The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026: The Hotel of My Dream18+

Directed by TSUTSUMI Yukihiko | Japan | 2024 | 1h 38m | Japanese w/ English subtitles | Starring Non, TANAKA Kei, TAKITO Kenichi

Despite winning an award for newcomers, the future of rookie novelist NAKAJIMA Kayoko (Non) does not seem at all bright. Unable to make a brilliant debut, Kayoko’s struggles all stem from harsh criticism, particularly from veteran writer HIGASHIJUJO Munenori (TAKITO Kenichi), now her number-one enemy! Determined to prove herself, Kayoko checks into a prestigious hotel for a writing retreat, only to find Munenori himself is staying directly above her.

With the help of editor ENDO Michio (TANAKA Kei), she devises a plan to take revenge by successfully sabotaging Munenori’s work. However, this act of retribution only marks the beginning of even more misfortune for Kayoko…Can she claim her place in the literary world and continue on her path as a novelist, as she so desperately desires?

Based on the novel by YUZUKI Asako (the author of BUTTER), veteran director TSUTSUMI Yukihiko (Hope, JFTFP25; First Love, JFTFP22) delivers an honest account of the life of a young novelist who dreams of success within the Japanese literary establishment. This charming film is filled with satire, humour, and one woman’s inexhaustible power to break through.

Image credit: (C) 2012 Asako Yuzuki/Shinchosha (C) 2024 “The Hotel of my Dream” Film Partners

 

 

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026: The Hotel of My Dream between February 10, 2026 and February 10, 2026.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Thursday 2nd April)

20:30

Sound of Falling 18
2h 35m | German w/ English subtitles
Across the twentieth century four teenage girls spend their youth in the same farmhouse decades apart, yet their lives echo each other. German director Mascha Schilinski interweaves generations of girlhood, revealing loneliness and lost innocence across a turbulent century.

Book here


Tomorrow (Friday 3rd April)

15:45

Midwinter Break 12A
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 30m
Long-married couple Stella and Gerry holiday in Amsterdam when buried tensions surface, forcing them to confront their past and uncertain future. Starring Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds, Polly Findlay’s debut adapts Bernard MacLaverty’s novel into a moving meditation on love.

Book here

18:00

The Love That Remains 15
1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

Book here

20:30

Hamnet 12A
2h 6m
Shakespeare and his wife endure the devastating loss of their young son, straining love and family bonds. Chloé Zhao’s (Nomadland) poignant adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel captures grief, creativity, and resilience, with moving performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!