The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2018

Since 2004 the Japan Foundation has been bringing diverese lineups of finely programmed Japanese cinema to UK shores. Consisting mainly of contemporary works, with the odd anniversary screening and classic to enrichen the mix, this annual Touring Programme offers the best oppertunity for UK audiences to experience the latest movements in Japanese cinema.

This year's selection is based around the theme (Un)true Colours Secrets and Lies in Japanese Cinema and will "look at how the country’s filmmakers have been drawn to portraying the “(un)true” colours of human nature. The twists and turns of life portrayed in the programme are at times heart-rending, at other times hilarious, but always enthralling."

Under this banner is an eclectic range of offerings including recent blockbusters like Yu Irie's Fujiwara Tetsuya-starring Memoirs of a Murderer, Nakamura Yoshihiro's jidaigeki effort MUMON: The Land of Stealth, quirky East-meets-West comedy with Josh Hartnett Oh Lucy! and feudal era anime Sword of the Stranger - now celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Furthermore, there'll be guests in the form of actor Motoki Masahiro and screenwriter Mukai Kosuke. Motoki will be attending the London screening of Nishikawa Miwa's new drama The Long Excuse, in which he makes his first starring role since 2008's Academy Award-winning Departures. Mukai Kosuke is a celebrated screenwriter who comes to the UK having written the debut feature of director Ishikawa's crime mystery, Gukoroku: Traces of Sin, fresh from it's Venice premiere and will be present for the London, Bristol, and Stirling screenings of the film.

Running from 2 February to 28 March, the tour will begin at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts before heading to cities across the UK. Check the website for tour locations and further details.

Scroll through the gallery below for details on each of the titles in the programme.

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