Silver Express puts an asexual heroine on the festival track

Miki Tanaka's debut feature Silver Express centres on Chieri, a young woman who is asexual and aromantic.

That means she does not feel sexual attraction and does not feel romantic attraction. Variety published its review of the Japanese film on 12 October 2026.

Newcomer Yui Okamoto plays Chieri. Hayato Kurihara co-stars as Shoya, a character described as aromantic but not asexual. A debut feature is a director's first full-length film, and a newcomer is an actor with little or no previous screen credit.

The train of the title lives in Chieri's imagination. She pictures it travelling to a final stop. She imagines that stop as home to "silver lions", her own private term for herself and other aromantic and asexual people.

The film started on the festival circuit in South Korea. It was set to premiere in Competition at the Busan International Film Festival, the festival's main awards section for films competing for prizes. Screen Daily reported that Competition booking on 1 October, while Variety had earlier listed the film as a World Premiere title, meaning its very first public screening.

Two reviews have followed. Elizabeth Kerr reviewed the film for Screen Daily on 10 October. Variety followed two days later.

The journey continues in Japan. The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival lists Silver Express as a Japanese Premiere. That label means its first screening in its home country. Tokyo International Film Festival carries the listing.

Tanaka arrived with short-film experience. She previously directed the short film Ginger Boy, according to the Busan programme. Busan International Film Festival gives that credit.

Interest built early. RogerEbert.com included Silver Express among 10 films to watch in its 2026 Busan preview. RogerEbert.com published that list on 5 October.