‘Female Teacher: Forbidden Sex’ Among Selections as Rotterdam Spotlights Japan’s V-Cinema Movement

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled its second Focus program for the 55th edition, turning the spotlight on Japan’s V-Cinema — the direct-to-video movement that exploded in the late 1980s and profoundly shaped the country’s contemporary film culture.

The section, curated by Tom Mes, will run as part of the festival’s 2026 edition from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8.

Originating with Toei’s “Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage” (1989), V-Cinema responded to Japan’s booming home video market by producing films that bypassed theaters entirely. The low-budget, high-speed production model gave directors unprecedented creative freedom, birthing a generation of filmmakers who went on to define modern Japanese cinema — including Miike Takashi, Nakata Hideo, Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Aoyama Shinji.

IFFR’s V-Cinema Focus will showcase a range of Toei titles, among them the “Crime Hunter” trilogy — “Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage,” “Crime Hunter 2: Bullets of Betrayal” and “Crime Hunter 3: Killing Bullet.