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For many anime fans, the works of Studio Ghibli acted as their gateway to the medium. There is truly a film from the production company for any viewer, no matter the genre they may prefer. If the audience desires to watch a lighthearted film, Kiki's Delivery Service is a wonderful choice; meanwhile, if the viewer wants something more action-packed, the thrilling narrative of Princess Mononoke may prove to be their new favorite.

The works of Studio Ghibli are often praised for their grand narratives, compelling characters and beautiful animation. A common theme in the films is the importance of respecting nature and living in harmony with the planet, as well as the inhabitants of the Earth. For nature lovers, Studio Ghibli films are often a favorite, though several of these films are the most striking when it comes to this major theme.

Related 10 Most Thought-Provoking Studio Ghibli Movies, Ranked

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There are a few different Studio Ghibli directors, and they draw from many forms of source material for their films, from historical fiction to young adult fantasy novels to science fiction manga. The creatives in Studio Ghibli each have their own niche interests, storytelling styles, and artistic sensibilities. They also share many interests, which inform the common tropes and themes throughout the Ghibli film pantheon.

Studio Ghibli started producing films in the 1980s, and they continue to release anime masterpieces to this day. No matter how many times a character type, literary subgenre, or theme appears in a Ghibli story, it still feels vital and fans enjoy the recurring motifs. Each Studio Ghibli film has something unique and nuanced to say with their go-to storytelling elements.

Sophie Thinks That She's Unremarkable in Howl's Moving Castle Trope: Underdog Protagonist

Howl's Moving Castle is based on a young adult fantasy novel of...

Studio Ghibli films are no stranger to complex ideas and messages, often using the film’s characters, setting or conflicts to encourage viewers to consider their own stances, such as Howl’s views on vanity in Howl’s Moving Castle or Jiro’s dashed dreams of becoming a pilot in The Wind Rises. These moments offer the audience a self-reflective chance to ponder deep internal questions, with the breadth and scope of these questions stretching far and wide thanks to the staggering number of films in Studio Ghibli’s roster.

From Chihiro confronting greed and materialism within her time at Yubaba’s bathhouse in Spirited Away to Anna struggling to find her place in the world as an adopted child yearning to understand her biological family in When Marnie Was There, Studio Ghibli encourages viewers to dissect their own thoughts relating to broad topics in their most thought-provoking films.

Related This...

The anime world has an innate talent for emotionally stirring viewers with profound stories and moments. Anime gravitate the audience towards a whirlwind of deeply impacting themes, culminating in lasting memories comprising multiple emotions. From heartfelt reunions to the bittersweet sacrifices of heroes, these moments resonate deeply, often overwhelming fans with emotion.

While many anime moments bring tears of sorrow, there are rare, extraordinary instances that inspire tears of pure joy—moments of triumph, love, and hope that celebrate the beauty of life and connection. The anime universe is filled with unforgettable moments in which fans couldn’t help but feel elated. These scenes stand out as shining examples of the emotional depth anime can achieve.

Related 10 Most Satisfying Anime Deaths That Made Fans Say Good Riddance

Some anime villains had it coming, and we enjoyed their downfall.

Sophie Breaks Howl’s Curse Sophie's Bravery Is The True Essence Of...

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Studio Ghibli's catalog is filled with fantasy features set, at least partly, in magical realms. Such circumstances force the doe-eyed, heart-tugging heroes showcased in their films to face trials of bravery. Their triumphs are powerful displays in their own right, but so are the magical feats that often follow their admirable actions.

Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli has been at the forefront of storytelling and animation ever since its inception, often serving as a guiding light in anime and the animation industry. Since its inaugural effort with Castle in the Sky up through The Boy and the Heron, most recently, Studio Ghibli has remained an enduring fan-favorite film studio, providing film and anime buffs with a gallery of fully realized, emotionally complex heroes. Whether it be boisterous bovines like the titular Porco Rosso or fan-favorite fish-folk like Ponyo,...

