Japanese Film Festival 2021 - Our 30-Minute Sessions

The Embassy of Japan, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation, is very pleased to announce the return of the Japanese Film Festival to Wellington!

The Japanese Film Festival is an annual event held to encourage the growth of Japanese culture and understanding in New Zealand. Each year, we try to give the people of New Zealand some insight into the culture, customs, and traditions of Japan, alongside what is popular with Japanese society today, through film.

All films will be in Japanese with English subtitles.

Title: Our 30-Minute Sessions
Director: Kentaro Hagiwara
Released: 2020
Running Time: 114 minutes
Rated: M

When quiet college student Sota picks up a cassette tape he gets a surprise when he tries to play it back: his body is taken over by Aki, the owner of the tape, who died in an accident the previous year! When the tape is played, Aki gets to take over Sota's body for just 30 minutes – the length of recording on the cassette tape. Reserved Sota, who doesn’t like to interact with others, and outgoing Aki, who wants to reunite his old band and bring a smile to his girlfriend’s face, try to work together for mutual benefit, learning about each other along the way. Our 30-Minute Sessions is a funny and heart-warming film which highlights the importance of human connection and music.

Embassy of Japan in New Zealand.