![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA3NTAwZjctYzViNy00ZGI4LWE1NTAtMGM2MDVkMDNlYjk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
From the director’s statement: Three days at the end of the year. Instead of having a year-end party, we got together to shoot a movie. I had buried a time capsule with my friends, but we forgot about it and never dug it up, so I decided to make a movie about what happened after that.
Midnight Moratorium is streaming on TodoiF
As such, the 23-minute short focuses on 5 friends, Namba, Gonda, Tokimitsu, Nishikawa, and Okada, who were a close group during high school, and decide to hold a small farewell party on their way home from the funeral of their leader, Maiko Matsumoto. They start to drink, and their initial worries have solely to do with whether ‘kampai’ is a proper word to use, considering this is a funeral. Some of them get drunk, while another one mentions a girl from the group that she is missing, and who has mentioned,...
Midnight Moratorium is streaming on TodoiF
As such, the 23-minute short focuses on 5 friends, Namba, Gonda, Tokimitsu, Nishikawa, and Okada, who were a close group during high school, and decide to hold a small farewell party on their way home from the funeral of their leader, Maiko Matsumoto. They start to drink, and their initial worries have solely to do with whether ‘kampai’ is a proper word to use, considering this is a funeral. Some of them get drunk, while another one mentions a girl from the group that she is missing, and who has mentioned,...
- 10/15/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA3NTAwZjctYzViNy00ZGI4LWE1NTAtMGM2MDVkMDNlYjk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
The difficulties of modern life particularly regarding relationships and working, has been a major theme in Japanese cinema for quite some time. Teppei Isobe also presents his take on the subjects with the 35-minutes “We Did Not Mean to Go to the Sea”, inducing his narrative, though, with a number of very appealing notions, as much as the local favorite concept of ‘a scene at the sea'.
We Did Not Mean to Go to the Sea is streaming on TodoiF Check also this article 5 Movies From Teppei Isobe That Deserve a Watch
Osamu is an officer worker, who, some time before, has broken up with his girlfriend, as the two wanted completely different things in life (she to travel and he to just go to internet cafes). As the movie begins, he is about to attend her wedding with the man she met after him, but instead, gets drunk and fails to go.
We Did Not Mean to Go to the Sea is streaming on TodoiF Check also this article 5 Movies From Teppei Isobe That Deserve a Watch
Osamu is an officer worker, who, some time before, has broken up with his girlfriend, as the two wanted completely different things in life (she to travel and he to just go to internet cafes). As the movie begins, he is about to attend her wedding with the man she met after him, but instead, gets drunk and fails to go.
- 9/12/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA3NTAwZjctYzViNy00ZGI4LWE1NTAtMGM2MDVkMDNlYjk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Winner of the Special Jury Award at 2015 Anchorage International Film Festival and Special Jury Remi Award at 2016 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, “Magic Utopia” is a movie that is permeated by a sense of mystery and abstraction, with Shoji Toyama and Shuichi Tan actually focusing more on the overall atmosphere.
Magic Utopia is streaming on TodoiF
Lisa or Nao or Erika lost her mother when she was a child and is currently searching for a solace by dating different men she barely knows. One night she meets Sato, who is trapped by the memories of his friend's death, and the two end up having sex, even though another lover of hers, appears before them just as they exit the cafe they met. An elderly man, whose daughter died 17 years ago, is a successful author but lives in solitude. One day, he receives a phone call from a girl whose voice sounds exactly like his daughter.
Magic Utopia is streaming on TodoiF
Lisa or Nao or Erika lost her mother when she was a child and is currently searching for a solace by dating different men she barely knows. One night she meets Sato, who is trapped by the memories of his friend's death, and the two end up having sex, even though another lover of hers, appears before them just as they exit the cafe they met. An elderly man, whose daughter died 17 years ago, is a successful author but lives in solitude. One day, he receives a phone call from a girl whose voice sounds exactly like his daughter.
