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Originally published as a novel in 2013, “Aimitagai” has been adapted into a feature-length movie from a series of gently interconnected short stories. Shogo Kusano weaves these threads together, inheriting a project that began with a story framework by Masahide Ichii and also involved the late Kiyoshi Sasabe in its early development. The titular term refers to an act of kindness for someone, born from genuine thought, that can come full circle and even save a stranger.

Aimitagai is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

Azusa is a wedding planner who frequently gets some looks in her line of work for not being married like her coworkers. She is, however, dating Sumito, a young man she considers unreliable, but despite that, they are on the verge of becoming more serious. The person she most enjoys spending time with is her best friend from school, Kanami, who once saved her from bullying.

The 29th Busan International Film Festival has revealed the line-ups for its competitive New Currents and Jiseok sections, which include the latest features from award-winning filmmakers Brillante Mendoza, Rima Das and Tom Lin.

The Jiseok strand, launched in 2022, is reserved for Asian filmmakers who have directed at least three features and this year comprises eight titles.

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They include Motherland by Filipino director Mendoza, which explores the bloody Mamasapano incident of 2015, when 44 police commandos and more than 20 others were killed in a deadly operation. The filmmaker has previously played in competition at Berlin, Cannes...