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“Night Feeds,” a psychological horror short from Rana Roy starring May Calamawy (“Moon Knight”), will open the first edition of the Yami International Film Festival, Tokyo’s new showcase for horror and darker genre
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“Breeder,” from Alex Goyette, will close the festival, which runs Nov. 20–26 at Human Trust Cinema Shibuya.
The event is run by Yami Inc., a Japanese company known for horror exhibitions and other genre-themed attractions. Its goal is to introduce Japanese audiences to new horror filmmakers from home and abroad. An open call ran from late May to the end of August and brought in 182 entries from 40 countries and territories. Six features were picked for the feature competition and eight shorts for the short competition.
Yami chose to open with a short and close with a feature. The organizers believe both formats will shape where the genre goes next.
“Night Feeds” was made at the American Film Institute. It follows a new mother whose isolation and anxiety become tangled up with dread about a war in the world outside, until it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s a nightmare. Calamawy’s credits also include Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy.”
“Breeder” is a horror thriller that mixes dark comedy with scares in a story built around breeding. Dot-Marie Jones, a multiple Emmy nominee for “Glee,” plays Patti, a character pushed close to madness.
Roy and Goyette will both travel to Tokyo to sit on the jury. Japanese actress Sukezane Kiki, whose international credits include “Heroes Reborn,” “Lost in Space” and “Westworld,” completes the three-person panel.
The feature competition includes two Asian premieres: Zoe Berriatúa’s Spanish title “Buffet Libre” and Abner Pastoll’s South Korea-U.K. co-production “Nervous.” The other four features will have their Japan premieres. On the shorts side, Rick Kawanaka’s Japanese entry “The Pot” will be the festival’s only world premiere. Katagiri Eriko’s “When You Open the Door” will screen as a special presentation.
Producer Wada Arihiro (“Silver Express,” “Fujiko”) is the festival director and also heads programming.
“Physical terror, psychological horror, the unease lurking beneath the everyday, and dark humor. The films presented at Yami each explore ‘fear’ in their own distinctive ways,” Wada said. “Rather than simply fitting within the boundaries of established genres, we sought out films that unsettle the senses, challenge expectations, and reveal new forms of fear. Come to Shibuya, Tokyo, and experience the cutting edge of horror from around the world.”
The lineup:
Feature Competition
“Species,” Marion Le Corroller (France, Belgium)
“Buffet Libre,” Zoe Berriatúa (Spain)
“Hold to Death: Hand in Hand,” Alex Wang (Taiwan)
“Gaua,” Paul Urkijo Alijo (Spain, U.S.)
“Nervous,” Abner Pastoll (South Korea, U.K.)
“No Rest for the Wicked,” Kasper Kalle (Denmark, Iceland)
Short Competition
“Idols,” Matt Halsall (South Korea, Japan, U.K.)
“The Pot,” Rick Kawanaka (Japan)
“Dormant,” Cris Gavrilova (Russia)
“Bestiary,” Anne Zinn-Justin (France)
“Amira,” Javier Yañez Sanz (Spain)
“Hollow Paths,” Francesco Madeo (Italy)
“Floor,” Jo Bareun (South Korea)
“Happy,” Victor Basallote (Spain)
Opening Film
“Night Feeds,” Rana Roy (U.S.)
Closing Film
“Breeder,” Alex Goyette (U.S., Canada)
Special Screening
“When You Open the Door,” Katagiri Eriko (Japan)