Howl’s Moving Castle had some of the best music in animated films, but most people think of Joe Hisaishi and his creations for the Hayao Miyazaki films. Most of the ending themes of his movies are always by a separate artist and for Howl’s Moving Castle, it was The Promise of the World, sung by Chieko Baisho and written by the famous poet and translator, Shuntaro Tanikawa. Unfortunately, Tanikawa passed away on 13 November 2024, at the age of 92, as reported by his son, Kensaku Tanikawa.

Sophie and Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle. [Credit: Studio Ghibli]

His touching words of poetry and music were a gem of Japan. His legacy will never be forgotten, especially his contribution to Japanese literature and in terms of music, to Howl’s Moving Castle and the theme of Astro Boy. Shuntaro Tanikawa was a master of free verse and his long career is a testament to his brilliance.

Anything can happen in the vast and magical world of anime. Star-crossed lovers have a chance at happiness they couldn't have found otherwise. The supernatural can become commonplace. There are even schools for the magically inclined. Thus, it's only natural that some anime feature the strange and fantastical world of witches and wizards as well.

Anime incorporates its magically-inclined heroes in all sorts of ways. Sometimes they go to schools to better hone their craft, or instead apprentice to become better mages across the country or even the world. Sometimes magic can bring together unlikely lovers. Magic can make young adventurers heroes, whether they receive fame for what they've done or not. Witches and wizards can be found all throughout the magical world of anime if viewers know where to look.

Wizard Howl Made a Contract With a Demon in Howl's Moving Castle Love Mends Two Broken Hearts

In Howl's Moving Castle,...

Revisiting Howl's Moving Castle after 20 years is no hardship, as the seminal film by Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli isn't just lush and idyllic, it also takes a stance. Set in another world where magic is real and wizards roam the countryside, Howl follows the ordinary Sophie as she finds herself entangled in the affairs of these sorcerers. There's something uniquely enduring about the film, as for all of its fantasy elements, the project is accessible to all. Stunning visuals, a timeless love story, and relatable characters are only the beginning of why it will be remembered for generations.

Howl's Moving Castle

Director Hayao MiyazakiRelease Date November 20, 2004Writers Diana Wynne JonesCast Mitsunori Isaki, Akihiro Miwa, Chieko Baisho, Rynosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Gashin, Takuya KimuraRating 8-12 yearsRuntime 119minutesGenres Family, Animation, Romance, Action, Adventure, Fantasy Buy on Apple TV+Rent on Apple TV+Buy on Apple TV+Rent on Apple TV+Buy on...

Anime mages represent one of the most common type of characters in the medium, given just how popular fantasy worlds of sword and sorcery are. Yet even among the numerous wizards and witches that lead the stories beloved by anime fans, some stand clearly above the others in terms of raw power and expertise over magic.

Magic is one of the more versatile sources of power, as it can take any form and make use of any element, whether natural or not. Some mages prefer to specialize in a certain type of magic, devoting themselves to mastering their craft, while others are more keen on learning a large variety of spells, ensuring their arsenal is equipped with a solution to every issue they could possibly encounter.

Howl Jenkins Pendragon Howl's Moving Castle, Studio Ghibli, 2004

Howl's Moving Castle

Cast Mitsunori Isaki, Akihiro Miwa, Chieko Baisho, Rynosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Gashin, Takuya KimuraRelease Date November 20, 2004Genres Family,...

In the enchanting canon of Studio Ghibli films, Howls Moving Castle stands out as a beloved release that continues to captivate audiences of all ages with its rich fantasy world. While critical reception was mixed, Hayao Miyazaki's adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' novel of the same name brings his signature style and tropes to the fore with a fresh style and reinvigorated intention. Exploring familiar themes of war and conflicted senses of self, the film's lush animation, memorable characters, and iconic score cement its status as a steadfast favorite.

While many fans are well-versed in the magical tale of Sophie and Howl, beyond its imaginative story lies a cache of interesting details and trivia waiting to be uncovered. From the intricate origins of its being directed by Hayao Miyazaki to the differences between the Howls Moving Castle book and the film, each new detail only deepens the films mystique.

