Shimokitazawa Tollywood

Shimokitazawa Tollywood is a mini-theater (mini-shiatā) located in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. It opened on December 22, 1999, originally as a cinema specializing in short films, as indicated by the sign at its entrance reading "Tollywood" together with "Theater for short films." Over time it expanded its programming to include feature-length films, and it now presents a free-form lineup that includes animation and ambitious works by young filmmakers. The theater is small, with 47 seats. It has a notable record of discovering talent early: it was among the first cinemas to screen works by Makoto Shinkai from his self-produced era, showing both "She and Her Cat" (Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko) and "Voices of a Distant Star" (Hoshi no Koe) for the first time in a movie theater. Since opening, it has maintained a "sneak preview" slot for brought-in works, which has been used by many creators. Beyond exhibition, Shimokitazawa Tollywood has been involved in production and distribution. It has co-produced and distributed films such as "Goggle" (2005, directed by Tsuyoshi Sakurai), "Caonne" (2006, directed by IZAM), "Price Tag" (2007, directed by Yusuke Tomono), "Gekijoban Shinsei Kamattechan: Rock 'n' Roll wa Nariyamanai" (2011, directed by Yu Irie), "Oedo no Candy 2: Loiseau de Paradis" (2017, directed by Leona Hirota), and "Utopia" (2018, directed by Shunta Ito). It has also handled distribution for titles including "Honey-colored Yun" (2012), "Rainbow-colored Rocket" (2005), "Beyond the Dordogne" (2020), "River, Don't Flow" (2023), and "You Are a Movie" (2026), several of which are associated with the theater group Europe Kikaku and director Junta Yamaguchi. In 2006, the theater launched the Tollywood Studio Project together with Tokyo Visual Arts, a vocational school, under the concept of "commercial film production by students." The theater's name derives from a remark by comedian Kaminari Sekine on a television program: if films made in Bombay are called Bollywood, then in Tokyo they would be Tollywood. The manager, having heard this, obtained permission from the television station and Sekine's agency and adopted the name. The theater operates its own website and maintains a presence on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. It remains an active part of Tokyo's independent cinema scene.

Shimokitazawa Tollywood opened on December 22, 1999, in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. It was originally established as a cinema specializing in short films, as reflected in the sign at its entrance that reads "Tollywood" together with "Theater for short films." Later it began screening feature-length films as well, and its current programming is described as a free lineup that includes animation and ambitious works by young filmmakers. The theater's name comes from a remark made by comedian Kaminari Sekine on a television program: if films made in Bombay are called Bollywood, then in Tokyo they would be Tollywood. The manager, having seen and heard this, obtained permission from the television station and Sekine's agency and gave the theater that name. With 47 seats, the theater is small. It is noted for having discovered Makoto Shinkai early, during his self-produced era, and for being the first movie theater to screen both "She and Her Cat" (Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko) and "Voices of a Distant Star" (Hoshi no Koe). Since opening, it has set up a "sneak preview" slot for brought-in works, which many creators have used. In 2006, the theater launched the Tollywood Studio Project together with Tokyo Visual Arts, a vocational school, under the concept of "commercial film production by students." The theater has also been involved in production and distribution. Its co-production and distribution credits include "Goggle" (2005, directed by Tsuyoshi Sakurai), "Caonne" (2006, directed by IZAM), "Price Tag" (2007, directed by Yusuke Tomono), "Gekijoban Shinsei Kamattechan: Rock 'n' Roll wa Nariyamanai" (2011, directed by Yu Irie), "Oedo no Candy 2: Loiseau de Paradis" (2017, directed by Leona Hirota), and "Utopia" (2018, directed by Shunta Ito). Distribution-only credits include "Honey-colored Yun" (2012, directed by Yun and Laurent Boileau), "Rainbow-colored Rocket" (2005, directed by Shunta Ito), "Beyond the Dordogne" (2020, directed by Junta Yamaguchi, Europe Kikaku), "River, Don't Flow" (2023, directed by Junta Yamaguchi, Europe Kikaku), and "You Are a Movie" (2026, directed by Makoto Ueda, Europe Kikaku). The theater maintains an official website and is active on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. It continues to operate as a mini-theater in Shimokitazawa.

• 2026

  Distributed "You Are a Movie" (directed by Makoto Ueda, Europe Kikaku).

• 2023

  Distributed "River, Don't Flow" (directed by Junta Yamaguchi, Europe Kikaku).

• 2020

  Distributed "Beyond the Dordogne" (directed by Junta Yamaguchi, Europe Kikaku).

• 2018

  Co-produced and distributed "Utopia" (directed by Shunta Ito).

• 2017

  Co-produced and distributed "Oedo no Candy 2: Loiseau de Paradis" (directed by Leona Hirota).

• 2012

  Distributed "Honey-colored Yun" (directed by Yun and Laurent Boileau).

• 2011

  Co-produced and distributed "Gekijoban Shinsei Kamattechan: Rock 'n' Roll wa Nariyamanai" (directed by Yu Irie).

• 2007

  Co-produced and distributed "Price Tag" (directed by Yusuke Tomono).

• 2006

  Co-produced and distributed "Caonne" (directed by IZAM).

• 2006

  Launched the Tollywood Studio Project with Tokyo Visual Arts.

• 2005

  Co-produced and distributed "Goggle" (directed by Tsuyoshi Sakurai).

• 2005

  Distributed "Rainbow-colored Rocket" (directed by Shunta Ito).

• 1999

  Opened on December 22 as a short-film specialty cinema in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

A small independent mini-theater in Shimokitazawa known for flexible programming, early support of new talent, and involvement in production and distribution.

• 2005

  Goggle

• 2006

  Caonne

• 2007

  Price Tag

• 2011

  Gekijoban Shinsei Kamattechan: Rock 'n' Roll wa Nariyamanai

• 2017

  Oedo no Candy 2: Loiseau de Paradis

• 2018

  Utopia

• 2012

  Honey-colored Yun

• 2005

  Rainbow-colored Rocket

• 2020

  Beyond the Dordogne

• 2023

  River, Don't Flow

• 2026

  You Are a Movie

1. 1下北沢トリウッド 公式サイトtollywood.jp
2. 2下北沢トリウッド - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3Shimokitazawa Tollywood - Wikidatawikidata.org