Boston Japan Film Festival 2025
Date & Time: Sunday, November 30th, 1 PM - 6 PM
Location: MIT Stata Center Room 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA
6 minutes walk from Kendall/MIT Station, MBTA Red line
Admission: Free
This film festival is supported by the warm generosity of our community.
Admission is free, but we kindly ask for your cooperation through donations to help ensure the continuation and growth of the festival.
Those who select a donation ticket ($10 each) at registration will receive one raffle ticket per donation ticket at the check-in desk on the day of the event.
(Those without a raffle ticket will not be eligible to participate in the prize drawing.)
(Those without a raffle ticket will not be eligible to participate in the prize drawing.)
A raffle drawing will be held at the end of the program.
This year’s grand prize is 80,000 JAL miles, equivalent to a round-trip Premium Economy ticket between Boston and Japan, generously offered by Japan Airlines (JAL).
This year’s grand prize is 80,000 JAL miles, equivalent to a round-trip Premium Economy ticket between Boston and Japan, generously offered by Japan Airlines (JAL).
We will also have a variety of exciting prizes, including meal vouchers and gift cards.
Please stay until the end and join us for the raffle!
Please stay until the end and join us for the raffle!
-There is no limit to the number of donation tickets per person.
- Please note: Donations are used exclusively to support the operation of the Boston Japan Film Festival. MIT and the MIT Japan Program are not involved in any financial aspect of the festival.
- Please note: Donations are used exclusively to support the operation of the Boston Japan Film Festival. MIT and the MIT Japan Program are not involved in any financial aspect of the festival.
- Line up -
The Dream of a Fallen Egg
Director: Yuta Yomogita | 2024 | 4 min | Animation | Japan | Japanese
Through a simple story of an egg that falls from its nest, is attacked by a snake, and rescued by an eagle, the director expresses his own experiences and personal growth through the motifs of “egg,” “snake,” “eagle,” and “sky.”
This work was selected as part of the newly established Student Film Section for young filmmakers.
Courtesy of New York Japan CineFest / Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia.
Quoth The Raven, “Nevermore”
Directors: Ari Beser, Regis Hirwa | 2024 | 7 min | Documentary | USA | English
Featuring: “The Nuclear Family” (Exclusive Early Look)
Quoth the Raven, is a meditation by filmmaker Ari Beser, about the decision to drop the atomic bomb. His grandfather was the only man to serve on both missions that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In this film, Beser turns his lens inward, using the timeless echo of Edgar Allan Poe’s words as a way to reflect on loss, legacy, and the human drive to find meaning in the decision to drop the atomic bomb. Ari’s grandfather's role was codenamed Raven, and he consistently said the atomic bombs should never happen again.
In this film, Beser turns his lens inward, using the timeless echo of Edgar Allan Poe’s words as a way to reflect on loss, legacy, and the human drive to find meaning in the decision to drop the atomic bomb. Ari’s grandfather's role was codenamed Raven, and he consistently said the atomic bombs should never happen again.
The new work “The Nuclear Family” (currently in production) continues this story, portraying Beser’s collaboration with a Japanese woman whose grandfather was a double atomic bomb survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It explores how humanity seeks meaning from past tragedy and envisions a nuclear-free future.
It explores how humanity seeks meaning from past tragedy and envisions a nuclear-free future.
Where are all the journalists? Ugaya is here !
Director: Hiroyuki Akiyama | 2025 | 36 min | Documentary | Japan | Japanese
This film follows freelance journalist Hiromichi Ugaya, who has continued his reporting in Fukushima from the immediate aftermath of the nuclear accident to the present.
Believing that “a nuclear accident is a nuclear crisis second only to nuclear war” and questioning “could the meltdown have been prevented?”, Ugaya has spent over a decade documenting the still-distant reality of recovery and the persistence of a journalist in pursuit of truth.