Social drama directed by Jin Ong picked up three prizes.

Social drama Abang Adik has become the first feature from Malaysia to win the Golden Mulberry at the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy.

The directorial debut feature of Jin Ong follows two undocumented men, played by Taiwan’s Wu Kang-Ren and Malaysia’s Jack Tan, one of whom is a deaf-mute and whose relationship is upset after an accident.

Ong attended the festival and collected the top prize as well as the White Mulberry for best debut feature and a further award voted by the festival’s Black Dragon season pass holders.

Malaysian social drama “Abang Adik” was named best film and winner of the Golden Mulberry prize on Sunday at the Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine.

The film is a story of two undocumented and orphaned men, who may or may not be real brothers, but who lift each other up. The film’s director Jin Ong collected the White Mulberry prize for best debut feature and “Abang Adik” added a third prize decided by the festival’s season pass holders.

Second place on the podium went to South Korea with Chang Hang-jun’s “Rebound,” while third place went to “Yudo,” by Japan’s Suzuki Masayuki.

Other prizes included a Mulberry for best screenplay which went to “Day Off” by Taiwanese director Fu Tien-Yu and the prize from the readers of MYmovieswhich went to Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s Mongolian comedy “The Sales Girl.”

The previously-announced Golden Mulberry lifetime achievement...

The pioneering Far East Film Festival (Feff), held annually in the picturesque Northern Italian city of Udine, continued making history with its 25th-anniversary edition this year. At the closing ceremony on Sunday, Malaysian drama Abang Adik, written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Jin Ong, achieved a clean sweep of the highest prizes, marking the first time that a film from the Southeast Asian nation took top honors at the specialty festival.

Abang Adik won Feff’s first-place Golden Mulberry audience award, as well as the Black Dragon critics’ prize and the White Mulberry Award for best first feature. Ong is a veteran figure of the Malaysian entertainment industry, having worked in the music business and film and TV production for many years (he’s produced well-received films like Shuttle Life, 2017; and Miss Andy, 2020; among others), but Abang Adik is his first film as a writer and director. The movie...

In Plan 75, Japan suffers two existential crises: the very real economic and societal strains of its aging population and, worse yet, a severe loss of empathy. It’s set in an alternative present where older people are at best ostracised from society; at worst they’re targets of violent hate crimes. Grasping for a solution, or perhaps eyeing a nefarious opportunity, the government introduces a voluntary euthanasia program.

The director of this engrossing, chilling, depressingly plausible dystopia is Chie Hayakawa, a first-time filmmaker from Tokyo who got a special mention from Rossy de Palma’s Un Certain Regard jury in Cannes last summer. Expanding on her 2018 short of the same name, Plan 75 is both compelling and overstuffed. Hayakawa splits her story into four perspectives, though I’d wager any two might have done the trick. The best protagonist is Michi (Chieko Baisho), a seemingly single and childless woman of 81 who,...

On July 26, 2016, a 26-year-old ex-employee of a Japanese care home for intellectually and mentally disabled people broke into his former place of work and stabbed 19 defenseless patients to death in their beds. Believing his massacre to be a kind of mercy for his victims — and a noble sacrifice for the benefit of the entire nation — the killer wrote that he envisioned “a world where a person with multiple disabilities can be euthanized, with an agreement from their guardians, when it is difficult for the person to carry out household and social activities.”

The killer claimed that doing so was a necessary step to protect the economy of the world’s most rapidly aging country; an economy that’s stressed even further by the highest life expectancy of any country on Earth, and crushes its young people under the financial burden of paying for that longevity in the face of Japan’s strained pension funds.

Chieko Baisho in Plan 75

For most people, old age is hard work. It gets more difficult to do ordinary things, one is more likely to need care, and there’s a higher risk of becoming socially isolated. It’s still more difficult in a society which is hostile to older people, where discrimination affects basic needs. Some older people worry that their very existence is a burden on their loved ones. What if there was a simple, government-run program which would take care of all your affairs, give you a cash payment to enjoy or pass along , and provide you with a painless death? This is the premise of Plan 75, but as director Chie Hayakawa explains, reality is more complicated. Rather than exploring the rights or wrongs of euthanasia, she wanted to use this idea to explore attitudes towards elderly and otherwise vulnerable people, and to encourage empathy across generations.

