuzuki=Bakudan\u201d both arrive with Japanese Academy Award credentials. Morita Misato earned Best Supporting Actress for her role in \u201cNight Flower,\u201d in which she plays a struggling kickboxer who forms an unlikely bond with a debt-fugitive mother in Tokyo\u2019s criminal margins. Sato Jiro took Best Supporting Actor for \u201cSuzuki=Bakudan,\u201d adapted from a bestselling novel about a mysterious drunk who claims to predict bomb attacks and plays games of riddled wits with the police.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe documentary \u201cDiamond Diplomacy,\u201d directed by Yuriko Gamo Romer, traces the history of baseball as a cultural conduit between the U.S. and Japan \u2013 from the sport\u2019s earliest introduction to the country through to the global rise of Shohei Ohtani. The July 15 New York premiere will include a Q&A with Romer, author Robert Fitts and MLB legend Masanori \u201cMashi\u201d Murakami \u2013 the first Japanese player in the MLB \u2013 followed by an autograph signing with Murakami.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the animation front, \u201cCocoon\u201d \u2013 a 60-minute NHK-commissioned work directed by Ina Yukimitsu and produced by Sasayuri, a studio founded by Studio Ghibli alum Tateno Hitomi \u2013 makes its North American premiere. Based on Kyo Machiko\u2019s wartime manga, the film centers on the Himeyuri students, young girls who were compelled to support the Japanese army on Okinawa during World War II. Also screening in animation are Kinoshita Baku\u2019s \u201cThe Last Blossom\u201d \u2013 from the director of the anime series \u201cOdd Taxi\u201d \u2013 and Hori Takahide\u2019s stop-motion feature \u201cJunk World,\u201d a U.S. premiere prequel to his 2017 \u201cJunk Head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tUchiyama Takuya\u2019s \u201cNumb,\u201d starring Kitamura Takumi, Miyazawa Rie and Nagase Masatoshi, screens in North American premiere, as does Joe Odagiri surreal comedy \u201cGosh!!\u201d \u2013 based on Odagiri\u2019s own TV series \u2013 and Kimura Satoshi\u2019s deadpan coming-of-age comedy \u201cYoyogi Johnny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMatsui Daigo\u2019s \u201cRewrite,\u201d a time-loop narrative paying homage to the classic of Japanese literature \u201cThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time,\u201d receives its U.S. premiere, alongside Nagahisa Makoto\u2019s \u201cBurn\u201d and Anshul Chauhan\u2019s \u201cTiger,\u201d the latter a socially conscious drama excavating the pressures placed on queer existence in Japan.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe festival\u2019s New Directions in Japanese Cinema strand, produced in partnership with VIPO, presents four short films receiving their international premieres: Yashiro Natsuka\u2019s \u201cA Wavy Girl,\u201d Tsujii Shun\u2019s \u201cAn Overflow,\u201d Kamobayashi Tomonari\u2019s \u201cThe End of What Goes Around\u201d and Nakada Ere\u2019s \u201cThe Woman Who Repeats.\u201d All screen July 14 as a free ticketed program.<\/p>\n

\n\tA Next Generation section highlights emerging Japanese talent across five features competing for a $3,000 prize funded by VIPO: Tanaka Miki\u2019s \u201cGinger Boy,\u201d Shigaya Daisuke\u2019s \u201cLeave the Cat Alone,\u201d Nakazato Fuku\u2019s \u201cNaomi Out of Sync,\u201d Iwakura Ryuichi\u2019s \u201cBrand New Love\u201d and Sakamoto Yukari\u2019s \u201cWhite Flowers and Fruits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe archival component includes world premieres of 4K restorations of two Gakuryu Ishii shorts, \u201cShuffle\u201d (1981) and \u201cThe Master of Shiatsu\u201d (1981), as well as an international premiere of a 4K restoration of Yakushimaru Hiroko vehicle \u201cW\u2019s Tragedy\u201d (1984) and a new 4K restoration of Kadokawa Haruki\u2019s cult film \u201cRex: A Dinosaur\u2019s Story\u201d (1993).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNearly two decades ago, Japan Cuts began with a simple belief: that Japanese storytellers deserved a bigger stage in America,\u201d said Joshua W. Walker Ph.D, president and CEO of Japan Society.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCanon has long been committed to the art of visual storytelling, and Japan Cuts represents the creativity, craftsmanship, and the power of images to connect people across cultures,\u201d said Sammy Kobayashi, president and CEO of Canon U.S.A., Inc.<\/p>\n

\n\tJapan Cuts 2026 is programmed by Peter Tatara, director of film at Japan Society, and Alexander Fee, the organization\u2019s film programmer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Japan Cuts 2026 has unveiled its full lineup for the 19th edition of North America\u2019s largest Japanese film…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":432917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,233327,197221,233328,409,111,139,69,220665],"class_list":["post-459794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-japan-cuts","tag-kazuo-ishiguro","tag-kore-eda-hirokazu","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sheep-in-the-box"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=459794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}