We are thrilled to welcome back our Japanese partner, MIRROR LIAR FILMS, for their third consecutive year at JDFF!
Since 2024, this innovative short film anthology has become a fan-favorite tradition in Kolding, showcasing the “now” of Japanese cinema.
About the MLF Project: Launched in 2020 and produced by Chikara Ito, Shinnosuke Abe, Takayuki Yamada and others, MIRRORLIAR FILMS is a short film production project featuring diverse creators from both the mainstream and indie scenes. By Season 8 in 2025, it will have theatrically released 57 short films directed by renowned creators, with open submissions including actors, film directors, manga artists and musicians. Season 7, which featured directors including Koji Kato and Shigeaki Kato, received a Special Award at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025. The festival recognized it as a work that had made a significant contribution to short film culture, the industry and regional development, while also helping to shape the future landscape. Originally scheduled for a two-week limited run, it sold out every day from opening night, leading to an extended run and expanded screenings nationwide and generating significant buzz.
“The empty vessel” Miyuki Matsuda
“Love Bones” Tomoichiro Setsuda
“Falling in Love with A♯” Kohei Hirota
“Cut!” Shun Ando
“The Breath of the Blue Whale” Eri Sawatari
“KIHACHI” The Okayama Film Project
- Year: 2026
- Project Producers: Takayuki Yamada, Shinnosuke Abe, and Chikara Ito
- Genre: Short Film Anthology / Omnibus
The Okayama Film Project special local production work “Ki-hachi” is a short film with a running time of 15 min. directed by Yoshiyuki Kawakami, a 2nd year student at Okayama Prefectural University. It was created through a workshop conducted by film industry professionals between June and August 2025, and Okayama Film Project students worked their socks off to complete the filming in just two days.
The poster was jointly designed by Okayama Information College 2nd year student Yuto Mori and the film’s director Yoshiyuki Kawakami, who came up with the striking visual image expressing the mood of the film after several brainstorming sessions together.
STORY
Two men named Kihachi meet by chance at a soba noodle restaurant. One is a shrewd and cool-headed young man, and the other is a jocular and optimistic police detective. After briefly being excited by this chance turn of events, Kihachi the detective receives some incredible information. Apparently, a courier in his thirties will deliver a yellow suitcase, containing money stolen in a robbery, to a soba restaurant in the city. This description completely matches the young man Kihachi he has just met. Should we trust people or doubt them? Is the detective’s hunch correct? What awaits this pair struggling with this strange twist of fate?