The Black Cow, a grand-scale film that won the Firebird Award (Grand Prix) at the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival, will screen for one week at 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku (Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, Shinjuku, Tokyo) from July 3 (Friday) to July 9 (Thursday), 2026. During the run, a special stage greeting screening with actor Min Tanaka and director Tetsuichiro Tsuta is scheduled for July 4 (Saturday).
About the Film
The Black Cow is the second feature by director Tetsuichiro Tsuta, partially shot on 70mm film — the first time such a format has been used in Japan for a theatrical feature — and took eight years to complete. Inspired by the "Ten Bulls" (十牛図, Jūgyūzu), a series of Zen paintings depicting the path to enlightenment, the film was made with the cooperation of monks at Myoshinji Temple — the head temple of the Myoshinji school of Rinzai Zen — in Kyoto.
The music was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also served as the acoustic supervisor for all theater systems at 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku. The film has been described as "a transcendent and universal meditative experience" by festival jurors.
Cast: Lee Kang-sheng, Fukuyo (a bull), Min Tanaka, Takafumi Sumori, Kei Takei
Director / Screenplay / Editing: Tetsuichiro Tsuta
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
In a time of rapid change, a hunter who has lost his connection to nature encounters a bull — his own alter ego. Becoming a farmer, he tends the earth alongside the bull, quietly observing and absorbing his bond with trees, water, wind, mist, soil, fire, and all things — before returning to the source.
©NIKO NIKO FILM / MOOLIN FILMS / CINEMA INUTILE / CINERIC CREATIVE / FOURIER FILMS
Special Screening Details
Screening period: July 3 (Friday) to July 9 (Thursday), 2026
Ticket prices:
- CLASS S: ¥6,500 (Cinema Point members: ¥6,000)
- CLASS A: ¥4,500 (Cinema Point members: ¥4,000)
Includes a welcome concession (soft drink and popcorn). The Main Lounge is available from 1 hour before the screening start time. CLASS S ticket holders also have access to the premium lounge "OVERTURE."
Ticket sales: Available via the 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku official website starting 2 days before each screening (Cinema Point members: 3 days before at 9:00 PM).
Stage Greeting Screening
On July 4 (Saturday), a special screening with a post-film stage greeting is scheduled, featuring actor Min Tanaka and director Tetsuichiro Tsuta. They will share behind-the-scenes stories and filming episodes from The Black Cow.
Screening time: July 4 (Saturday), 1:00 PM showing (stage greeting takes place after the main film)
Ticket prices:
- CLASS S: ¥6,500 (Cinema Point members: ¥6,000)
- CLASS A: ¥4,500 (Cinema Point members: ¥4,000)
Complimentary and free admission tickets are not valid for this screening.
Ticket sales: Available from midnight on June 27 (Saturday) via the official website (Cinema Point members: from 9:00 PM on June 26, Friday). In-person sales begin at the theater's opening time on June 27. Note: if tickets sell out online, in-person sales will not be available.
About the Performers
Min Tanaka — Dancer and actor. Tanaka began his independent career in 1974, developing a new performance style he called "Hyper Dance." He made his international debut at the Louvre Museum in 1978 and performed avant-garde works across the Eastern Bloc during the 1980s. In 1985 he moved to a mountain village, where he has continued a dance practice rooted in farming. His film debut in 2002 earned him the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Supporting Actor and Best New Actor. He has since worked in film both domestically and internationally, including roles in PERFECT DAYS (dir. Wim Wenders, 2023) and the currently running hit Kokuhō (dir. Lee Sang-il).
Tetsuichiro Tsuta — Born in 1984 in Tokushima Prefecture. Tsuta studied film at the Tokyo Polytechnic University. His feature debut, Iya Story (2013), shot on 35mm film in the remote Iya Valley of his home prefecture, premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival where it won a special award. The film subsequently received the Aurora Award at the Tromsø International Film Festival, the Best Film award at the Pan-Asian Film Festival, and the Jury Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The Black Cow is his second feature.
About 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku
109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku is located on the 9th and 10th floors of the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower in Shinjuku, Tokyo, which opened in April 2023. All seats are premium-sized — approximately 2.3 times larger than standard multiplex seating. Every theater is equipped with the SAION-SR EDITION sound system, developed in pursuit of the most realistic sound possible under Ryuichi Sakamoto's acoustic supervision.
Guests can use the Main Lounge from one hour before their screening. The cinema also features the WELCOME CONCESSION (unlimited refills of popcorn and soft drinks before the film), and THE BAR, serving Japanese whisky and carefully selected food items. CLASS S ticket holders have access to the premium lounge "OVERTURE."
Official website: https://109cinemas.net/premiumshinjuku/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/109_PREMIUM_SJ
