Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2011

Fans of Japanese period films will want to head to Shin-Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (3F, 1-43-5 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku; www.shin-bungeiza.com), where the first four Lone Wolf and Cub films (1972; pictured) will be shown in an all-night screening April 2. The series, starring Shintaro Katsu, tells the story of a shogun’s executioner who is forced into exile with his son in feudal Japan, where he becomes a freelance assassin… The Famous and the Dead (2009), the critically-acclaimed debut feature of Brazilian director Esmir Filho, will screen at Shibuya’s Image Forum from March 26 (2-10-2 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; www.imageforum.co.jp). The whimsical film tells the story of a Bob Dylan fan in a rural town who dreams of seeing his idol in concert, and his relationship with a mysterious woman who seems to be straight out of a Dylan song… Korean director Chul-soo Yang’s debut feature Bedevilled (2010) is screening from March 26 at Shibuya’s Theater N (24-4 Sakuragicho, Shibuya-ku; www.theater-n.com). In the hard-hitting drama, Yeong-hie Seo plays a young woman in Seoul who leaves town for a small island after witnessing an attempted murder.

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