Watch Japan’s latest indie films! JFF ONLINE vol.2: MOOSIC LAB × Japanese Film Festival

From the organizer:

The Japan Foundation is launching “JFF ONLINE Vol.2: MOOSIC LAB × Japanese Film Festival” from August 21st to September 30th on the platform “JFF Magazine”. The viewers from all over the world can enjoy, free of charge, a selection of 10 works produced in the MOOSIC LAB, a project to create a new work themed on the fusion between film and music. This is a great opportunity to introduce emerging Japanese filmmakers with their works, also to build a wider audience of Japanese films overseas.

In the previous edition “JFF ONLINE vol.1”, we streamed 12 works from MOOSIC LAB since this March for 3 months.As an increase in demand for online streaming films due to the influence of COVID-19, it marked a record of more than 95,000 views and received a great amount of positive feedback.

Following the success of the first edition,” JFF ONLINE Vol.2” present the 10 latest films, reflecting the actual society of Japan through the eyes of young artists.

Broadcast period: August 21st – September 30th[ 41 days ]

Broadcast Region: Worldwide except Japan

For Viewers: Free of charge, no registration required

Language: Japanese with English subtitles

WHAT IS “MOOSIC LAB”?

Moosic Lab is a project that brings upcoming film directors together with musical artists to create new films with a single song as a starting point. Numerous screenwriters and actors have found their start through this competition-style film festival since its inception in 2012, and it has become a launchpad for young creators in Japan. The program consists of 10 carefully selected films from MOOSIC LAB 2018 and 2019.

JFF ONLINE vol.2 : LINE UP

1. The Sleeping Insect

Kanako Seri is on a packed bus heading to band practice. She becomes fascinated by a melody being hummed by a fellow passenger, an old man, a stranger. When the bus reaches Kanako’s stop, she doesn’t get off, she continues on a journey that turns out to be weird adventure. This film won the 2019 MOOSIC LAB Grand Prix.

Dir: Yurina Kaneko

Music: Tokiyo (And Summer Club)

60 min / 2019 /Sci-Fi, Fantasy

2. DONG TENG TOWN

Singer-songwriter Sora has moved to an apartment complex in Dong Teng Town. In the closet, she stumbles upon a large number of old cassette tapes filled with the “inner voice” of a former resident, Tokio. Sora and Tokio were never meant to meet, but their summertime tale where memory and reality intersect has started.

Dir: Kohei Inoue

Music: Shinichi Sugawara

61 min / 2019 / Drama

3. ALL ABOUT “CHIAKI MAYUMURA”（PROVISIONAL）

Is Chiaki Mayumura really only one single person?” Chiaki Mayumura is a Tokyo-based pop star idol, active in the multiple fields of songwriting, music production, vocalist and performer, TV personality and businesswoman. The secret behind this highly regarded pop star idol, as revealed in this sham-documentary, threatens to shake the very foundations of world peace! Besides being an excellent showcase of Chiaki’s talents, this film is a brilliant melding of documentary and fiction.

Dir: Hajime Matsuura

Music: Chiaki Mayumura

73 min / 2019 / Documentary

4. TAILWIND

28-year-old rapper DEG is in pain, but he’s always smiling. His constant grin is a defense mechanism to avoid conflict. He’s underrated and unappreciated and leaves him in constant emotional turmoil. An old school pal is getting married and Hikari, the love of his life, will be there. A timely drama that follows the emotional struggles of a rapper living in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Dir: Ryo Anraku

Music: DEG

72 min / 2019/ Music, Drama

5. GEEK BEEF BEAT

Thirty-six-year-old Haruo Higashino is a tongue-tied failure who doesn’t fit in at work or at home. He uses a form of internal rap, a silent scream within, to release the emotional stress that he is too cowardly to say, or sing, out loud. A comedic drama about a foul-mouthed protagonist confronting a family crisis.

Dir: Sasami Torikawa

Music: Kitsunebi

55 min / 2019 / Music, Comedy

6. SOUL MUSIC

“Would you like to write a song with a ghost?” A strange letter arrives in the mailbag of a radio show. The two radio personalities head to the most terrifying haunted places to record the best spirit vocalists they can find. How does anyone make music with ghosts? The answer is to be found in this offbeat psychic adventure of two middle-aged radio DJs.

Dir: Masaki Soejima

Music: Teruyuki Oshima, Kazuaki Koyama, Yoshio Otani

30 min / 2019 / Comedy, Horror

7. Beats Per MIZU

Sumiko is a university student who is blessed (or suffers) from a special ability to instantly grasp the BPM (beats per minute) of almost anything. One day she meets a boy who inexplicably sends her own BPM off the charts! A romantic comedy that humorously depicts a cascade of feelings that somehow resemble love.

Dir: Miki Tomita

Music: Toketa Denkyu

30 min /2019 / Romance, Comedy

8. Terrarium Locker Room

Twenty six year old Momo works quietly at her office and finds secret pleasure in growing a terrarium in her locker. A chance meeting with a mysterious gardener is all that’s needed to bring about a gradual and positive change in this mousy office worker. A human drama that intuitively depicts the subtleties of a woman’s heart.

Dir: Rika Katsu

Music: Micau Kamura

27 min /2019 / Romance, Drama

9. Dead Vacation

Mitsuko, is struggling to overcome a badly broken heart. Musician Keisuke is a ghost who is unable to rest in peace. A summer fantasy about the woman who can’t let go of her ex and the ghost unable and unwilling to make the journey to his ultimate destination.

Dir: Kimi Yawata

Music: GALAXIEDEAD

30 min /2018 / Fantasy, Drama

10. My lovely days

April 30, 2019 marked the last night of Japan’s “Heisei” era. Yuka and Masao are a one-time comic duo who are entering their 30s. They sit in a coffee shop and talk about their lives from childhood to the present. This is the life story of two people who lived their childhood in the Heisei era.

Dir: Yun Hayama

Music: ℃-want you!

30 min / 2018 / Drama

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