A feature documentary examining the jazz culture of Japan’s capital is being prepared for presentation at WAVES Film Bazaar in Goa. Directed by Tanmay Srivastava, “Tokyo in 33 RPM” brings together musicians, café operators and longtime record collectors to explore the music’s history in Japan and the directions a younger generation is taking it.
The project, from Synergy Pictures U.K. and Double Drama Productions, will be introduced at the market held alongside the International Film Festival of India. Its subjects include Tokyo’s working performers and the people behind its jazz kissa, cafés where listening to vinyl records is central to the experience. Collectors who have documented the music over decades also feature.
Among those appearing is bassist Hino Kenji, who performs as Jino and is the son of Hino Terumasa, Japan’s best-known trumpeter. Another participant is Lucas Minoru Poulshock, known as Mino, whose work spans performing, hosting an Apple Music podcast and operating a listening bar. Historian and record collector Hori Toru also appears in the documentary.
The filmmakers visit Masako, a jazz café in Shimokitazawa that is now run by a third generation, as well as No Room for Squares, founded by Nakata Kohei. Gentle Forest Jazz Band and GCR Orchestra are also featured. Together, these participants and venues form part of the film’s examination of how jazz became established in Japan and continues to change.
Srivastava said the project grew from his interest in both the concentrated listening found inside Tokyo’s small music spaces and the experimentation happening among its musicians. He wanted to connect those experiences within a single film. “That’s the Tokyo I found most interesting,” he said.
An initial filming trip to Japan has been completed, and the team has used that footage to assemble a short-form version. A teaser has also been released. The final shoot is scheduled to take place in Tokyo from April 1 to April 22, 2027, with the finished feature targeted for June. The producers are preparing for a possible international festival debut that year.
Srivastava shares producing duties with Sky Cheema and Jackson McKeever. Poulshock, Paul Adrian and Jade Kurian are executive producers. McKeever’s company Lucky 18 serves as a production partner, while Austin, Texas-based technology company Latakoo is participating as both a production and technology partner.
Cheema, a U.K. producer, said the film’s appeal does not depend on audiences already knowing jazz. He pointed to the commitment of people who have devoted their lives to performing or creating places to hear the music. “What matters is how much of themselves they’ve put into it,” he said.
