Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2025
Network Round Features
Monday, 2nd June - Sunday, 8th June
1. THE BLUE LOTUS
Director/Writer/Producer: TOWFIQUE ELAHI
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Synopsis: Nila doesn’t know her self-identity. She doesn’t know whether she was a foundling child or sold out to the brothel at her child age. After eloping from the brothel, she finds a job in a garment factory in Dhaka with the help of one of her customers whom she trusted. She wants to give birth her unexpected unborn child and start a new normal life forgetting the past. Does the male dominated society allow her to live a normal life who was a prostitute once?
2. REPUBLIC
Director: JIANG JIN
Country of Origin: China
Synopsis: Eryang and his friends who come and go at Republic live a carefree life. Day in and day out, they smoke, drink, play music, and talk about their ideals under the psychedelic lights. They waste their days with passion, like moths flying straight into flames. In them we see the epitome of youth. Republic also takes in homeless “Cosmos Brothers” who tend to stay for weeks. There seems to be no concept of time or real-life worries. But here comes a disturbing finding: their reckless revelries are mainly supported by Eryang's heavy online loans. It becomes a vicious circle that the debts are repaid by more loans. A change in himself must be taken against the realities, and meanwhile what will Republic’s future be… Filmed at a secret place in the center of Beijing, Republic reveals an unexplored facet of contemporary China.
3. Bora
Director/Writer: Zuzana Marianková
Director: Marek Najbrt
Writers: Zuzana Marianková,Zdeněk Jecelín,
Producers: Michal Reitler,Tomáš Grombíř,Ondřej Zima,Silvie Michajlova
Country of Origin: Czech Republic
Synopsis: When the murder of a foreign visitor leads to the discovery of a cryptic note at the scene, Detective Eric Larson and Captain Frank Revon are tasked with solving the case. As time presses, their investigation intensifies with more mysterious deaths springing up across the city. Cornered and challenged, Eric must use his vast knowledge of history and ciphers to crack the enigma and unmask the assailants.
4. #TwoMoms
Director/Producer: SATOKO NAGAMURA
Country of Origin: Japan
Synopsis: This documentary follows four female same-sex couples in Japan as they build their families through assisted reproductive technology. Each couple faces discrimination and legal challenges, and the film portrays the common joys and struggles of becoming parents, as well as the additional trials of being an LGBTQ+ family in modern Japan. Uniquely, this film is shot by a lesbian mother who is also navigating her own journey through parenthood. It invites viewers to reflect on the hidden diversity of families within Japanese society.
5. Freak?
Directed & Written by: German L'varty
Country of Origin: Russian Federation
Synopsis: A flamboyant guy Gera lives his jolly life without restrictions or rules. He dreams of becoming an actor. The script was written in his childhood, where the stepfather was his main critic, the mother was a teacher giving strange tasks, and the toilet was his customary bedroom. Gera loves dogs and hates the name “Nadya”.
A dizzying mix of stories - joy and grief, betrayal and love, lightness and tension - in which the psyche plays hide and seek.