- 8/18/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjIxNDk1YjctYWE0MC00MGFlLWIzZmYtMzVlZGZmNjkzZjYxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Teppei Isobe graduated from Visual Arts College Osaka. Started independent filmmaking in 2016. His films have been selected and awarded in many domestic film festivals. In 2019, he established a film production company, belly roll film, with his classmate Jihiko Taniguchi. His first feature film “Mi wa Mirai no Mi (“F is for Future.”) and five other short films were released as “Teppei Isobe's Special Feature” at theaters such as Uplink Kichijoji, Nagoya Cinemascore, and Osaka Cine Nouveau. In 2021, he directed “Tears of Persephone” (starring Shu Watabe and Ayame Goriki), a film commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of Shin-Etsu Broadcasting. He also has several other new films in the pipeline for theatrical release.
On the occasion of 3 of his film streaming at TodoiF, we present 5 of his movies we think deserve a watch, in chronological order.
1. Unscripted Life (2018)
The story begins inside a restaurant, where the employees of a company...
On the occasion of 3 of his film streaming at TodoiF, we present 5 of his movies we think deserve a watch, in chronological order.
1. Unscripted Life (2018)
The story begins inside a restaurant, where the employees of a company...
- 5/22/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA3NTAwZjctYzViNy00ZGI4LWE1NTAtMGM2MDVkMDNlYjk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
From the director's statement: “Misato Namba, an actress, asked me to direct a film she wanted to make with her friends. I had started making independent films a year earlier, and was happy to be asked by someone for the first time, so I immediately said I would do it. They came up with a “horror story set in a school” plot, and Jiro Matsuda, a screenwriter, converted it into a scenario, and then I shot it as I liked, making it various changes on location. Someone else came up with the idea, someone else wrote the script, and then we changed it on the set. It was fun to see how the story kept changing, and I still have fond memories of this film. We had a lot of fun shooting on the location limited within the school, so please enjoy watching the film.”
And Again We Are Going...
And Again We Are Going...
- 5/9/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTZmMThmNmMtZjFlOS00NjU3LWI2NGEtMWQzMTFjNzA4NzI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR235,0,500,281_.jpg)
TodoiF continues to provide streaming service specializing in Japanese independent films since June 2022. We are pleased to announce the launch of our subscription service beginning May 2023. You can enjoy the new service for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. The three new releases this month are “Closet”, “Arano”, and “And Again We are Going Up”. In addition, “Noise,” which has only been available in Asia excluding Japan, is now available in response to audience demand. The film can be viewed from anywhere except Japan, France, Dom-Tom, Monaco, Benelux, and Switzerland.
Later this month, we will start streaming Asato Watanabe’s A Dobugawa Dream, which was selected to Raindance Film Festival 2019.
Watch our films through PC and mobile browsers. iOS and Android apps Coming Soon!
In addition to streaming Japanese independent films, todoiF supports filmmakers by creating English subtitles, selecting appropriate overseas film festivals, and submitting to those film festivals on their behalf.
Later this month, we will start streaming Asato Watanabe’s A Dobugawa Dream, which was selected to Raindance Film Festival 2019.
Watch our films through PC and mobile browsers. iOS and Android apps Coming Soon!
In addition to streaming Japanese independent films, todoiF supports filmmakers by creating English subtitles, selecting appropriate overseas film festivals, and submitting to those film festivals on their behalf.
- 5/4/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Nagi (Nagiko Tsuji) works as a contract employee in Osaka. She takes her first paid holiday but the day before, she is dumped by her lover after they’ve been going out for one year. Suddenly she has no plans so she goes to live shows and participates in gateball. Nagi’s holiday passes as she reunites with someone she used to love and has a big fight.
This is a feature film collaboration, which has been in the works since 2020, between director Teppei Isobe (Cornflakes and F is for the Future) and actress-director Nagiko Tsuji (I Am Jam. Pizza no Wakusei Kiki Ippatsu!). It follows Nagi’s journey as an adult member of society, continuing from the short film The Melancholy of Nagi High School Student Edition, which won awards at the Fukuoka Independent Film Festival in 2020, and the mini drama series The Melancholy of Nagi College Student Edition,...
