Part of the 2026 season: Knowing Me, Knowing You
The Final Piece
Banjo no himawari, 盤上の向日葵
Director KUMAZAWA Naoto
Cast SAKAGUCHI Kentaro, WATANABE Ken
2025, 123 min, English subtitles
Deep in the mountains, a skeletal corpse is unearthed — the only clue to its identity, a single handcrafted shogi piece from one of only seven sets known to exist. Shogi, often described as Japanese chess, becomes the key to unravelling a complex case. The investigation soon points to KAMIJO Keisuke (SAKAGUCHI Kentaro), a mysterious young prodigy who seemingly appeared from nowhere to dominate the professional shogi world and skyrocket to fame.
The trail leads further into the underworld, to TOMYO Shigeyoshi (award-winning actor, WATANABE Ken), a powerful shogi player closely tied to illegal gambling who knows Keisuke’s past. As the investigation progresses, Keisuke’s carefully constructed image of a genius begins to crumble, exposing the emotional wounds and fractured relationships that shaped him.
Supported by talented actors, the narrative moves fluidly between past and present, set against the unique backdrop of the shogi world. Director KUMAZAWA Naoto, who previously demonstrated his masterful skill in Yurigokoro (JFTFP19), explores ambition, trauma, and the fine line between brilliance and self-destruction, culminating in a spectacular ending.
Contains strong language and violence
© 2025 “The Final Piece” Film Partners
Screening dates
Please note: Tickets for some screenings may not be available yet.
- Aberystwyth Arts Centre Wednesday 11 February, 19:45
- Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) Sunday 15 February, 18:10
- Brewery Arts Cinema Thursday 19 February, 20:00
- QUAD Saturday 21 February, 18:00
- Riverside Studios Sunday 22 February, 20:20
- Chapter Saturday 7 March, 14:00
- Dundee Contemporary Arts Sunday 15 March, 12:00
- Chichester Cinema Monday 23 March, 18:00
- Hyde Park Picture House TBC
- The Phoenix Cinema TBC
If you like this you may like the following
All films in this season
The Hotel of My Dream
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality
The Man Who Failed to Die
What Should We Have Done?
The Final Piece
She Taught Me Serendipity
Ghost Killer
Adabana
Strangers in Kyoto
Petals and Memories
Ura Aka: L'Aventure
Teki Cometh
Conflagration
Blue Boy Trial
Kaneko's Commissary
The Real You
Silence of the Sea
Love Doesn't Matter to Me
Sham
The Last Blossom
Like Asura
I Am What I Am
ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers
A Bad Summer
Missing Child Videotape
NEMURUBAKA: Hypnic Jerks





Kaneko's Commissary
Silence of the Sea
A Bad Summer