I am what I am

In the organizer's words:

Director: TAMADA Shinya
2022, 104 min, OmU
Genres: Drama, LGBTQ+

Kasumi is 30 years old and has given up her dream of becoming a professional cellist. She lives with her parents and grandmother again and works in a boring job at a call center.

Kasumi's mother is desperate to marry Kasumi off, but Kasumi has no interest in romance or marriage. Few people seem to understand that Kasumi does not feel lonely. When she meets an old friend one day, she is given the strength to face the truths about how she wants to live her life. A humanistic drama that does not take conservative views on romance and values for granted and deals with a contemporary issue of trying to live a life with more freedom and less prejudice.

MIURA Toko, who played the driver in Drive My Car (2021, directed by HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke) and won the Japan Academy Film Award for Young Actors, plays Kasumi. MAEDA Atsuko, formerly one of the front women of the popular J-pop group AKB48 and now an actress, plays Kasumi's understanding girlfriend. The film's director, TAMADA Shinya, runs his own theater group and is also known for his talent for making films that sensitively portray the psychology of people in complicated human relationships.

Japanese Film Festival Online 2024

The JFF Online is back in Germany!

The Japan Foundation is once again presenting a colorful mix of Japanese films this year. Feature films will be screened from June 5 to June 19, while TV dramas can be streamed from June 19 to July 3 (from five o'clock in the morning on the first day until five o'clock in the morning on the last day).

The festival will focus on productions made between 2020 and 2023, providing an insight into the diversity of the Japanese film landscape. The program includes 15 feature-length films, four short films and two TV dramas, all of which can be viewed free of charge (OmdU).

The spectrum ranges from dramas, documentaries, horror films and historical dramas(Jidaigeki) to anime and classics.

The way to enjoy the films is simple: after registering for free, click on the desired film and go on a journey of discovery.

Information about the festival and the lineup can be found on the official JFF Online website.

On 08.06. & 10.06. & 13.06. & 15.06. three films from the Online Festival program will be shown in the event hall of the Japanese Cultural Institute Cologne.

Price information:

Admission free