The film 'NEW GROUP' is now showing nationwide in Japan, having opened on June 12, 2026, after a festival run that included a Rising Star Award for lead actress Anna Yamada.
The sci-fi psycho entertainment film 'NEW GROUP' opened in Japanese theaters on June 12, 2026, following a festival circuit that included the Nippon Connection Japanese film festival in Frankfurt, where lead actress Anna Yamada received the Nippon Rising Star Award. Director Yuta Shimotsu developed the premise over two years after reading about group behavior in society, turning a schoolyard human pyramid into a metaphor for peer pressure and social conformity.
The film stars Anna Yamada as Ai, a shy ordinary high school student with family issues, alongside Yuzu Aoki and Pierre Taki. Taki's character cheerfully explains group dynamics through rhythmic handclaps in released footage. The film uses group gymnastics as a motif and as a weapon, with a hallway battle scene showing characters countering a group gymnastics attack with their own group gymnastics. The film has been described as a sci-fi psycho entertainment that depicts dystopian madness and absurdity where individual will is submerged.
An off-shot of Yamada in her high school uniform, posted on her official X account, drew strong social media reaction, with comments praising her natural look as a high school student. The film has been invited to 22 festivals worldwide. Yamada also received a surprise video message from 'Shogun' director Soji Fukunaga at the Nippon Connection festival. Horror authors Yukito Ayatsuji and Yu Yoma have endorsed the film, positioning it as a distinctive social sci-fi horror work.
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Jun 22
An off-shot of actress Anna Yamada in a high school girl outfit from the movie 'NEW GROUP' was posted on her official X account. The blazer look with no discomfort and the background exuding the film's eerie atmosphere are drawing attention. The film, which uses group gymnastics as a motif, depicts dystopian madness and absurdity where individual will is submerged, as a sci-fi psycho entertainment. Yamada plays the lead role of 'Ai', a shy ordinary high school student with family issues. The official X account posted a photo of Yamada in a high school girl uniform, likely taken by her manager, with the message 'Ai-chan on a certain day'. Yamada has long hair reaching her chest, a red ribbon, and a brown blazer. In the background, a creepy object with a giant hand protruding is visible, conveying the film's surreal world. On social media, comments such as 'Too crazy cute' and 'The uniform and long hair are the best' were posted. Also, envious voices like 'I wish I could spend time with such a cute high school girl' and surprised reactions to Yamada's unchanged transparency, such as 'It's too strong that she still looks natural as a high school student', were seen.
Jun 20
The film "NEW GROUP," starring Anna Yamada and Yuzu Aoki, is now showing nationwide. A clip of a hallway battle scene, where the characters counter a group gymnastics attack with their own group gymnastics, has been released on YouTube. The sci-fi psycho entertainment film is directed by Yuta Shimotsu.
Jun 11
A new clip from the sci-fi horror film "NEW GROUP" shows Pierre Taki's principal character cheerfully explaining group dynamics through rhythmic handclaps. The film, directed by Yuta Shimotsu, stars Anna Yamada and Yuzu Aoki as students caught in a collective supernatural phenomenon. It opens nationwide on June 12.
Jun 8
Anna Yamada received the Nippon Rising Star Award at the Nippon Connection Japanese film festival in Frankfurt for her role in the sci-fi psycho-entertainment film New Group. The film, directed by Yuta Shimotsu, has been invited to 22 festivals worldwide and opens in Japan on June 12. Yamada also received a surprise video message from Shogun director Soji Fukunaga.
May 29
Director Shimotsu Yuta discussed his sci-fi psycho-entertainment film New Group at a May 28 preview in Tokyo. He explained how reading about group behavior in society led to the idea of a human pyramid as an extreme form of conformity. Cast members Yamada Anna, Aoki Yu, and Pierre Taki were also discussed.