Masatoshi Nagase

Last Shadow at First Light (2025)

Ami, haunted by recurring apparitions, embarks on a journey from Singapore to Japan in search of her missing mother. Amidst the transforming landscapes, Ami's dreams, hauntings and lost mother unveil their true form. ...

Adabana (2024)

In a not so distant future where lifespan extension has become a priority following the spread of a mysterious virus, a privileged man looks back upon his life as he is facing a dilemma: should he live if it means taking someone else's life? ...

The Box Man (2024)

A photographer becomes intrigued by a mysterious man who has chosen to filter his experience of the world through a cardboard box placed over his head. ...

Family (2023)

Based on the comic by Tsuchida Seiki, inspired by the artist's own life experience, this film portrays the loss and regeneration of the life of four men. ...

Jigen Daisuke (2023)

Feeling unhappy with his gun, Jigen is looking for the world's best gunsmith. He finally finds out that Chiharu, who runs a watch shop, is the person he's been seeking. Then, Jigen meets Oto, who comes to Chiharu's shop looking for a gun. Jigen finds out a ...

Mountain Woman (2023)

Late 18th century, Tohoku. An outcast girl, Rin lives in a village suffering from famine. She draws strength from Mt. Hayachine, where the spirits of humans ascend after passing. ...

Brats, Be Ambitious! (2023)

A countryside in 1988. Shun is crazy about fooling around with his best friends. Facing up with their family environment or bullying in school, they struggle against the problems in their adolescents. ...

The Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn (2022)

Tenmasou is a long-established inn atop a mountain overlooking the sea, in a town called Mitsuse that exists between heaven and earth. The inn is run by Nozomi Tenma, the proprietress. Her younger sister Kanae works as a dolphin trainer. Their mother Keiko ...

Fantasmagorie~The Ghost Show (2022)

Ena is a computer graphics artist. Working like a machine, she ultimately suffers from the rare digital disease "01," which leaves a strange mark on one half of her face. Ena goes back to her hometown. That is when "Babalon" appears before her which only E ...

A Hundred Flowers (2022)

Diagnosed with dementia, Yuriko's mind quickly begins to fade. Yet, for her son Izumi, memories of the mother feel as vivid as when he lived them. One in particular, when he believed she had disappeared, haunts him terribly. ...

Hotel Iris (2022)

Somewhere on the coast of Taiwan is Hotel Iris, a mouldering seaside establishment run by a cold and thrifty Japanese woman (Nahana) and her lonely half-Taiwanese daughter Mari (Lucia). One night, Mari hears the cries of a woman from the upper floors. Head ...

Just Remembering (2022)

A former couple remembers their most intimate days, only to part once again. A bittersweet love story inspired by a Jim Jarmusch masterpiece, set in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

Namonaihi: A Day with No Name (2021)

A human drama about the strange fate of the three brothers, played by Masatoshi Nagase, Joe Odagiri, and Nobuaki Kaneko, set in Nagoya. ...

A Madder Red (2021)

7 years ago, Yoichi died in a traffic accident. His wife Ryoko did not receive compensation from her husband's death. She has since raised her son Junpei by herself. Junpei is now a middle school student. Ryoko also cares for her father-in-law, who lives i ...

Tracing Her Shadow (2021)

An old Chinese woman visits Japan to find her missing daughter whom she adopted in post-WWII China. Her granddaughter and a retired Japanese policeman join her search. ...

Sakura (2020)

Three siblings share a home with their parents living a happy life. The oldest one is good-looking guy, which is something of a contrast from his younger brother who is at school. The youngest one is the girl and has two brothers to protect her. And then t ...

Malu (2020)

Mysterious poetic story of long-lasting discord between beautiful sisters unfolds in Malaysia and Japan. ...

Living in the Sky (2020)

In the time after Naomi's parents suddenly die, she happens to meet and bond with the popular actor Morinori Tokito who lives in the same apartment building. ...

Child of the Stars (2020)

When Chihiro was a baby, she suffered from eczema. Her parents tried to find a cure, but nothing worked. Her father's co-worker then gave him some water from a strange religious group. Chihiro was miraculously cured by the water. Her parents began to follo ...

