The Zen Diary

Sunday, February 12 - Thursday, February 16, 2023

New York Premiere

Adapted from Tsutomu Mizukami’s book, The Zen Diary follows Tsutomu, a man who lives alone in the mountains, writing essays, cooking food with vegetables he grows and mushrooms he picks in the hills. His routine is happily disturbed when Machiko, his editor/love interest, occasionally visits to pester him for his next manuscript. She loves to eat, and he loves to cook for her. Tsutomu seems content with his daily life. However, a close brush with death will now force him to decide on what he values most in life and what he must choose going forward.

Festivals/awards: the Culinary Cinema section of the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Hawaii International Film Festival

Screening as part of the series ACA Cinema Project: New Films From Japan 2023

• Country Japan
• Language In Japanese with English subtitles
• Running Time 111 minutes
• Director Yuji Nakae
• Cast Kenji Sawada, Takako Matsu
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.