Whirlwind

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire(en)

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices-- the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world.

Outlaw King(en)

Forced into exile by the English after being crowned King of Scotland, legendary warrior Robert the Bruce fights to reclaim the throne.

Samurai Cat: The Movie(ja)

The ever versatile Kazuki Kitamura stars as masterless samurai Kyutaro Madarame, a feared swordsman who has fallen on hard times in old Edo. Caught between two warring gangs in an epic battle of cat lovers and dog lovers, he begrudgingly accepts the canine faction's offer to assassinate the opposite leader's beloved pet: an adorable white cat. Yet upon raising his lethal sword, he cannot bring himself to go through with the act, and the cat melts his ronin heart. But before finding peace as a newly minted cat person, the still fearsome Madarame will have to take on both gangs in a classic samurai street brawl.

Shogun's Samurai(ja)

Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu's mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.

Hanzo the Razor: The Snare(ja)

Against the backdrop of the Edo treasury devaluing currency and driving many into poverty, Hanzo Itami enforces the law without regard to status. He shows inadequate respect to the treasurer, who wants him dead.

Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold?(ja)

Hanzo extracts a confession from a ghost using his assaulting methods, foils thieves, connects with Heisuke Takei a friend from his youth, offers protection to a forward-thinking physician Genan Sugino who has defamed his ruler, discovers a pleasure ring of young wives and a blind music teacher, and cuckolds a corrupt official under his very nose.

The Young Victoria(en)

As the only legitimate heir of England's King William, teenage Victoria gets caught up in the political machinations of her own family. Victoria's mother wants her to sign a regency order, while her Belgian uncle schemes to arrange a marriage between the future monarch and Prince Albert, the man who will become the love of her life.

New Tale of Zatoichi(ja)

Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.

Zatoichi the Fugitive(ja)

After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.

Earth(hi)

It's 1947 and the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl bears witnesses to tragedy as her ayah is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade(ja)

Even though Gennosuke and Oboro are from rival ninja villages, they are secretly in love. At an annual conference with the Lord, it is dictated that a competition--a fight to the death--will take place between the five best shinobi from each village. Gennosuke and Oboro's love is made even more impossible when they each got picked as the leader of the five to represent their respective villages.

Kagemusha(ja)

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

Sukiyaki Western Django(ja)

A nameless gunfighter arrives in a town ripped apart by rival gangs and, though courted by both to join, chooses his own path.

The Black Hooded Man 5(ja)

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx(ja)

In the second film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must assassinate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.

Lunchroom Ninja(en)

The village samurai has been tasked by the town fame Mr. Feast to track down a thieving ninja, but he soon uncovers the gritty truth...

Izo(ja)

Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.

Geisha Assassin(ja)

One rainy night in the Edo period, Kotono (a geisha) confronts samurais who killed her father. The samurais attack her one after another, but she fights hard against samurais with her sword. Kotono tries to chase the samurais who scramble to escape. Yet now three ninjas stand up against her. Kotono drops her sword by their wave of assaults. Can she beat them?

Jirocho Rises in Fame(ja)

The rise of the famed gambler.

The Lord Takes a Bride(ja)

Young Lord Gentaro (Otomo Ryutaro) takes a journey to Edo in search of his future wife. Easier said than done, evil forces lurk in Edo and Gentaro must use his phenomenal sword skills to overcome the evil and find the love of his life. Another must have for fans of the great Otomo Ryutaro. And don't let the "silly" English title fool you, this is a great movie!

The Way to the Heart(en)

Ava, an award-winning chef at a big-city restaurant, has lost her spark. Her boss sends her out to find herself to save her menu and her job. She returns home and finds little to inspire her, but when she reunites with her childhood friend Logan, Ava has to get her head out of the clouds and her foot out of her mouth to rediscover her passion for food.

Kolobok(ru)

A collection of cartoons, each of which is a uniquely decorated folk tale.

Red(pt)

Swimming in the Sea(fr)

Several little boys run along a pier, then jump into the ocean.

East of Main Street: Asians Aloud(en)

In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, HBO presents a collection of perspectives from a diverse group of Asian Americans.

64: Part 2(ja)

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 Department. His relation with the reporters is conflicted and his own daughter is missing. The statute of limitations for the Case 64 will expire in one year. Then a kidnapping case, similar to the Case 64, takes place. The rift between the criminal investigation department and police administration department deepens. Mikami challenges the case as a public relations secretary.