Hotel New Moon (2020)

Noushin is a single mother who lives by her girl alone and has a peaceful life but when a foreign guy enters their life everything changes for them and new secrets reveal. ...

Just the Two of Us (2020)

Shunsaku was paralyzed from the neck down at the young age of 36 by a spinal injury suffered in a motorcycle accident. A blind woman named Hanae arrives to be his caregiver. Despite her frustrations with Shusaku's ill-nature and verbal abuse, Hanae also ha ...

Fancy (2020)

Set in a spa town, Akira Takasu (Masatoshi Nagase) is a carver and a mailman. He keeps in touch with poet Penguin (Masataka Kubota). Penguin has a female fan with the name of Moonlit Night's Star (Sakurako Konishi). She sends letters to Penguin. One day, t ...

Talking the Pictures (2019)

Set at a movie theater in a small village around 100 years ago. Silent films are play at the movie theater. A young man aspires to become a benshi, a performer that provides live narration to silent films. ...

The First Supper (2019)

Rintaro (Sometani Shota) returns home for the first time in a while to prepare for and attend his father's funeral. He and his sister are surprised to find that their mother has canceled the catering order, and instead will be making the food herself in ac ...

They Say Nothing Stays the Same (2019)

Toichi is a boatman who ferries the villagers to a town on the other side of the river. Besides rowing a boat for the villagers all day long, he barely communicates with anyone except Genzo, a young neighbour. Upstream, a large bridge is being constructed. ...

BOLT (2019)

Scene one: March 11th, 2011. An earthquake and a tsunami strike the East coast of Japan, damaging the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. A man and five other brave power plant workers are sent to fasten a bolt to prevent radiation leaks. Scene two: 2013. The m ...

Love's Twisting Path (2019)

Set in Kyoto in the last days of the Edo Period, the bloody conflict continues between local feudal domains, which aim to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the Shogun's police and city patrol. Tajuro Kiyokawa, once the master of the sword but now a dep ...

We Are Little Zombies (2019)

Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can't cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their emotions. ...

The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine (2018)

In the wake of the social unrest caused by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, two female sumo athletes, Kiku and Tokachi, and an anarchist group called the Guillotine Society, spark an unlikely connection. ...

Punk Samurai Slash Down (2018)

Junoshin Kake is a ronin. To get hired by the Kurokaze Han, he lies and tells them that a religious group is trying to destroy them. He gets hired by the Kurokaze Han, but they learn that Junoshin Kake lied. Junoshin Kake is given the death sentence and he ...

Vision (2018)

Centres on Jeanne, a journalist tracking a mysterious rare herb that appears only once every 997 years. ...

Butterfly Sleep (2018)

Ryoko Matsumura is a popular writer in her 50's. She also knows that she has Alzheimer's. Ryoko Matsumura begins to teach at a university. She meets a young Korean man in his 20's. They become attracted to each other. ...

Our Time Will Come (2017)

In Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, a school teacher and her would-be-fiancé link up with Chinese guerrilla fighters, forging their own path to freedom. ...

Radiance (2017)

The story follows the social intercourse between a cameraman, Masaya, with a visual impairment, and Misako who disconnects from the world. ...

The Blue Hearts (2017)

Six directors picked a favorite song by Japanese punk rock band "The Blue Hearts" and made a short film inspired by the song. ...

Paterson (2016)

A week in the life of Paterson, a poet bus driver, and his wife Laura, a very creative artist, who live in Paterson, New Jersey, hometown of many famous poets and artists. ...

Black Widow Business (2016)

Kozo Nakase attends meetings for single widowers looking to remarry. He meets Sayoko Takeuchi and eventually marries her. Not longer after their marriage, Kozo Nakase suddenly collapses and dies. Kozo Nakase leaves everything to Sayako. The rest of his fam ...

Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2016: Reflections (2016)

This omnibus film brings together three globally acclaimed directors from Asia with a common theme 'Living Together in Asia' to depict the lives of characters who journey between Japan, Cambodia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Brillante Mendoza grapples wit ...

