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Feature Slate

New York Premiere

SOLD OUT: A waitlist will begin at the Box Office one hour prior to the screening. Being on the waitlist does not guarantee admission.

Intro and Q&A with director Takumi Saitoh

Thirteen years after abandoning his wife and two sons by stepping out for a pack of cigarettes and never returning, deadbeat gambler Masato (Lily Franky) dies of stomach cancer. At his funeral, a motley crew of fellow mahjong players, pachinko parlor employees and former drinking buddies gather to pay their respects and tell stories, revealing aspects of Masato’s life that complicate his sons’ resentment towards him. Based on the childhood experiences of screenwriter Koji Hashimoto, this directorial debut by popular actor Takumi Saitoh takes a unique approach to the dysfunctional family drama and funeral comedy, effectively utilizing flashbacks and unexpected shifts in tone to explore what it means to be part of someone’s life, for better or worse.

2018. 70 min. DCP, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Takumi Saitoh. With Issei Takahashi, Mayu Matsuoka, Takumi Saitoh, Lily Franky.

Asian New Talent Award for Best Director, 2017 Shanghai International Film Festival