1. Dear Pyongyang (Dear Pyongyang)
Dear Pyongyang is a documentary film by Zainichi Korean director Yang Yong-hi about her own family. It was shot in Osaka Japan and Pyongyang, North Korea, In the 1970s, Yang's father, an ardent communist and leader of the pro-North movement in Japan, sent his three sons from Japan to North Korea under a repatriation campaign sponsored by ethnic activist organisation and de facto North Korean embassy Chongryon; as the only daughter, Yang herself remained in Japan. However, as the economic situation in the North deteriorated, the brothers became increasingly dependent for survival on the care packages sent by their parents. The film shows Yang's visits to her brothers in Pyongyang, as well as conversations with her father about his ideological faith and his regrets over breaking up his family.
It has an average vote of 6.7 on TMDB.
2. The Belovs (Беловы)
Portrait of a troubled peasant family. The film tells the story of two times widow Anna Belova who lives together with her brother Mikhail. Blending the two personalities, Kosakovsky characterizes the true Russian soul: she is the rational worker, honest and strong - he is the drunken poet, the idealist, his philosophy fades into radical nonsense time after time.
It has an average vote of 4.7 on TMDB.
3. Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo)
Untangling the web of cultural and historical ties underlying Japan's deep fascination with insects.
It has an average vote of 5.6 on TMDB.
4. Shinjuku Boys (Shinjuku Boys)
This documentary is set in the New Marilyn night club in Tokyo, Japan - where the hosts are transgender men. They can only make their living as hosts in a nightclub with other wannabes like them. The young women who come there often have relationships with them but the underlying fear is whether such a relationship can withstand the pressures on a girl to get married and have children. All three boys deal with this in different ways. These three hosts, the Shinjuku Boys, take us into their lives.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
5. Toypunks
Toypunks is a documentary film series covering the converging world of Japanese toys, fashion and punk rock. Exploring the birth of the designer vinyl explosion from its roots in character culture and punk music, Toypunks takes you in-depth with Japanese fashion icon, Hikaru Iwanaga, creator of the worlds first designer toy. Frank Kozik, Hiddy Kinoshita of Secret Base, Balzac, Three Tides Tattoo and more are interviewed highlighting profound cross-cultural connections between todays top creative talents in toys and fashion.
6. The Russian Revolution
Starting in 1881 this film shows the personal battle between Lenin's Ulyanov family and the royal Romanovs that eventually led to the Russian revolution.
It has an average vote of 6.4 on TMDB.
7. Battle of Okinawa in Color
By mid-1945, Hitler is dead and the war has ended in Europe. Halfway around the world, however, the fighting is still going strong on a small island in the Pacific. Okinawa was the site of the last battle of the last great war of the 20th century, with a casualty rate in the tens of thousands. Through it all, military cameramen risked their lives to film the conflict, from brutal land combat to fierce kamikaze attacks at sea. See the footage they captured and experience this intense battle the way the soldiers saw it -- in color.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
8. Queer Japan (Queer Japan)
Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to live unconventional lives in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ+ culture in contemporary Japan.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
9. Cat Nation
A journey into the unique, often bizarre, world of Japanese cat culture. Cat themed cafes, bars, temples, cat islands, cats with human jobs, cat friendly businesses, and the origins of the iconic beckoning cat statue.
It has an average vote of 6.667 on TMDB.
10. Hiroshima
The documentary recounts the world's first nuclear attack and examines the alarming repercussions. Covering a three-week period from the Trinity test to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the program chronicles America's political gamble and the planning for the momentous event. Archival film, dramatizations, and special effects feature what occurred aboard the Enola Gay and inside the exploding bomb.
It has an average vote of 7.083 on TMDB.
11. Space Dogs (Space Dogs)
Laika, a stray dog, was the first living being to be sent into space and thus to a certain death. A legend says that she returned to Earth as a ghost and still roams the streets of Moscow alongside her free-drifting descendants. While shooting this film, the directors little by little realised that they knew the street dogs only as part of our human world; they have never looked at humans as a part of the dogs’ world.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
12. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Jiro Dreams of Sushi)
Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.
It has an average vote of 7.774 on TMDB.
13. Pearl Jam: Sponsored By No One
The Pearl Jam Movie!! That’s right. Made in 1995 by the band when Jack Irons was drummer and filmed over the course of their 1995 Far-East tour in Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand…it’s half tour documentary and half movie. This movie was apparently scrapped by the band at the final mixing stage for some unknown reason, seems completely unedited/uncut. It full of really wild and weird little skits by the band , airplane, backstage & soundcheck footage of all the band members, the band on the streets & taking in the culture of the countries they’re visiting.
14. Samurai Japan: The Story Behind the WBC Clean Sweep
Samurai Japan won the 2023 World Baseball Classic for the first time in 14 years, and went all the way to the final undefeated. In addition to the never-before-seen footage of the team, the film also includes interviews with Manager Hideki Kuriyama, players, coaches, and team staff. What is the truth behind the glory and the suffering of the people involved?
15. Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
In the center of the story is the life of the indigenous people of the village Bakhtia at the river Yenisei in the Siberian Taiga. The camera follows the protagonists in the village over a period of a year. The natives, whose daily routines have barely changed over the last centuries, keep living their lives according to their own cultural traditions.
It has an average vote of 7.3 on TMDB.
16. KANASHII YOKAN: The Life and Legacy of Yukiko Okada
Thirty years ago, idol Okada Yukiko jumped off the Sun Music agency building in a desperate attempt to take her own life. Unfortunately, she was successful. Outside of Japan, not much is known about Yukko, aside from her music and her death. In this documentary series, we will document her short life in its entirety, beginning from her birth and ending with her legacy beyond death.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
17. The Witches of the Orient (Les Sorcières de l’Orient)
The Japanese volleyball players called the “Oriental Witches” are now in their 70s. From the formation of the team at the factory until their victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, memories and legends rise to the surface and blend inextricably.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
18. Kampai! Sake Sisters (カンパイ！日本酒に恋した女たち)
Sake is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Japan and is otherwise known as rice wine. Women were prohibited from entering the many large and small sake breweries dotting Japan for centuries. However, times have changed and women are present on the sake scene today. In several cases, they are integral to the Japanese brewery business. The documentary depicts women who are not only enthusiasts, but also leaving their marks on the evolution of this Japanese mainstay.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
19. Kochuu (Kochuu)
A film about modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition and its impact on the Nordic building-tradition. Winding its way through visions of the future, traditions, nature, concrete, gardens and high-tech, KOCHUU tells us how contemporary Japanese architects strive to unite the ways of modern man with the old philosophies in astounding constructions. Interviews with, and works by, Japanese architects Tadad Ando, Kisho Kurokawa, Toyo Ito and Kazuo Shinohara and Scandinavian architects Sverre Fehn, Kristian Gullichsen and Juhani Pallasmaa.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
20. Sakura Petals: The Samurai
In 'Sakura Petals: The Samurai' we leave to the South and we stop in Kurashiki, one of the few cities in Japan that was not bombed during the WW2, preserving its original architecture. Further we visit Okayama, with its reconstructed Crow Castle and the beautiful garden, one of the top three gardens in Japan. We go later to Nagasaki and visit the Memorial Park and its beautiful row of Buddhist temples, and to Hagi where is the best preserved samurai quarter and traditional houses. We end up the tour in the holy island of Miya Jima full of roaming deers, where is one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan, watching in the night the tide covering the famous floating Tori.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