Zen and Bones (2016)

The story of Henri Mitowa, a 93-year old Japanese monk, who wants to make a movie based on his own life. ...

64: Part 2 (2016)

1989: 64th and last year of the Showa era. A girl is kidnapped and killed. The unsolved case is called Case 64 ('rokuyon'). 2002: Yoshinobu Mikami, who was the detective in charge of the Case 64, moves as a Public Relations Officer in the Police Affairs D ...

64: Part 1 (2016)

1989: 64th and last year of the Showa era. A girl is kidnapped and killed. The unsolved case is called Case 64 ('rokuyon'). 2002: Yoshinobu Mikami, who was the detective in charge of the Case 64, moves as a Public Relations Officer in the Police Affairs D ...

Bitter Honey (2016)

Akako, a shape-shifting goldfish in the form of a coquettish nymphet clad in diaphanous red dresses, naively plays the role of erotic muse and adoring pet for an aging writer seeking greatness. Things quickly get complicated for the odd couple, however, wh ...

The Cross (2016)

Shunsuke Fujii was a bullied middle school student. He took his own life. A letter left behind referred to his classmate Yu Sanada as a friend. Sayuri Nakagawa was a girl that Shunsuke liked. Her birthday is the same day as the day Shunsuke commited suicid ...

Five to Nine (2015)

An omnibus film that compresses 16 hours into one, offering glimpses of what happens beyond the monotony from 9am to 5pm. ...

Sweet Bean (2015)

The master of a dorayaki pastry store hires a 76-year-old woman whose talents attract customers from all over. But she's hiding a troubling secret. Life's joys are found in the little details, and no matter what may be weighing you down, everyone loves a g ...

Words with Gods (2014)

The first of four installments in the groundbreaking Heartbeat of the World anthology film series. Comprised of several short films by some of the world's most exciting directors, Words with Gods follows the theme of religion - specifically as it relates t ...

Disconcerto (2014)

Set within the fictional city of Mahoro, Keisuke Tada runs a "benriya" - a general problem solver for hire. His assistant is his former high school classmate Haruhiko Gyoten. A big crisis then occurs for them. ...

The Furthest End Awaits (2014)

Set at the edge of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, with its beautiful scenic views, the film revolves around two women from different backgrounds who develop a friendship, and how they begin to influence and change each other's lives. ...

Drive-In Gamo (2014)

Saki and Toshi were born and raised at the shabby "Drive in Gamo," located on the side of a road. Their father was a yakuza but he was kicked out of the group. Because of their father, Saki and Toshi were known as being part of the idiot family. Saki in de ...

KANO (2014)

A Taiwanese high school baseball team travels to Japan in 1931 to compete in a national tournament. ...

A Girl in the Apple Farm (2013)

The Mikami family lives within the foot of Mount Iwaki. The Mikami family makes a living by running an apple farm. Eldest daughter Rinko is a middle school student who keeps running away and coming back home with her boyfriend Kenichiro. Rinko's mother May ...

Miroku (2013)

Through philosophical and science themed imagination, Emile questions everything from his teenage years to adult life. ...

The War and a Woman (2013)

Set towards the end of World War II, Nomura (Masatoshi Nagase) is a writer who is in despair. A woman works in bar and is a former prostitute. Many years ago, her father sold her to a brothel due to the family's severe financial hardships. The writer and t ...

A Road Stained Crimson (2012)

Professional killer Ken is trying to break away from the yakuza. Taking up work at a local motorcycle shop, he forges a new life under the motherly eye of Yoko, an older woman who owns the shop. However, Ken's dark past isn't letting him go that easily. Ak ...

Smuggler (2011)

To pay off his loan shark, failed actor Ryōsuke Kinuta is forced to smuggle dead bodies – and one live elite assassin – in the middle of the night. ...

Everyday Mom (2011)

Rieko Saibara is a cartoonist and mother of a 6-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl. When she has a difficult time, she throws away her problems with laughter. Her husband Kamoshitda used to be a war camera man, but now he's addicted to alcohol. He struggles ...

Gelatin Silver, Love (2009)

The story of a photographer who becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman who lives in the apartment opposite his. ...