Johnnie To, Watanabe Hirobumi and Jang Sun-woo set to attend.

The Far East Film Festival (Feff), held in the Italian town of Udine, has revealed the full line-up for its landmark 25th edition, which is set to include appearances from filmmakers Johnnie To, Watanabe Hirobumi and Jang Sun-woo.

Running April 21-29, the festival will open with a double bill: He Shuming’s Ajoomma, the first co-production between Singapore and South Korea; and black comedy Bad Education by Taiwan’s Giddens Ko. It will close with Zhang Yimou’s Chinese blockbuster Full River Red.

The festival will screen 78 Asian films from 14 countries,...

Italy’s Far East Film Festival unveiled a power-packed lineup Wednesday for its 25th anniversary edition. The largest cinema event in Europe specializing in popular moviemaking from Asia, Feff will open April 21 with an inspired double bill, He Shuming’s hit Korea-Singapore co-production Ajoomma followed by first-time Taiwanese director Kai Ko’s black comedy Bad Education. And on April 29, the curtain will come down on the festival with the Italy premiere of legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s latest blockbuster, Full River Red. Between those dates, the festival will screen 78 Asian films from 14 countries, including nine world premieres.

The organizers of Feff, founded in 1999 in the picturesque northern Italian city of Udine by festival pioneers Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, say the 2023 selection “aims to showcase the immense complexity of Asia more than ever before.” The lineup indeed presents a compelling snapshot of a wildly diverse content’s commercial cinema in flux.

The Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine will open with a double bill of He Shuming’s “Ajoomma” and Kai Ko’s “Bad Education.” It will close with Zhang Yimou’s blockbuster period epic “Full River Red.”

In between, the festival will showcase a stunning 78-title array of commercial and art-house films from across East Asia. Operating according to a motto of diversity –implying cultural asymmetries and artistic multiplicities – the 25th edition of the festival will run April 21-29.

Organizers say that their selection “shows in real time how the cinemas of East and Southeast Asia have re-emerged from the gruelling period of the pandemic, not all in the same way and not all with the same results.”

They point to the impact of Covid, politics and emigration from Hong Kong, and the recent resurgence of Cantonese-language cinema.

Similarly, Udine’s organizers note the recent box office struggles of South Korean cinema,...

His filmography is kilometers long. Her discography is a collection of hits. Miyazaki, as a great admirer, secretly modeled Sophie Hatter, the main character of Howl's Moving Castle, on her… After Takeshi Kitano, awarded in 2022, the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award at the Far East Film Festival will go this year to Baisho Chieko! The famous Japanese actress and singer will bring to Feff 25 her most recent film, “Plan 75” by Hayakawa Chie, and two films that she personally wanted to choose for the Udine audience: the very first “Tora-san” and “Where Spring Comes Late”.

Where Spring Comes Late

«When I learned that I had been invited to the Far East Film Festival in Udine and that I would receive an award – Baisho Chieko's words – I said to myself: “Really? For Plan 75?”. But instead… What a surprise! The Lifetime Achievement Golden Mulberry celebrates all the work I've done since...

"We're all alone in life." KimStim has announced an official US release date for this indie from Japan titled Plan 75, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Chie Hayakawa. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at last year's 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and stopped by Busan, Karlovy Vary, and Toronto. In a near dystopian future, Japan's government launches "Plan 75", a program encouraging the elderly to terminate their own lives to better handle its rapidly aging population. In Chie Hayakawa's remarkable and sensitive film, the lives of three ordinary citizens intersect in this new reality. "On the surface, the plan and its hawkers exude a kindness that serves as the film's chilling vision of bureaucratic indifference and our increasing loss of interconnectedness. However, Hayakawa's view is far from grim, as these characters soon learn to fully reckon with their own lives and what it truly means to live.

