Starlight Cinema 2012

Yebisu Garden Place's open-air film screenings have become something of a summer institution in Tokyo. Now into its 13th year, Starlight Cinema is still free, and still guilty of some erratic programming choices. This year's theme is 'blue oasis' – translation: films concerned with the sea, sky and space – which means that we get another chance to watch BBC-produced nature documentaries Earth and Deep Blue on a big screen, as well as Luc Besson's diving drama The Big Blue and Niki Caro's Whale Rider. Just be sure to steer clear of the place when they revive the nauseating Mamma Mia! later in the summer. Screenings take place on weekends and national holidays, and there's seating for 150 people at each, with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis from 6.15pm.

July 28: The Big Blue (Luc Besson, 1988)
July 29: A Scene at the Sea (Takeshi Kitano, 1991)
August 4: Blue Crush (John Stockwell, 2002)
August 5: Earth (Alastair Fothergill & Mark Linfield, 2007)
August 11: Tokyo Oasis (Kana Matsumoto & Kayo Nakamura, 2011)
August 12: Whale Rider (Niki Caro, 2002)
August 18: Catch a Wave (Nobuyuki Takahashi, 2006)
August 19: Deep Blue (Alastair Fothergill & Andy Byatt, 2003)
August 25: Mamma Mia! (Phyllida Lloyd, 2008)
August 26: Rocketmen (Richard Dale, 2009)