A
Directed by Mori Tatsuya, 1998

In 1996, filmmaker Tatsuya Mori received permission to tape the inside activities of Japan's religious cult Aum Shinrikyo-the enigmatic group that released sarin gas into Tokyo's subway system in 1995. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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A2
Directed by Mori Tatsuya, 2001

Documentary filmmaker Tatsuya Mori continues the story of the notorious Aum Shinrikyo cult in this provocative follow?up to his critically acclaimed A. With Aum leader Shoko Asahara on trial for his role in the 1995 poison-gas attack in the Tokyo subways, his followers struggle to maintain their beliefs and doctrines. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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BASHING
Directed by Masahiro Kobayashi, 2005

Yuko bravely volunteered as an aid worker in Iraq but was kidnapped and held hostage. After her miraculous release, she returns to Japan and endures humiliation and harassment from her coworkers, boyfriend, and strangers on the street. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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BOOTLEG FILM
Directed by Masahiro Kobayashi, 1999

In this darkly comic tale of an alcoholic yakuza and a cop, modern master Masahiro Kobayashi announced his talent to an international audience. Using stark black and white photography, Kobayashi cleverly pays homage to his European influences, including Truffaut and the French New Wave. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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CARNIVAL IN THE NIGHT
Directed by Masashi Yamamoto, 1982

Take a walk on the wild side with edgy indie director Masashi Yamamota (Junk Food; Robinson's Garden), who captures the punk scene of 1980s Japan in this prickly early film. Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, Yamamota gets the most out of a cast of young toughs who more or less play themselves, while shooting on 16mm in a gritty, grainy style. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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A DEDICATED LIFE
Directed by Kazuo Hara, 1994

Kazuo Hara, who rattled the Japanese establishment with The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On and Goodbye CP, turns his camera on controversial writer Mitsuharu Inoue in this powerful documentary. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON
Directed by Kazuo Hara, 1987

Director Kazua Hara's absorbing documentary follows former auto mechanic Kenzo Okuzaki - a veteran of Japan's New Guinea campaign during WWII - as he searches out those responsible for the mysterious deaths of several fellow soldiers in his unit. Though Okuzaki holds Emperor Hirahito ultimately accountable for all the suffering caused by WWII, he painstakingly tracks down former military officers and accuses them of specific war crimes, including the wrongful execution of Japanese soldiers. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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EXTREME PRIVATE EROS: LOVE SONG 1974
Directed by Kozuo Hara, 1974

In this intensely intimate documentary, filmmaker Kazuo Hara offers a portrait of a complex, strong-willed woman named Takeda Miyuki -- his former lover. A feminist and bisexual in 1970s Japan, Miyuki is a maverick in a rigid society driven by convention and tradition. As much a participant in this film as he is the filmmaker, Hara follows Miyuki to Okinawa and documents her uncommon life as his feelings unravel in front of the camera. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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GOODBYE CP
Directed by Kazuo Hara, 1972

Maverick documentary filmmaker Kazuo Hara once again criticizes the mores and customs of Japanese society in this unsentimental portrait of adults with cerebral palsy (CP). In Japanese with English subtitles.

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THE KOBAYASHI FOUR
Directed by Masahiro Kobayashi, 1999-2007

With his stripped-down style and minimalist aesthetic, director Masahiro Kobayashi offers a clean, cool vibe for a new era of Japanese cinema. Kobayashi deals with the issues and problems that plague Japanese culture, often exposing truths that society does not want to see. Bashing tells the story of Yuko, a Japanese aid worker held hostage in Iraq. Her return home is anything but happy as coworkers, friends, and family harass her for her career choice. Shot in black-andwhite, Bootleg Film is a darkly comic road movie about two men, who are best friends despite being on opposite sides of the law. One is a retiring Yakuza, the other a cop, and the two embark on the road trip from hell to attend the funeral of their mutual beloved. Man Walking on Snow follows lonely widower Nobuo who struggles to communicate with his sons. Kobayashi directs himself in The Rebirth, a stark drama about a widower grieving for his daughter, who was stabbed to death by a classmate. Haunted by loss, the man moves to northern Japan, where he spots the mother of his daughter's killer working as a cook at a local inn. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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MAN WALKING ON SNOW
Directed by Masahiro Kobayashi, 2001

Since the death of his wife, sake producer Nobuo Honma lives with his youngest son. Each day, Nobuo takes a walk in the winter snow, which leads him to the fish-breeding center. He eases his loneliness by watching the conception and birth of thousands of tiny fish in the large industrial ponds. Nobuo's routine is disrupted when he asks his oldest son to journey to Hokkaido — a visit that sparks conflict and stirs old feelings. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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MIKE YOKOHAMA: A FOREST WITH NO NAME
Directed by Shinji Aoyama, 2002

In this hip, action packed re-creation of the hard-boiled detective story, private eye Mike Yokohama (dressed in Elvisesque attire) is hired by a rich man to find his missing daughter. The girl, who is engaged to another rich man hand selected by her father, has run away to join a commune, where something very mysterious is going on... In Japanese with English subtitles.

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PEEP "TV" SHOW
Directed by Yutaka Tsuchiya, 2003

From Japan comes this disturbing film that intentionally blurs the line between documentary and fiction. Two mixed-up social misfits, Hasegawa and Moe, have a meeting of the minds when they run into each other on a Tokyo street. Hasegawa is secretly shooting video of unsuspecting people, which he then broadcasts over his Internet site, called Peep TV. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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THE REBIRTH
Directed by Masahiro Kobayashi, 2007

Acclaimed Japanese indie filmmaker Masahiro Kobayashi (Bashing; Man Walking on Snow) directs himself in this stark drama about a widower grieving for his daughter, who was stabbed by a classmate. Haunted by loss, the man moves to northern Japan, where he spots the mother of his daughter's killer working as a cook at a local inn. Gradually, the pair gravitate toward each other. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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ROBINSON'S GARDEN
Directed by Masashi Yamamoto, 1987

Independent filmmaker Masashi Yamamota, known for his uneasy dramas that captured the restless spirit of Japan's youth, appropriates the central idea from The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and transplants it to modern-day Tokyo. In Japanes with English subtitles.

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