Do you love Japanese film classics, anime or contemporary cinema stories? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Would you like to learn and discuss about Japanese culture and society? The Japan Society Film Club is an online space to chat about films and Japan in an informal atmosphere.

Join us on 7 June when we will discuss Naomi Kawase's heartwarming drama Sweet Bean.

Sweet Bean (あん, An, 2015) directed by Naomi Kawase, is a drama based on a novel by Durian Sukegawa, starring the renowned Kiki Kirin (1943 - 2018) alongside her real-life granddaughter, Kyara Uchida. When Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase), the owner of a small bakery selling dorayaki on the outskirts of Tokyo, decides to hire an assistant in the kitchen, he reluctantly accepts the help of 76-year-old Tokue (Kiki Kirin). Thanks to Tokue's secret recipe for sweet red bean paste, Sentaro is surprised to see business begin to flourish, but with Tokue holding on to a secret, will the bakery continue to thrive?

Read our review of the novel here.

Naomi Kawase (1969 - ) is a Japanese film director born in Nara. She graduated from the Osaka School of Photography (then the School of Visual Arts) in 1989 and began her career as a documentary filmmaker with autobiographical films such as Embracing/ Ni tsutsumarete (1992), about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and Katatsumori (1994), about the grandmother who raised her. In 1997 she became the youngest winner of the Caméra d'Or (for best new director) at the Cannes Film Festival for her first feature film Moe no Suzaku. She also won the Grand Prix of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her fourth full-length film The Mourning Forest. Other celebrated works directed by Kawase include Shara (2003), Hanezu (2011), Still the Water (2014) and Sweet Bean (2015). In 2010, she founded the International Nara Film Festival, dedicated to promoting the work of young directors.

Japan Society Film Clubs take place on the first Wednesday of the month. We recommend a film to watch in advance and meet online to discuss. Films are often available online for free, to rent or with subscription, on DVD/Blu Ray or on BFI player. The event is open to all and we encourage participants to freely express their opinions and feelings about the films.

If you have any questions, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Booking Info

Please remember to watch the film in advance. Sweet Bean is available to watch on BFI Player, Amazon UK, Google Play, and Apple TV.