People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind

ぬいぐるみとしゃべる人はやさしい
Nuigurumi to Shaberu Hito wa Yasashi

U.S. Premiere. An adaptation of the Ao Omae novella of the same name, People Who Talk to Plushies are Kind is a warm and comforting alternative to the typical youth film. Concentrating on a trio of college students, Plushies tracks their extracurricular immersion into the student-run Plushies Club. A safe haven for withdrawn and sensitive youths who prefer the company of stuffed animals, the students find differing qualities in the reflective space as director Yurina Kaneko confronts issues of masculinity, gender and acceptance in contemporary society.

Dir. Yurina Kaneko, 2023, 109 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kanata Hosoda, Ren Komai, Yuzumi Shintani.

Part of JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film 2023
July 26—August 6, 2023

JAPAN CUTS is the largest showcase of contemporary Japanese cinema in North America and an annual highlight of New York’s cinema scene.

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Image: © 2023 Iha Films.

JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film is generously supported by Shiseido Americas and The Globus Family. Additional support is provided by Sapporo U.S.A. and BentOn.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, David Toberisky, and Friends of Film. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the exclusive official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film. Housing assistance is provided by the Kitano Hotel, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film.

Special Thanks to Joel Neville Anderson; Emi Ueyama (ARTicle Films); Yasuyuki Nagano (ColorBird Inc); Yuko Takagi (FreeStone Productions); Moeko Fujii; Keiko Yoshida (Gaga Corp.); Saori Takenaka (Geidai); Chance Huskey (GKIDS); Pearl Chan (Good Move Media); Eugene Harng; Toshiyuki Hasegawa; Miki Zeze (Kadokawa Corp.); KENTARO (KTRFILMS); Akiko Uchida (King Records); Maki Shimizu (Kino Films); Elizabeth Lennard; Ayako Ito (Nagoya); Mami Furukawa and Umi Yamamoto (Nikkatsu); Gerald Abraham (Okamoto Kitchen); Shinji Sakoda; Mark Schilling; Dan Sullivan; Adam Torel (Third Window Films); Shiori Takata (Toei Co. Ltd); Sam van der Meer; Makoto Kawamura (Voice); Kousuke Ono (Wa Entertainment, Inc.); K.F. Watanabe; Akiko Yano.