Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2011

Classical music fans will want to head to Bunkamura’s Le Cinema (2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku; www.bunkamura.co.jp) to check out Mozart’s Sister (2010; pictured), a French-language biopic on Maria Anna Mozart, playing from April 9. The famed composer idolized his older sister, who inspired him to begin studying music, and he would later compose works specifically to showcase her talents on the harpsichord… Devotees of contemporary Japanese cinema can catch up on movies they missed last year as Shin-Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (3F, 1-43-5 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku; www.shin-bungeiza.com) presents a program of Japanese Films that Touched a Nerve in 2010, April 8-19. The lineup includes Naomi Kawase’s natural childbirth doc Genpin, the anti-war film Caterpillar, and Leonie, about the mother of artist Isamu Noguchi…Ginza Cine Patos is running a program of films featuring pop idols of the ’70s, through April 29 (4-8-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku; www.humax-cinema.co.jp). The lineup includes September Sky (1978), starring singer Mako Ishino, who will attend a screening on April 15.

Unless otherwise noted, Japanese films are shown without English subtitles and non-English language films are shown with only Japanese subtitles.