Yumiko Masuda

One Last Bloom

Forty years after leaving Japan for a boxing career in the U.S. that never panned out, Jin returns to restart his life with his old boxing buddies. When hotheaded young boxer Shogo asks for Jin’s help to get him back into the ring after an unfair loss, the two men decide to seize their final chance at glory. A boxing film so authentic that it inspired co-star Yokohama Ryusei to qualify as a pro boxer, Zeze Takahisa’s boxing drama is one of the veteran director’s most crowd-pleasing films thanks to the touching father-son bond at its core.

A Dog Named Palma

The film is inspired by an incredible story of a shepherd dog named Palm who was inadvertently left in the airport by her owner. She befriends nine-year old Nicholas whose mother dies leaving him with a father he barely knows - a pilot who finds the dog at the airport. It's a story of amazing adventures, true friendship and unconditional love.

The Prisoner of Sakura

With all the unrest and uncertainty in the world today, now feels as good a time as any for a movie portraying good will and love between people from opposing countries. The film is a love story set in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture on the Japanese island of Shikoku against the historical backdrop of the Russo-Japanese War. The movie is centered around the romance between a Russian officer, a war prisoner in Matsuyama, and a Japanese nurse who find themselves on opposing sides of the war. It is a kind of "Romeo and Juliet story of the Russo-Japanese War".

Life Goes on

One of Japan's most inspirational documentaries of 2018 "Life Goes On..." True stories of ordinary people struggling to rebuild their lives after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Courage and compassion in the face of adversity. Six years after East Japan's Great Earthquake & Tsunami, director Mia Yoon reveals why she returned to the affected area. "The tragedy of Tohoku has been broadcasted to the world, but since then, rays of hope and happiness have begun to emerge, and these stories deserve to be told.” Actress Norika Fukiwara introduces to us the realities of life in this beautiful yet tragic landscape. We learn from farmers, children, house wives, a hotel manager, oridnary people struggling to re-build their lives. Against the trauma of lost love ones, devastated commuities and the threat of nuclear fallout, the resilience and benevolence of ordinary people is nothing short of insprational: a message for us all.

Cinema Angel

A 122 year old movie theater is going to be closed. The staff members, visitors and friends of the old cinema will see the last days of the building and it's history. Then the appearance of a mysterious old man triggers confusion.