Head out to Tokyo Midtown Hibiya this autumn for its outdoor film festival. Taking place daily between October 15 and October 23, you can catch several movies a day, ranging from Hollywood classics and newer releases to international short films and Japanese flicks.
Fans of musical films can look forward to ‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008) on October 15, ‘La La Land’ (2016) on October 16 and 21, ‘Les Misérables’ (2012) on October 22, ‘Jersey Boys’ (2014) on October 23, and many more. All movies in the Fever category are screened in English with Japanese subtitles, except ‘Sing’ (2016) on October 15 and ‘Muthu’ (1995) on October 17. While ‘Sing’ is dubbed in Japanese and screened with English subtitles, ‘Muthu’ is shown in its original languages Tamil, Telugu and Hindi with Japanese subtitles.
If you’re more interested in Japanese films, look out for the seven flicks in the Toronto Japanese Film Festival 2022 category. All seven Japanese movies in this section are shown with English subtitles, including the 2021 drama ‘Ribbon’ (to be screened on Oct 16), which highlights the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on a young art student.
Don't miss the Academy Award-nominated ‘Shoplifters’ (2018) that's showing on Oct 19. The critically acclaimed film by famed director Hirokazu Kore-eda revolves around a patchwork family that survives through shoplifting and whose relationships with each other slowly fall apart after hidden secrets are revealed. Movie screenings take place daily between October 15 and 21 from 7pm, with a 30-minute talk session at 6.30pm by the films' respective directors.
Between 12noon and 3pm on weekdays (12noon-2pm on Oct 14) and between 12noon and 1pm on Saturday and Sunday, you can catch a variety of short movies screened in collaboration with Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia. All shorts are screened in their original languages with Japanese subtitles.
Download the full schedule here, or see the website for details. The event is free and screenings take place daily at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya’s Step Plaza.