Dreaming Awake (2008)

Recently appointed dean at a film school, Kimuro Hajime develops a special concern for one of his students, Daisuke. The brash, headstrong young man is fixated on with the Second World War. He feels a sense of frustration at the irrational sacrifice of you ...

R246 STORY (2008)

The anthology film R246 Story centers around the major Japanese highway Route 246. Originating in Chiyoda Ward's Miyakezaka district, the 122.7 kilometers long Route 246 passes through Japanese trendsetting areas such as Aoyama, Omotesando, Harajuku, and S ...

Buyusenki Battle Chronicle (2008)

Motorcycles, drugs, and gangs terrorize Japan. The man who dreamed of a life of peace has instead been transformed into an angel of death! ...

Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers! (2007)

Traumatic incidents, conflicts, and bloody quarrels awaiting the Wago family members who return home to bury their parents. ...

Sakuran (2006)

Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased. ...

The Blossoming of Etsuko Kamiya (2006)

In Kagoshima, in the final days of World War II, an offer of marriage comes to Etsuko Kamiya, who lives with her brother and his wife. The offer comes from Nagayo, but Etsuko is attracted to his friend, Akashi. ...

Gina K (2005)

"Gina K" tells the story of the daughter of a famous stripper, who reveals her family history so she can stand proud as a vocalist. On stage she's feverish, but when she comes down she's just another girl. ...

Summer of Ubume (2005)

Kyogokudo is a used book seller who doubles as an onmyouji, or Heian style occultist. His friend Sekiguchi brings him the story of a woman who has been pregnant for twenty months. Sekiguchi investigates further with the help of his friend Enokizu, a detect ...

The Hidden Blade (2004)

Set in 19th Century Japan a young samurai who finds himself in love with a farm girl leaves his home to begin a new life. He has to take stock of his new life when he is put to the test and ordered to kill a traitor who just happens to be his dearest frien ...

Loved Gun (2004)

A story about a hitman named Hayamada who carries a distinctive red gun. As the film progresses we discover the reason for his work, and how he came to be alone. His aim right now is to reach a desitination, but he's late. ...

Dead End Run (2003)

A collection of three short films by Japanese visual genius Sogo Ishii. Each short focuses on the protagonists running away from a threat. ...

Worst by Chance (2003)

Hidenori is a Japanese-Korean man with no sense of belonging, destination or education. He drifts around and meanders through life until a death reminds him of his heritage and so begins a journey to South Korea. ...

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name (2003)

Private detective Mike takes on an assignment to return a girl, who is set to marry into a prestigious family, from a mysterious commune in the forest. ...

Aiki (2002)

When a promising young boxer is crippled in a car accident, he falls into a life of dissipation and depression. No boxing ring or martial arts club will take him on -- that is, until an aiki jujitsu master helps the young man develop techniques uniquely ta ...

The Sea Is Watching (2002)

O-Shin is a young brothel worker who, one night, helps a young samurai escape from his pursuers. Against the warnings of her fellow workers, particularly Kikuno and the brothel's owner, O-Shin falls in love with the samurai. ...

Tampen (2001)

Four short films produced without a director ...

Suicide Club (2001)

When the bizarre mass suicide of 54 high school girls throwing themselves in front of a subway train appears to instigate a string of suicides around the country, Detective Kuroda strives to find the answer, which isn't as simple as he had hoped. ...

Pistol Opera (2001)

An assassin fends off numerous attacks from her comrades, who are trying to move up in rank by killing off the competition. ...

Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (2001)

Benkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to Buddhism. His faith in pacifism, however, is shaken and ultimately broken by the attacks from a trio of fighters known only as the demons. Taking up his sword once ...

Luxurious Bone (2001)

Miyako works as a call girl, living with her close friend Sakiko. After encountering a client, Shintani, with whom Miyako experiences sexual pleasure for the first time in her life, the two women begin to drift apart. Miyako suggests that Shintani should s ...

Getting Wild with Our Monkey (2001)

A down-on-his luck writer meets a movie producer, who asks him to write a screenplay on the condition that he visit locations for the film. Chaos ensues. ...

