Introduction
The groundbreaking generative documentary about visionary musician and artist Brian Eno — an innovative cinematic experience that changes with each screening — is coming to cinemas in Japan.
For the past 50 years, Brian Eno has been at the forefront of musical creativity, technology and artistic innovation in his work as a musician, producer, activist, visual artist and self-described “sonic landscaper”.
With access to hundreds of hours of never-before-seen footage and previously unreleased music from Eno’s own archives, Gary Hustwit’s documentary Eno employs groundbreaking technology to accomplish something that’s never been done before: a film that’s different every time it’s shown. Working with creative technologist Brendan Dawes, Hustwit co-developed a bespoke generative software called “Brain One” for the project, which edits the film to present a unique version on each viewing, meaning it always evolves — just like Eno himself.
Eno has become a global sensation since it premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and will now be receiving its first theatrical release in Asia with screenings in several Japanese cities. Director Gary Hustwit will visit Japan for the premiere in Tokyo, which includes a special public conversation with the director and Peter Barakan (who also supervised the Japanese subtitles). General screenings will follow in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.
“Much of Brian’s career has been about enabling creativity in himself and others, through his role as a producer but also through his collaborations on projects like the Oblique Strategies cards or the music app Bloom. I think of Eno as an art film about creativity, with the output of Brian’s 50-year career as its raw material. What I’m trying to do is to create a cinematic experience that’s as innovative as Brian’s approach to music and art.”
– GARY HUSTWIT
Director: Gary Hustwit
Subtitle Translation: Mariko Sakamoto / Supervision: Peter Barakan
Distribution: Tokyu Recreation / Beatink
Profile
BRIAN ENO
Brian Eno first came to international prominence in the early seventies as a founding member of Roxy Music followed by a series of solo albums and collaborations. His work as producer includes albums with Talking Heads, Devo, U2, Laurie Anderson, James, Jane Siberry and Coldplay, while his long list of collaborations includes recordings with David Bowie, Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, David Byrne, Grace Jones, Fred again.. and his brother, Roger Eno, on Mixing Colours. His most recent music project is a collaboration with musician and artist Beatie Wolfe, and their first two albums, Luminal and Lateral, will be released on June 6, 2025.
Eno’s visual experiments with light and video continue to parallel his musical career, with exhibitions and installations all over the globe. He has exhibited extensively, as far afield as St. Petersburg’s Marble Palace, Ritan Park in Beijing, Arcos de Lapa in Rio de Janeiro and the sails of the Sydney Opera House. In the summer of 2022, he held his first large-scale exhibition in Japan, “Brian Eno: Ambient Kyoto”. Eno is involved in multiple activism projects, such as the climate charity Earth Percent and HardArt, both of which he co-founded, as well as the Stop The War coalition. He is also a founding member of the Long Now Foundation, a trustee of Client Earth and patron of Videre est Credere. In 2023, Eno was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement by the Venice Biennale Musica. He has recently written his second book, What Art Does, co-authored with Bette A. and based upon his experience as an artist. Published by Faber, it was released in January 2025.
GARY HUSTWIT
Gary Hustwit is a filmmaker and visual artist based in New York, and the CEO of Anamorph, a generative media studio and software company. He has produced over 20 documentaries and film projects, including the award-winning I Am Trying To Break Your Heart about the band Wilco; Oddsac, an experimental feature film by the band Animal Collective; and Mavis!, the HBO documentary about gospel/soul music legend Mavis Staples.
In 2007, Hustwit made his directorial debut with Helvetica, the world’s first feature-length documentary about graphic design and typography. He has continued to explore how design affects our daily lives with his subsequent films Objectified (2009), Urbanized (2011), Workplace (2016) and Rams (2018). These films have been broadcast on PBS, BBC, HBO, Netflix and outlets in 20 countries, and have been screened in over 300 cities worldwide. His film and photographic work has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art New York, Design Museum London, the Venice Biennale, Victoria & Albert Museum London and Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, among others. Hustwit is also a guitar enthusiast and works as a design collaborator at the electric guitar company Koll.
Hustwit’s collaboration with Eno first began in 2017, when Eno created an original score for Hustwit’s film Rams.
Review
“Groundbreaking”
Rolling Stone
“Remarkable”
Forbes
“Thrillingly inventive… a groundbreaking portrait that tears up the rules of cinema and reinvents itself with each new screening.”
The Guardian
“Revolutionary”
Screen Daily
“A template for how cinema can be re-defined in the digital age”
The Quietus
“One of the 10 Best Films of 2024”
New York Times
“A film like this gives us an opportunity to think about what cinema actually is, and where new technology fits into the process of how we make movies.”
BBC News
Theater SCREENING SCHEDULE
Guests: Director Gary Hustwit × Peter Barakan (Talk Show included)
109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku
| Date | Times | Theater | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, June 21, 2025 | 14:00- | Theater 7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Saturday, June 21, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater 7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
TICKETS CLASS A: ¥7,500 | CLASS S: ¥9,500
※The premiere will feature different versions of the film for the 1st and 2nd screenings.
※The ticket price includes a welcome concession (soft drink and popcorn).
※The main lounge will be accessible one hour before the event.
※Discounts and complimentary invitation tickets cannot be used.
| Pre-sale (Lottery) | Sales Period: Thursday, April 24, 12:00 – Sunday, April 27, 23:59 |
| General Sale | Sales Start: Saturday, May 3, 10:00 |
| Ticket Sales URL | https://eplus.jp/eno/ |
109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku
| Date | Time | Theater | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, July 11, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Friday, July 11, 2025 | 20:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 15:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 15:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Monday, July 14, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Monday, July 14, 2025 | 20:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | 20:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | 20:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Thursday, July 17, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
| Thursday, July 17, 2025 | 20:30- | Theater7 | CLASS A ｜ CLASS S |
TICKETS CLASS A: ¥4,500 | CLASS S: ¥6,500
※For general screenings, a new version of the film will be generated daily. Repeat viewers who wish to view a different version are advised to purchase a ticket for a different day
※The ticket price includes a welcome concession (soft drink and popcorn).
※The main lounge will be accessible one hour before the event.
※Discounts and complimentary invitation tickets cannot be used.
| General Sale | Sales Start: Saturday, May 3, 10:00 |
| Ticket Sales URL | https://eplus.jp/eno/ |
109 Cinemas Nagoya
| Date | Time | Theater | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 15:30- | Theater4 | General | Executive |
| Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater4 | General | Executive |
| Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 15:30〜 | Theater4 | General | Executive |
| Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 18:00〜 | Theater4 | General | Executive |
TICKETS General: ¥3,000 | Executive: ¥4,000
※Discounts and complimentary invitation tickets cannot be used.
| General Sale | Sales Start: Saturday, May 3, 10:00 |
| Ticket Sales URL | https://eplus.jp/eno/ |
109 Cinemas Osaka Expocity
| Date | Time | Theater | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 15:30- | Theater5 | General | Executive |
| Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater5 | General | Executive |
| Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 15:30- | Theater5 | General | Executive |
| Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 18:00- | Theater5 | General | Executive |
TICKETS General: ¥3,000 | Executive: ¥4,000
※Discounts and complimentary invitation tickets cannot be used.
| General Sale | Sales Start: Saturday, May 3, 10:00 |
| Ticket Sales URL | https://eplus.jp/eno/ |