Wad(en)

The Dutch 'Wad' (coastal mud flats) is a strange place. At low tide, many square miles of mud flats surface between the mainland and the northern islands. The Netherlands grow and shrink with the movement of the moon. Sudden incoming tide make these flats 'sea' again, sometimes drowning hikers by surprise. The Wad does not know what to make of itself. Land, see, mud, ocean floor... Two characters (and their dog) are stranded there in that desolate place. The only dramatic elements in this comical short are the sea, the wind, the sand and a lonely sea gull. Drawn in mud and tar on wet sandpaper.

What's New Scooby-Doo? Vol. 4: Merry Scary Holiday(en)

A perfect ski vacation heads downhill in Winter Hollow, where any mention of Christmas unleashes the feared Headless Snowman. It's "A Scooby Doo Christmas" when Scooby-Doo and crew set out to melt the ferocious Frosty and save the holiday. It's no fun in "Toy Scary Boo" when all the toys in Happy Toyland start coming alive and wreaking havoc. In "Homeward Hound," a fiercely fanged cat creature petrifies the competing pooches at a dog show, including the visiting Scooby-Doo! Finally, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo's wildest dreams come true when they win a tour of Munchville, home of Scooby Snax dough and it spells out a "Recipe for Disaster."

Panda(da)

Jacob’s dream is to be a rap artist, so he works on a song that will give him the big breakthrough. To his big frustration, his dreams are tested every time his roomie Adam gets a visit from his girlfriend Frederikke. And through a journey of unforeseen events Jacob meets additional challenges that test his working discipline.

Balas & Bolinhos: O Regresso(pt)

A group of friends meet after some years apart and decide to go on a treasure hunt.

The Evil Marriage(ur)

Once upon a time, in a far away, across the dark jungle, a castle in the sky, there lived a king of Evils with his evil guards. One day, one of his magicians showed the magic mirror and shows a beautiful human girl in this mirror, and told that if he wants to continue to be a king he must marry this girl. The story of "The Evil Marriage movie" revolves around the character of "Nur" (a human girl) who was kidnapped by the Evil's king guards and took her to unfamiliar world where she will have to marry the evil in order for others to live. But, there is someone who sneaks into the dark jungle to reach the evil castle and rescues her.

Kikaider REBOOT(ja)

In the near future, the “ARK Project” has initiated a program to increase the quality of human life through the peaceful use of robots. Dr. Komyoji, the chief scientist on the project, has developed a process to create a robot with a figurative human “heart” through the installation of a “conscience circuit”, but his plans are violently opposed by researcher Gilbert Kanzaki. When Dr. Komyoji is killed in an apparent accident, his children Masaru and Mitsuko are targeted by mysterious forces within the ARK Project looking to gain control of the scientist’s research data. But the villains are opposed by Jiro, the android with a human conscience who fights for justice as the hero Kikaider.

Hello(en)

Hello explores changes in two people’s working lives: a Mexican trash picker who separates and collects recyclable materials from landfills to sell by the kilo, and a German freelance computer-animation designer working for the advertising industry in Berlin. The double interview is controlled and manipulated by a computer-generated severed hand which Maria describes as an object once discovered in the trash while working in the violent northern town of Mexicali. This CGI hand was in turn produced by Max, who was born with no arms, and sought refuge in computer-imaging as a means to operate and manipulate a digital reality.

Red(tl)

Red, a shy orphan who spent most of his childhood in a girly bar, grew up to be the town's best fixer. When a rich kid was gunned down in a drug bust that went wrong, Red was hired by Art, a spoiled socialite, to fix the mess.

Stanley and Livingstone(en)

When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian wars, his editor James Gordon Bennett sends him to Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone, the missing Scottish missionary. Stanley finds Livingstone ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume.") blissfully doling out medicine and religion to the happy natives. His story is at first disbelieved.

Goodbye CP(ja)

Kazuo Hara follows the lives and activities of Yokota Hiroshi and Yokozuka Koichi, members of an activist group made up of people with cerebral palsy.

Mist(en)

Silence dominates the work, as does the screen rectangle, which cuts off the “image” from a life time-space continuum and imposes upon the image its particular character. Within it, there is a play between tonalities, textures, large and small shapes.

The Outlaw John Connolly(en)

A wanted man flees from an oncoming posse that is after him, dead or alive.