0cm⁴ (2001)

Maeda decides to have an operation to cure his color-blindness, but he becomes afraid that after the operation, his world is not going to be the same. ...

My Name Is Magokoro (2001)

Taro Magokoro is an unsuccessful actor and lives a mundane life. This year, he turns 30. ...

Chloe (2001)

Kotaro and Kuroe marry almost immediately in a Christian ceremony and move into an apartment. Life is completely joyous until, one day, Kuroe falls ill. ...

Stereo Future (2001)

Keisuke, an aspiring samurai-movie actor lands a major role in a new film, but must contend with a director who has nothing but scorn for him, but who continually fawns over the film's obnoxious ham of a star. ...

Electric Dragon 80000V (2001)

A violent, guitar-playing, electrically charged boxer faces off against an electronic wizard half-merged with a metallic Buddha. ...

Enclosed Pain (2000)

Yuri and Takumi are brother and sister who faced unusually harsh treatment by their father. An act of brutality keeps them extremely close together until an older couple occupy the house where their secret was buried. ...

PARTY7 (2000)

Seven characters, introduced at the start of the film, get thrown together into the same hotel room: a thief who's stolen a suitcase of money from the mob, his ex-girlfriend, her obsessive boyfriend, the mob soldier sent to retrieve the briefcase, another ...

The Experimental Film (2000)

An experimental drama with the motif of "experimental film". What does it mean to be reproduced on film? Under the theme of fundamental questions, it will express the relationship between men and women with a mysterious visual beauty. The story gradually i ...

Hakuchi: The Innocent (1999)

In a future where World War II never ended, Japan is decimated by nightly bombings. The only building left standing is known as the Media Station, a broadcasting center responsible for all of Japan's entertainment. ...

Beautiful Sunday (1998)

A droll and formalistic comic drama about the various relationships among, and odd obsessions of, the residents of a Tokyo apartment block. ...

Glassy Ocean (1998)

On what apparently is a parallel world, time flows in a much slower pace than normal. The ocean remains on a solid state of matter as the eccentric individuals who inhabit this land casually wander over it. ...

Three Businessmen (1998)

An American art dealer (Miguel Sandoval), who specializes in southwestern topaz, arrives by train in Liverpool. Similarly, a very proper British art dealer (Alex Cox), who specializes in African art, arrives in the same hotel. The two meet in the hotel's a ...

Abduction (1997)

The director of a large Tokyo trading company is kidnapped and held for ransom. A young but experienced detective is put on the case while being at the centre of a nationwide television sensation. ...

The Rainbow Seeker (1996)

A young man fails his company entrance exams and leaves home to work at a run-down cinema in Tokushima, whose owner lives to bring entertaining films to the residents of his small town. ...

Atlanta Boogie (1996)

"Atlanta Boogie" centers around a mock track meet between the "normal" and "good" citizens of Yokohama and those they want to expel from the neighborhood: the illegal foreign workers, the deadbeats, the juvenile delinquents, and elderly. ...

A Class to Remember II (1996)

The story follows the teacher and students of the Ryubetsu Handicapped High School. ...

Yûri (1996)

Masayuki meets Nanami, who is on a journey with a refrigerator named Ullie. Nanami's Iranian friend Amir is helping her haul the refrigerator which contains Nanami's dead boyfriend. Masayuki joins the journey. ...

The Trap (1996)

When a hooded stranger appears in private eye 'Mike' Hama's office with the cryptic challenge "I want you to look for me," Hama is drawn into a string of bizarre serial murders that have Yokohama's police baffled and the city terrified. ...

BeRLiN (1995)

When a woman whose job is to professionally date men disappears suddenly, a TV crew who wanted to film a documentary about women like her begin searching for her. Coincidentally, a salary-man who saw the disappeared woman and wants to meet her again is fou ...

Flirt (1995)

The same situation is played out in different cities (New York, Berlin and Tokyo). A lover has to choose whether to commit to a partner who is returning home. In each case there are other people involved, an ex-partner and someone else in a "permanent" rel ...