As time passes and media attention fades, this film reexamines the significance of “continuing to visit, listen, and report the truth” from the field.
Believing that “a nuclear accident is a nuclear crisis second only to nuclear war” and questioning “could the meltdown have been prevented?”, Ugaya has spent over a decade documenting the still-distant reality of recovery and the persistence of a journalist in pursuit of truth.
As time passes and media attention fades, this film reexamines the significance of “continuing to visit, listen, and report the truth” from the field.
Japan Lies
- The Photojournalism of Kikujiro Fukushima, Age 90 -
Director: Saburo Hasegawa | 2012 | 114 min | Documentary | Japan| Japanese
A documentary that follows the life of photojournalist Kikujiro Fukushima aged 90, who spent decades documenting postwar Japan.
He photographed the lives of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima for ten years and went on to record Japan’s turbulent history in over 250,000 photographs.
After distancing himself from an increasingly conservative society and the mainstream media, Fukushima lived a self-sufficient life on an uninhabited island.
Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, he took up his camera once again and went to Fukushima Prefecture. Even after undergoing stomach cancer surgery and becoming aware of his approaching end, he continued to document the nuclear accident.
His life’s work challenges us to reconsider the true meaning of journalism.
Although he passed away in 2015 at age 94, his rebellious spirit and conviction continue to inspire. This film portrays the remarkable life of a legendary photojournalist who is being rediscovered and celebrated anew.
He photographed the lives of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima for ten years and went on to record Japan’s turbulent history in over 250,000 photographs.
After distancing himself from an increasingly conservative society and the mainstream media, Fukushima lived a self-sufficient life on an uninhabited island.
Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, he took up his camera once again and went to Fukushima Prefecture. Even after undergoing stomach cancer surgery and becoming aware of his approaching end, he continued to document the nuclear accident.
His life’s work challenges us to reconsider the true meaning of journalism.
Although he passed away in 2015 at age 94, his rebellious spirit and conviction continue to inspire. This film portrays the remarkable life of a legendary photojournalist who is being rediscovered and celebrated anew.
Note: This film contains some scenes that may be disturbing, including real documentary footage by photojournalist Kikujiro Fukushima.
While it is not rated (no R classification), viewer discretion is advised, especially for younger audiences.
While it is not rated (no R classification), viewer discretion is advised, especially for younger audiences.
- Program -
Part 1
13:00–13:10 Opening Remarks
13:10–13:15 15 Years of BJFF
13:15–13:20 Student Film: The Dream of a Fallen Egg
13:20–13:30 Short Films: Quoth The Raven, “Nevermore”
13:10–13:15 15 Years of BJFF
13:15–13:20 Student Film: The Dream of a Fallen Egg
13:20–13:30 Short Films: Quoth The Raven, “Nevermore”
/ The Nuclear Family’ (Exclusive Early Look)
13:30–14:10 Medium-Length Film: Where are all the journalists? Ugaya is here !
14:10–14:15 Special Visual Installation: The Way of Sacred Harmony (Kan’nagara no Michi)
13:30–14:10 Medium-Length Film: Where are all the journalists? Ugaya is here !
14:10–14:15 Special Visual Installation: The Way of Sacred Harmony (Kan’nagara no Michi)
14:15–14:30 Break (15 min)
Part 2
14:30–16:25 Feature Film: JAPAN LIES The Photojournalism of Kikujiro Fukushima, Age 90
16:30–17:10 Panel Discussion
Theme: “From Visual Journalism to Dialogue / The Integrity of Journalism in the Age of AI”
Panelists: Hiromichi Ugaya, Ari Beser
Moderator: MIT Japan Program
Theme: “From Visual Journalism to Dialogue / The Integrity of Journalism in the Age of AI”
Panelists: Hiromichi Ugaya, Ari Beser
Moderator: MIT Japan Program
17:10–17:20 Raffle Drawing
17:20–18:00 Closing & Networking Reception
17:20–18:00 Closing & Networking Reception
- Discussion -
Following the screenings, a panel discussion will be held under the themes “From Visual Journalism to Dialogue” and “Integrity of Journalism in the Age of AI.”
