Issue:
January 2026 | Film Committee
Comedian’s debut film sets tone for new studio
Join the Film Committee at 6 pm on Thursday, January 29 for Mag Mag, the first release from K2 Pictures, a bold new Japanese studio launched by acclaimed producer Muneyuki Kii and celebrated directors Takashi Miike, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Miwa Nishikawa, Shunji Iwai and Kazuya Shiraishi. Making her own directorial debut with the release, Japan’s most popular comedian, Yuriyan Retriever, takes a tale that might have become just another bloody horror-revenger in male hands, and finds humor and an emotional core in its twisted love story (reportedly based on Retriever’s own painful romantic experiences). The film concerns the chilling legend of the Mag Mag ghost, who leaves a trail of corpses behind in her search for true love. When Sanae (Sara Minami), who begins to investigate the murders, vows revenge, she unwittingly enters a tangled web of truth, lies, black magic… and stalking. Retriever crafts a work that’s heavily (and sometimes hilariously) influenced by classic J-horror films. An exuberant mixture of comedy and horror, with liberal dabs of bullying, body shaming and heartbreak, Mag Mag has a little something for everyone — and then some. Yuriyan Retriever will be on hand, along with K2 Pictures CEO and producer Muneyuki Kii, for the Q&A following the screening. (Mag Mag, Japan, 2026, 112 minutes, Japanese with English subtitles).
Karen Severns is chair of the FCCJ Film Committee