The Stairway to the Distant Past (1995)

Broke, with his vintage Nash convertible repossessed, private eye Mike Hama is reduced to combing the mean streets of the Yokohama waterfront on a borrowed bicycle. But when Lily, a beautiful stripper from out of Hama's past, returns to town, the fuse is l ...

Cold Fever (1995)

A Japanese businessman travels to Iceland and has a series of misadventures while venturing to a remote area to perform a traditional burial ritual where his parents died several years back. ...

Powder Road (1994)

The Yakuza has two investments in Thailand. One is a factory polluting the environment in Pattaya. The other is smuggling heroin with Thai partners from Burma. It is transported to Pattaya by placing it inside blocks of ice. Once there it is removed and su ...

The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1994)

Maiku Hama is a private detective working in Yokohama. Hama comes to the aid of a Taiwanese waiter named Yang and agrees to track down his missing brother. ...

Motorcycle Girl (1994)

The story of a girl riding a motorcycle and embarking on a journey to meet her distant father. ...

Tora-san Makes Excuses (1992)

Tora befriends a pretty barbershop owner and runs into Izumi. When Tora twists his ankle, Mitsuo comes to care for him and see Izumi. Meanwhile, Izumi must choose between her new job in Tokyo and returning to Nagoya to care for her mother. ...

Autumn Moon (1992)

A Japanese tourist, Tokio, meets a 15-year-old Hong Kong girl and her grandmother left behind in Hong Kong while their family emigrates to Canada. ...

Original Sin (1992)

Based on a novel by Bo Nishimura, the film is about an extramarital affair between the wife of an estate agent and a 22 year old man. ...

My Sons (1991)

Tetsuo is a young man living in Tokyo, who falls in love with a deaf-mute factory girl. He has always felt jealous of his college-educated brother, but ultimately wins both the girl and his father's acceptance and support in a touching and refreshing way. ...

Asian Beat: Shadow of Nocturne (1991)

A story that reveals the secrets of two women with a very similar face, a club singer with a mysterious charm and a crystal glass craftsman who devote himself to making works. ...

Asian Beat: Sunrise in Kampung (1991)

Asian Beat: Powder Road (1991)

The Yakuza has two investments in Thailand. One is a factory polluting the environment in Pattaya. The other is smuggling heroin with Thai partners from Burma. It is transported to Pattaya by placing it inside blocks of ice. Once there it is removed and su ...

Asian Beat: Love from Temasek (1991)

Asian Beat: I Love Nippon (1991)

Commentary: The first work in the "Asian Beat" series, in which young directors from six Asian countries, including Japan, compete to create the same protagonist (Masatoshi Nagase). The main character "TOKIO" becomes involved in various incidents when he m ...

Mourning Work (1991)

Bakayarô! 3: Weird Bunch (1990)

Defeat the Devil! (1990)

A one part drama/made for TV movie starring Rie Miyazawa ...

Mystery Train (1989)

In Memphis, Tennessee, over the course of a single night, the Arcade Hotel, run by an eccentric night clerk and a clueless bellboy, is visited by a young Japanese couple traveling in search of the roots of rock; an Italian woman in mourning who stumbles up ...

Oshare dorobō (1989)

Mismatch - Miho & Shizuka Xmas Special (1988)

Tamaki (Miho Nakayama) and Ako (Shizuka Kudo) are two friends living together. Although their personalities differ, they share the same wish - to find love before Christmas. ...

Space Girl Morumo 1/10 (1987)

Fuji Television film based on the manga of the same name by Hiroshi Aro. ...

Radio City Fantasy (1984)

Hiroshi is a high school student who dreams of one day writing a children's book. But knowing that dreams need money to become a reality, he works hard and saves for the day when he can be a writer. A chance meeting with Hiroko on the subway leads to love ...

Miyuki (1983)

P. P. Rider (1983)

Three high-school students tangle with indulgent yakuza and lackadaisical police as they set out in search of the class bully, who has been kidnapped. ...

The Thirsty Flower: Four by Four Equals One (2004)

The title is "Thirsty Flower ~ four by four equal one ~", which is a short story of about 60 minutes with four women as the main characters. ...