Japan Foundation Film Programme 2019: People Still Call It Love

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme returns to the UK in February, presenting a diverse lineup of Japanese cinema to audiences across the country.

This year's selection is based around the theme of 'love' and is titled People Still Call It Love: Passion, Affection and Destruction in Japanese Cinema. The lineup features "thoughtfully selected films from Japan’s artistic repertoire, all focusing on this theme in one way or another. As the conventional binaries defining what it means to love continually give way to new understandings of this sweeping emotion, so too does this year’s curation aim to provide insights into a wider context of love in Japanese society".

Within this theme, a wide range of (mostly) contemporary cinema is presented, with films encompassing a range of genres. In addition to the films on offer, the programme brings several special guests to UK shores for Q&As. Keisuke Yoshida (Himeanole) is on hand with his latest film, the sibling rivalry drama, Thicker than Water. Yukiko Mishima will present her 6th film, the poignant drama Dear Etranger, and documentarian Hikaru Toda will answer questions on her award-winning new doc Of Love & Law, which follows the plight of Japan’s first law firm run by an openly gay couple.

The Programme will run from 2 February to 10 February at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts before heading to cities across the UK until 28th March. 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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