The Japan Film Program is organized by the Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC) in partnership with Towson University College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Dean’s Office , along with the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University and its Director, Joanna Pecore. Films are hosted by and from the private collection of Reed Hessler, longtime host on WBJC.
Unless otherwise noted, all film screenings are at 1pm ET and take place at the Towson University Center for the Arts, Art Lecture Hall, Room 2032, 7700 Osler Drive, Towson, MD 21204 .
Screenings are free but registration is required. To register, find the film on Asian Arts & Culture Center’s event page or on the Baltimore-Kawasaki Committee’s events page and click the registration link next to the film.
Japan Film Program – Fall Semester
September 27, 2025
The Funeral (お葬式) 1984, dir. by Juzo Itami
Tradition collides with chaos as a family gathers to honor the dead. With quiet humor and sharp insight, Itami’s debut turns ceremony into something far more revealing.
October 25, 2025
Tampopo (タンポポ) 1985, dir. by Juzo Itami
A roadside ramen shop becomes the stage for an unforgettable quest. Playful, sensual, and slyly subversive — Itami stirs a cinematic feast that defies categories.
November 15, 2025
A Story from Chikamatsu (近松物語) 1954, dir. by Kenji Mizoguchi
In this 1954 historical drama, the rigid world of Edo-era Kyoto, desire crosses dangerous lines. Mizoguchi crafts a haunting vision of love and fate, where every choice carries the weight of ruin.
Japan Film Program – Spring Semester
February 15, 2025
Our Neighbor Miss Yae
隣の八重ちゃん Tonari no Yae-chan
This 1934 classic comedy-drama—which film historian, Alexander Jacoby, called a “subtle, charming, funny and bittersweet story of family life”—depicts the intertwining lives of suburban neighbors. Warm your heart with the flirtations of young love, while empathizing with the tensions and uncertainty of a complicated marriage. (black and white) Directed by Yasujiro Shimazu. 76 minutes.
April 19, 2025
The Hidden Fortress
隠し砦の三悪人 Kakushi Toride no San Akunin
Join us in marveling at this beautiful, imaginative, funny, tender, and sophisticated Kurosawa jewel. Critic, Armond White, called this 1958 period adventure film an “epic of self-discovery and heroic action.” (black and white) Directed by Akira Kurosawa. 126 minutes.
June 21, 2025
The End of Summer
小早川家の秋
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu. 103 minutes.
July 19, 2025
Flowing
流れる Nagareru
This 1956 classic drama depicts women in postwar Japan through the lens of a geisha house that is struggling financially. Based on a novel by Aya Koda, the film illuminates how a “family” of women navigates tensions between tradition and modernity. (black and white) Directed by Mikio Naruse. 117 minutes.
