The Scythian Lamb 
Dwindling port town of Uobuka decides to welcome six strangers into the community in an effort to mitigate its population decline.
Unassuming city official Hajime Tsukisue (Ryo Nishikido) is put in charge of the welcoming committee, making sure that the outsiders settle in well. Before long, his initially friendly attitude begins to wane as he discovers that the motley crew of newcomers have a chequered past and uneasiness begins to creep over the town’s residents. He soon discovers that the mysterious six are being rehabilitated as part of the government’s new parole initiative. But as the strangers begin to infiltrate the town, establishing relationships with the locals, inexplicable things being to occur.
Blending dark humour and taut suspense, director Daihachi Yoshida studies the human condition in his adaptation of a thriller manga by the maestro team of Yamagami Tatsuhiko and Igarashi Mikio.
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2019 features thoughtfully selected titles from Japan, all focusing on the theme of ‘Love’ and never before screened in the UK.
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Born Bone Born
On the anniversary of their matriarch’s passing, the Shinjo family congregate in their ancestral village on remote Okinawan island of Aguni. In line with the ancient tradition practiced on the island, the family must carry out a senkotsu – or a bone washing ceremony – by exhuming the remains and ritualistically cleansing them.
Three Stories of Love
Offering a glimpse into the microcosm of relationships within Japanese society, three vignettes tell very different stories of love, loss and rejection.