Japan Pitch Session
AfroCannes × Japan - A New Chapter in Global Storytelling
Presented by Atmovie Global TracK with the Agency for Cultural Affairs and
administered by the Japan Arts Council - Founded by Producer Mr Moriya Takeshi
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 2.30 PM to 3.15 PM
RSVP (Open by May 2nd, 2026)
Project Title
Her Voice
Genre
Drama / Musical
Synopsis
A teenage girl who was sent to a girls' juvenile detention center joins a program to create an original musical, forcing her to confront others with honesty for the first time and take her first real step into society. But when the performance is cancelled after a tragedy, she must decide whether to remain silent for early release or risk losing her chance at early release to finally speak the truth.
Format
Feature Film
Status
Pre-production
Director
SHUN SEKI
Project Title
My Missing Half
Genre
Black comedy/ Horror
Synopsis
A runaway manananggal (Filipino vampire with detachable body) desperate to live as a human goes on a road trip to find her stolen lower half with a hung-up ex, a Catholic priest ghost, a wandering Japanese spirit, and a drag queen. But along the way, she realizes reclaiming her body means embracing the monster she has spent her life trying to hide.
Format
Road Movie / Identity Drama
Status
Pre-production
Director
TOMOMI FURUYAMA
Project Title
Their Own Sake
Genre
Human Drama
Synopsis
A Japanese sake brewer seeking a place to belong ends up in his Navajo wife’s desert hometown, where the water refuses him and the land is not the only thing that has run dry.
Format
Feature Film | Inspired by a true story
Status
Pre-production
Director
SOJI ARAI
Project Title
Almost Goodbye
Genre
Drama
Synopsis
Each night, a reclusive man pretends to be a successful version of himself at a convenience store, until he unexpectedly runs into former classmates who know the truth about him, destroying the illusion that has helped him survive.
Format
Feature Film
Status
Pre-production
Director
YOSHIMI JOYA
Project Title
Portrait of Absence
Genre
Drama / Road Movie
Synopsis
When a middle-aged woman learns that her best friend has gone missing in Hungary, she sets out across borders with two estranged friends to find her. As their search deepens, it draws them into something harder to face: the lives they gave up, the truths they buried, and the cost of having looked away.
Format
Feature Film
Status
Pre-production
Director
SACHIKO MIYASE
