Matsumura Shingo's "Between Us" Heads to the Tokyo International Film Festival

Japanese director Matsumura Shingo's new film, "Between Us," is playing in Nippon Cinema Now, the Tokyo International Film Festival's strand for Japanese films. Variety reported the film's place in the programme on 1 November 2026.

The story follows Makoto and Kasumi, childhood best friends who drift apart after an incident on a joint family camping trip. Six years later they meet again in their high school drama club. The cast includes Kawashima Ririka, Kurasawa Anna, Kikuchi Akiko, Usuda Asami, Saito Yoichiro and Miura Takahiro.

Matsumura is best known in Japan for "The Lump in My Heart" (2023). For "Between Us," he told Variety that he found his starting point in a run of disasters, beginning with the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The pandemic and ongoing wars then pushed him toward something simpler. He wanted a film about two people who first face away from each other and then look at each other, a way of exploring connection.

He also set himself a rule for the shoot: no handheld camerawork. Handheld cameras are held by the operator rather than fixed on a tripod or rig, and they often give a loose, restless feel. Matsumura's choice keeps the camera steady.

The film is listed as a world premiere in the festival's lineup, which Screen Daily and Variety both covered when the programme was announced in early October. Nippon Cinema Now carries nine Japanese films this year, alongside titles such as "Okinawa Saudade" and "Kefi." The 2026 event is the 39th edition of the festival.

Festival listings name Matsumura as a possible question-and-answer guest for "Between Us," though that appearance is still tentative. The festival's own news page also lists a talk called "How We Make Films," where directors from the Nippon Cinema Now strand discuss how their films were created. For audiences who want to hear about the making of a film, that session is a useful place to look.

For a general reader, the appeal of a festival slot like this is simple. A film with a first public screening can start word of mouth before it reaches cinemas, and a festival stage often decides which films find buyers and distributors in the months after. Nothing has been announced about a cinema release or overseas sales for "Between Us."