Japanese drama "Between Us" premieres at Tokyo International Film Festival
Shingo Matsumura's new film, Between Us, is set to premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival. A premiere is the first public screening of a film, and this one sits in the festival's Nippon Cinema Now section, which spotlights Japanese films. Variety reports that the section has been revamped and is now competitive.
The film is Matsumura's fourth feature. He wrote and directed it, and Naoki Kai is credited as producer, according to the festival's official lineup page. Matsumura also directed The Lump In My Heart in 2023, starring Yoshida Mizuki and Tokiwa Takako.
The story follows two middle-class families. They were once friends. Then a camping trip ended in tragedy, and the families drifted apart. Their pain comes back into view through a high-school drama club production, the kind of school play that asks teenagers to act out feelings they are still working through. Variety's coverage names the cast: Ririka Kawashima plays Makoto, a teenager, and Anna Kurasawa plays Kasumi. Akiko Kikuchi plays Emi, Makoto's mother, and Asami Usuda plays Fumiko.
Matsumura, Kawashima and Kurasawa are listed as tentative guests for a question-and-answer session after the screening, according to the festival's guest page. "Tentative" means the dates and plans can still change.
Why does a festival slot matter for a film like this? Festivals are also marketplaces. Sales agents and distributors attend to see what is ready to be bought, and a film often reaches cinemas or streaming services months or years after its first screening. A premiere at Tokyo gives Japanese films a showcase at home, in front of local audiences and the people who work in the industry.
The festival's lineup is public, so the next steps are easy to track. Screenings, guest appearances and any sales or distribution news will appear first on the festival's own pages and in trade coverage.