Panelists include journalist Hiromichi Ugaya and documentary filmmaker Ari Beser, moderated by the MIT Japan Program.
Panelists include journalist Hiromichi Ugaya and documentary filmmaker Ari Beser, moderated by the MIT Japan Program.
- Guest -
Ari Beser
Ari Beser is a documentary filmmaker, multimedia journalist and author who has spent over a decade documenting nuclear legacies, intergenerational trauma, and reconciliation. The grandson of Jacob Beser—the only man aboard both planes that dropped the atomic bombs. He has worked closely with survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to inherit and share their testimonies. His reporting and films have appeared with National Geographic, The Guardian, and NHK World, among others, and his photography is distributed through Getty Images. He is the author of The Nuclear Family (Self Published 2015), and the co-author of the Japanese bestseller「キノコ雲」の上と下の物語 孫たちの葛藤と軌跡 “-Stories Above and Beneath the Mushroom Cloud: The Struggles and Paths of the Grandchildren” (Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2025), written with Kosuzu Harada, granddaughter of double survivor Tsutomu Yamaguchi. A Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow and a member of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize–winning ICAN campaign, Beser continues to create global-first storytelling projects through his company, Goss Grove Films.
Hiromichi Ugaya
Journalist and photojournalist. Born in Kyoto in 1963.
After graduating from Kyoto University’s Faculty of Economics in 1986, Ugaya joined The Asahi Shimbun, where he worked as a reporter and later as an editor and writer for the weekly news magazine AERA for ten years.
He took early retirement from the company in 2003 and became an independent freelance journalist and photographer. Since then, he has continued writing and reporting based on on-the-ground coverage, both in print and online.
In 1994, Ugaya studied at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York, earning a master’s degree in international security policy, with a focus on nuclear strategy and Japan–U.S. relations.
His work spans a wide range of topics, including journalism, national security, nuclear issues, and fake news, providing sharp and critical insights into the information structures of modern society.
After graduating from Kyoto University’s Faculty of Economics in 1986, Ugaya joined The Asahi Shimbun, where he worked as a reporter and later as an editor and writer for the weekly news magazine AERA for ten years.
He took early retirement from the company in 2003 and became an independent freelance journalist and photographer. Since then, he has continued writing and reporting based on on-the-ground coverage, both in print and online.
In 1994, Ugaya studied at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York, earning a master’s degree in international security policy, with a focus on nuclear strategy and Japan–U.S. relations.
His work spans a wide range of topics, including journalism, national security, nuclear issues, and fake news, providing sharp and critical insights into the information structures of modern society.
His major publications include:
How to See Through Propaganda (Shincho Shinsho)
How to Identify Fake News (Shincho Shinsho)
The Brain Death of Journalism (Shincho Shinsho)
Nuclear Refugees (PHP Shinsho)
The Reality of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Ten Years Later (Yuto Shoin)
Fukushima Daiichi: 50 Years to Meltdown (Yuto Shoin)
The Four Seasons of Iitate, Fukushima (Futabasha, photo collection)
Ugaya is the author of more than 20 books, continuing to question the responsibilities of journalism and the future of truth in an era of information overload.
How to See Through Propaganda (Shincho Shinsho)
How to Identify Fake News (Shincho Shinsho)
The Brain Death of Journalism (Shincho Shinsho)
Nuclear Refugees (PHP Shinsho)
The Reality of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Ten Years Later (Yuto Shoin)
Fukushima Daiichi: 50 Years to Meltdown (Yuto Shoin)
The Four Seasons of Iitate, Fukushima (Futabasha, photo collection)
Ugaya is the author of more than 20 books, continuing to question the responsibilities of journalism and the future of truth in an era of information overload.