The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 46th edition of its awards ceremony on March 10, 2023. The nominees are selected by industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2022 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas. Award categories are modelled after Hollywood's Academy Awards®.

Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.

Picture of the Year

A Man

Shin Ultraman

Phases of the Moon

Anime Supremacy!

Wandering

Team from A Man Animation of the Year

Inu-Oh

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

Suzume

One Piece Film Red

The First Slam Dunk

Director of the Year

Kei Ishikawa – A Man

Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...

The Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, is back in full force in 2023, celebrating its 25th anniversary edition from April 21–29.

A key component of the celebrations will be a focus on the Asian films of the 1980s. “We have never programmed these films, nor put together this kind of program before,” says Thomas Bertacche, the Feff’s co-head. “But these were the films and directors that inspired us to shape Udine into the festival that it is today.”

Pitching the historical lineup as “hidden treasures,” the selection is expected to include early works by Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Thailand’s Nonzee Nimibutr and South Korea’s Jan Sung-woo.

Roger Garcia, former executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, is set to curate a section on Leung Po-chi, the 83-year-old British-Hong Kong director who made the leap from commercials to TV and into film. Leung was at the...

One of the prestigious national cinema awards in Japan presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the 65th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards announced its winners on February 24, 2023. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2022 within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Leading with 6 nominations, A Man by Kei Ishikawa, wins Best Film while Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa picks up Best Director and Best Actress for Chieko Baisho. The full list of winners is described below.

Best Film

A Man

Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands

Small, Slow But Steady

Missing

Silent Parade

Dr Coto’s Clinic

Plan 75

Motherhood

Fragments of the Last Will

Wandering

A Man Best Director

Kei Ishikawa – A Man

Shinzo Katayama – Missing

Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will

Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75

Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon

Best Actor

Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...

Further titles include Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ’The Beasts’ and Chie Hayakawa’s debut ‘Plan 75’.

Venice titles including Fyzal Boulifa’s Morocco-set drama The Damned Don’t Cry and Penelope Cruz-starring melodrama L’Immensità are among the prestige international titles on UK-Ireland distributor Curzon’s 2023 slate.

The line-up represents filmmakers from Italy, Spain, Japan, France and the UK.

“The past year has been a difficult one for international film in the UK,” said Louisa Dent, Curzon Film managing director, “but we remain absolutely committed to championing the best cinema from around the world.”

UK filmmaker Boulifa’s second feature, after debut Lynn + Lucy,...

While announcing the film before its premiere in Cannes, Salle Debussy, Thierry Frémaux and Pierre Lescure reminded the audience that Chie Hayakawa’s debut feature “Plan 75” was the first Japanese film to be competing in this selection in a very long time. The first screening took place in a packed theatre, and in the presence of the filmmaker and her team, with high expectations from a movie which steps in the domain of unpleasant, and those were mostly met.

“Plan 75“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival

In her strong debut, Hayakawa sets the story in a near, dystopian future in which the Japanese government takes a concrete step to beat ‘the surplus of old citizens’. The propaganda machinery motivates them to enter the so called Plan 75 project, using embelished words for something that is simply supposed to end their lives. Painted as a well-meant act of euthanasia...

Japan Society and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, are excited to announce the East Coast Premiere of Japan’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, Plan 75 as the closing title for its Aca Cinema Project The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from Japan Cuts and Beyond lineup. The debut film from director Chie Hayakawa, Plan 75 premiered as part of this year’s Cannes’ Un Certain Regard selection, garnering the Caméra d’Or Special Mention Prize. A runaway independent success in Japan, the film imagines a near future in which Japan’s aging crisis has hit critical levels, resulting in a government initiative that encourages the elderly to voluntarily surrender their lives for the greater good.

In addition, we will also host a Panel Discussion Women in Film at 4pm on Saturday, November 19th, moderated by Joel Neville Anderson and featuring talents including...