This is a feature film collaboration, which has been in the works since 2020, between director Teppei Isobe (Cornflakes and F is for the Future) and actress-director Nagiko Tsuji (I Am Jam. Pizza no Wakusei Kiki Ippatsu!). It follows Nagi’s journey as an adult member of society, continuing from the short film The Melancholy of Nagi High School Student Edition, which won awards at the Fukuoka Independent Film Festival in 2020, and the mini drama series The Melancholy of Nagi College Student Edition,...
- 4/19/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDc3OGFmMmYtYWM4Ni00YjMxLTlkNTgtMjRiYjkwZDFkY2IyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Continuing exactly where he left off with “Unscripted Life” to the point that “Overnight Walk” looks some sort of sequel, Teppei Isobe expands on the comments he made in the 2018 short, while adding a number of additional ones and a road trip element.
Overnight Walk is streaming on TodoiF
Using another dinner a restaurant as its basis, Isobe introduces us to a theater crew, where the main topic is about nudity in a play, with one actress having already done it, one being completely negative about it, and one of the protagonists, Sakura, pondering whether she should do it. The fact that she is 27-years-old and her career has not picked up at all, weighs heavily, but the decision is still tormenting her. In the meantime, her boyfriend receives an unexpected visit from her older sister, Yuriko, who has come to Tokyo to see her sister, with the man embarrassing...
Overnight Walk is streaming on TodoiF
Using another dinner a restaurant as its basis, Isobe introduces us to a theater crew, where the main topic is about nudity in a play, with one actress having already done it, one being completely negative about it, and one of the protagonists, Sakura, pondering whether she should do it. The fact that she is 27-years-old and her career has not picked up at all, weighs heavily, but the decision is still tormenting her. In the meantime, her boyfriend receives an unexpected visit from her older sister, Yuriko, who has come to Tokyo to see her sister, with the man embarrassing...
- 7/8/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDc3OGFmMmYtYWM4Ni00YjMxLTlkNTgtMjRiYjkwZDFkY2IyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Winner of Best Picture in the Japanese Short Category in Skip City International D-cinema Festival, as well as in Fukuoka Independent, “Unscripted Life” (aka “Who Knows about my Life”) is a very Japanese short which manages to portray a number of aspects of the life of women in the country in the most amusing way.
Unscripted Life is streaming on TodoiF
The story begins inside a restaurant, where the employees of a company are having dinner with their boss, Mr Sado, who is, however, quite drunk, and quite handsy with one of the female employees, who tries to remain polite while avoiding his “flirting”. Another employee, Junko, gets out of the bathroom only for him to ask her to sleep in her place since the time has passed and there are no trains to take. Her reaction is quite surprising, as she starts running away in all speed a bit later,...
Unscripted Life is streaming on TodoiF
The story begins inside a restaurant, where the employees of a company are having dinner with their boss, Mr Sado, who is, however, quite drunk, and quite handsy with one of the female employees, who tries to remain polite while avoiding his “flirting”. Another employee, Junko, gets out of the bathroom only for him to ask her to sleep in her place since the time has passed and there are no trains to take. Her reaction is quite surprising, as she starts running away in all speed a bit later,...
- 7/7/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjQ3NmRiZGItY2VkNC00NjAxLTg4NjgtNzQzOTIwNjFlY2Y3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Skip City International D-Cinema Festival which started in 2004 in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, has been held every year as a “gateway for emerging talent” centered on the International Competition and the Japanese Film Competition (features and shorts). The festival launched the careers of Kazuya Shiraishi (Lesson in Murder), Ryota Nakano (The Asadas), Shinichiro Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), Shinzo Katayama (Missing) and many other directors who are leading the Japanese film industry as top runners and whose new movies audiences are looking forward to seeing.
The 19th edition will be held both at theaters and online from Saturday, July 16th in Skip City, Kawaguchi City in Saitama, with the physical screenings for the first time in three years since 2019.
On Wednesday, June 15th, a press conference was held to announce the full line-up, with the attendance of President of the Jury for International Competition, Shinobu Terajima (Actress) and President...
The 19th edition will be held both at theaters and online from Saturday, July 16th in Skip City, Kawaguchi City in Saitama, with the physical screenings for the first time in three years since 2019.
