25th New York Asian Film Festival

July 10-26, 2026

FilmsGuestsTalks & EventsSchedule & Tickets
North American Premiere

Fujiko

Shizuoka, 1977: a Japan still telling women where they belong, and a young mother who refuses to listen. Fujiko gives birth during a storm and a hospital blackout, and within months her in-laws have taken her baby. She wins her daughter Mari back, and sets out to raise her alone through low-paid work, scarce childcare, and the judgment of nearly everyone around her. Yuki Katayama plays Fujiko at full volume, swearing and laughing her way through what another film would stage as martyrdom. Taichi Kimura builds this female-emancipation story like a rock song: angry, alive, profane, impossible to keep down. FUJIKO took the audience award at Udine's Far East Film Festival, then again at Nippon Connection. It plays like gangbusters.

Director: Taichi Kimura
Producers: MEGUMI, Takuma Hiramatsu, Masahiko Sato
Screenwriters: Shota Gajin, Saki Kuniyoshi
Cast: Yuki Katayama, Lily Franky, YOU, Issey Ogata, MEGUMI
Languages: Japanese with English Subtitles
2026; 95 min.; DCP
Country: Japan

SCHEDULE:

Friday July 24, 6:15pm
SVA Theatre

Intro and Q&A with director Taichi Kimura

Taichi Kimura
木村太一

Taichi is a visionary filmmaker born in Tokyo who moved to the UK alone at just 12 years old to pursue studies in filmmaking. His directorial journey began with the self-produced short film Lost Youth (2016), followed by his feature film debut Afterglows (2023) which earned him the Best Director Award at the Asia Film Festival Barcelona 2024. His reputation as an accomplished music video director spans continents, having collaborated with prominent artists like Chase & Status and Kano in the UK, as well as King Gnu, Namedaruma, and One OK Rock in Japan. In 2025, he achieved the distinction of being the only Japanese director selected among 150 filmmakers from 45 countries to contribute to Coldplay's groundbreaking omnibus music video project "We Play.". He is presenting his lastest feature, the NYAFF 2026 Uncaged Award-nominated Fujiko.