Exclusive: Paris-based Urban Sales has sold Japanese director Chie Hayakawa’s dystopian drama Plan 75 to KimStim for North America, in addition to several other territories. The film won a Camera d’Or Special Mention when it premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year, and is also Japan’s submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.

In a second round of deals, Urban also sold the film to South Korea (Challan), Spain (Adso), Switzerland (First Hand Films), Indonesia (Falcon Pictures) and Thailand (Sahamongkol Film) while Spafax and Encore acquired worldwide inflight rights.

It was previously sold to France (Eurozoom), Italy (Tucker Film), China (Dddream), Benelux (September Films), Philippines (Tba Studios), Taiwan (Sky Digi) and Singapore (Lighthouse Film Distribution).

Since Cannes, the film has played at festivals including Karlovy Vary and Toronto and will receive a double U.S. premiere at Chicago and Mill Valley film festivals.

Exclusive: Manila-based Tba Studios has acquired Philippines theatrical rights to award-winning drama Plan 75, which is Japan’s submission for the best international feature category of the Academy Awards.

The Japanese-language film has a strong connection to the Philippines. It features Filipina actress Stefanie Arriane in the cast, while US-Filipino company Fusee is one of the producers, with Wilfredo C. Manalang, George Sommerrock and Alicia Catubay-Watt taking producer credits, and Alemberg Ang of the Philippines’ Daluyong Studios on board as co-producer.

The film was produced by Japan’s Loaded Films, Happinet Phantom Studios and Dongyu Club, with France’s Urban Factory, Fusee and Ang. Urban Sales is handling international sales outside of the co-production territories. Fusee retained Philippines rights.

Written and directed by acclaimed short film director Chie Hayakawa, the film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes film festival, where it won the Camera d’Or special mention.

What is the cost of living?

This question is at the core of "Plan 75," the debut film of Japanese director Chie Hayakawa. The soft-spoken drama imagines a near-future dystopia where Japan's super-aged society has strained the economy to a breaking point. Hayakawa is tapping into very real fears — and not ones limited to just Japan. Here in North America, the last decade has seen rising anxiety over a "silver tsunami" from the baby boomer generation leaving the workforce, requiring health care, and drawing pensions.

"Plan 75" unfurls like an extended thought experiment: What if, to deal with the "burden" of the elderly generation, the government developed a program to eliminate people over the age of 75? One that entices volunteers through messaging about "duty" and a substantial financial reward? This would, theoretically, allow citizens to choose their deaths — getting "control" over the inevitable, as one commercial puts it — in order...

Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is...

Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is...

Dystopian drama revolves around an imaginary Japanese government-backed euthanasia strategy aimed at senior citizens

Screen can exclusively reveal a first trailer for Japanese director Chie Hayakawa’s dystopian drama Plan 75 ahead of its world premiere in Cannes Un Certain Regard this month.

Celebrated actress Chieko Baishô plays an elderly woman who signs up for a government initiative encouraging senior citizens to be voluntarily euthanised to counter the challenges of a super-aged society.

Rising Japanese actor Hayato Isomura plays a young salesman whose job is to sell the so-called plan 75.

The work expands on Hayakawa’s short of the...

While it has been known for some time that Shingo Katori from the Japanese Pop-group Smap (jup, the one from the Ninja Scroll live-action adaptation) will continue the work of Shintaro Katsu and Takeshi Kitano and will play the role of Ichi, the full cast has just been announced. Tokyograph mentions Takashi Sorimachi (Fulltime Killer, Yamato) and Satomi Ishihara (The Climber’s High) in supporting roles and Chieko Baisho, Youki Kudoh, Koichi Iwaki, Yoshio Harada, Kanzaburo Nakamura and Seishiro Kato in smaller roles.

But I think more interesting than all these names is the fact that Sorimachi will play a close friend of Ichi while cute Ishihara will be his wife!

Looks like director Junji Sakamoto (Children of the Dark, Chameleon) wants to show another side of the lone wolf Ichi, who already went through a sex change in 2008 when Haruka Ayase played his/her part in Ichi.

The shooting began in early March,...