On Wednesday, June 15th, a press conference was held to announce the full line-up, with the attendance of President of the Jury for International Competition, Shinobu Terajima (Actress) and President...
- 6/16/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTJkM2RkNjgtMmFlZi00MWJjLTk2YjgtNzFjODYzMzQ4OTU1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR70,0,500,281_.jpg)
A style of films that somewhat strays away from the family dramas is the one that, instead of “normal” people, focuses on the “losers” of society, a concept that has given us great efforts like “Lowlife Love” for example. Teppei Isobe tries his hand with such characters, in a rather interesting indie production.
Cornflakes screened at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Miho is an insurance salesperson who occasionally even indulges in the tricks of the profession, along with a hopeless rookie they have assigned to her for training, a young girl who tries to save money to go to Tokyo and become an actress. Miho has been living for six years with her boyfriend, Yuya, a former member of a band that has now disbanded, and now works in a rundown record shop along with two other colleagues. Yuya is not ready to give up on music, but is also...
Cornflakes screened at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Miho is an insurance salesperson who occasionally even indulges in the tricks of the profession, along with a hopeless rookie they have assigned to her for training, a young girl who tries to save money to go to Tokyo and become an actress. Miho has been living for six years with her boyfriend, Yuya, a former member of a band that has now disbanded, and now works in a rundown record shop along with two other colleagues. Yuya is not ready to give up on music, but is also...
- 1/12/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzA0NTU3MTgtOGVhZC00MmNkLWIyYWQtN2UzYzg3Y2FlNTA5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Anshul Chauhan’s Kontora won best picture in the feature film category of the Japanese Film Competition.
Maria Sodahl’s Hope received the Grand Prize in the International Competition of this year’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival in Japan, which took place virtually and wrapped on October 4.
The Norway-Sweden co-production, which is based on the director’s own experiences, tells the story of a woman with six children waiting to receive a cancer diagnosis. “I thought the director herself is asking the question of ‘living’ by snuggling up with the protagonist,” said Japanese filmmaker Masa Sawada, who served as jury president.
Maria Sodahl’s Hope received the Grand Prize in the International Competition of this year’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival in Japan, which took place virtually and wrapped on October 4.
The Norway-Sweden co-production, which is based on the director’s own experiences, tells the story of a woman with six children waiting to receive a cancer diagnosis. “I thought the director herself is asking the question of ‘living’ by snuggling up with the protagonist,” said Japanese filmmaker Masa Sawada, who served as jury president.
- 10/5/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
![Sol Kyung-gu, Son Ye-jin, and Kim Sang-kyung in The Tower (2012)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzEyNTIzODI5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzI1MTAzMjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Sol Kyung-gu, Son Ye-jin, and Kim Sang-kyung in The Tower (2012)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzEyNTIzODI5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzI1MTAzMjE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
“The Tower,” Mats Grorud’s animation about the plight of the Palestinians, as viewed through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl in Beirut, won the grand prize in the international competition at the 16th edition of Skip City International D-Cinema Festival. The film also scooped the section’s audience award.
The Skip City festival, which launched in 2004 to promote the then-new medium of digital cinema, played July 16-21 in Kawaguchi, a suburb of Tokyo and the site of the Skip City media complex.
In the Japanese feature film competition the best picture winner was “Sacrifice,” a drama by first-timer Taku Tsuboi that focuses on strange incidents at a college – and a female student who was once a member of a religious cult.
In the same competition the Skip City Award went to “F Is for Future,” Teppei Isobe’s drama about an aimless high school boy who finds a purpose...
The Skip City festival, which launched in 2004 to promote the then-new medium of digital cinema, played July 16-21 in Kawaguchi, a suburb of Tokyo and the site of the Skip City media complex.
In the Japanese feature film competition the best picture winner was “Sacrifice,” a drama by first-timer Taku Tsuboi that focuses on strange incidents at a college – and a female student who was once a member of a religious cult.
In the same competition the Skip City Award went to “F Is for Future,” Teppei Isobe’s drama about an aimless high school boy who finds a purpose...
- 7/23/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
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