SAI: Disaster
災(SAI)

A bright high school girl unable to continue her studies, a young truck driver battling alcoholism, a lonely female janitor, an innkeeper in debt, a—four ordinary lives unfold in different places, their paths never crossing. Yet all are unknowingly shadowed by a mysterious man who assumes every possible guise, embodying the very essence of disaster.

Filmmaking duo Yutaro Seki Yutaro and Hirase Kentaro, internationally recognized as leading voices in contemporary Japanese genre cinema, present SAI: Disaster, a reimagined cinematic work that restructures and re-edits a six-episode TV drama series, Wazawai, which premiered in Japan in 2025. Their film transforms the serialized narrative into a more refined, experimental vision.

In this Kurosawa Kiyoshi–inspired film, where everyday life itself is infused with a creeping sense of horror, bloodshed is never the primary intent of a murder. Renowned acto Kagawa Teruyuki inhabits the enigmatic figure, delivering a performance that reaffirms his status as Japan’s indispensable actor. His presence reveals how catastrophe silently infiltrates ordinary lives, and how disaster shatters our lives without cause, without warning, without mercy, and without even malice.

SEKI YUTARO & HIRASE KENTARO
Both directors graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. They co-directed the short films Happo-en (2014) and Duality (2018), which were selected for the Cinéfondation section at the Cannes Film Festival. Their feature Roleless (2022) premiered in the New Directors section at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, establishing them as a rising voice in contemporary Japanese cinema. Hirase Kentaro also wrote Exit 8 (2023), screened in the Midnight Screenings section at Cannes.

In collaboration with

Thu Apr 23, 2026 | 21:00
Stadtkino
Red Lotus 2026

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Japan 2025
128 Min | Color | Japanese with English subtitles

Directed by SEKI Yutaro, HIRASE Kentaro

SAI: Disaster © Bitters End