About this Event
An Eventbrite RSVP does not reserve your movie ticket. Everyone buys their own movie ticket using the official link below.
Group movie outing - optional brief post-film chat.
Short summary
Some samurai films sell the sword first.
This one sounds more interested in the room before the blade comes out.
The Samurai and the Prisoner is a 2026 Japanese period M**der mystery from Kurosawa Kiyoshi, set amid 16th-century war, political betrayal, a besieged castle, and four crimes unfolding across four seasons.
There is also an imprisoned strategist whose answers may be useful, which is exactly the kind of setup that makes everyone in a castle seem slightly too calm to be trusted.
Good.
This is not museum homework.
Not samurai fandom trivia.
Not “who has the coolest armour” night.
It sounds like the kind of film where language, suspicion, loyalty, and mercy cut deeper than the sword fights.
We’re going to the public screening at The Cinematheque, then whoever still has energy can stay for a very quick post-film verdict afterward.
The plan
We’ll meet outside The Cinematheque at 6:30 PM.
The official screening begins at 7:00 PM.
The film runs 147 minutes, so it should end around 9:27 PM. I’m setting the Meetup end for 9:45 PM so there’s time to exit, find each other, and say a quick “what the hell was actually going on in that castle?” before people leave.
This is a public screening, not a private Meetup event.
Meetup RSVP is free, but it does not reserve your movie ticket.
Tickets
Everyone buys their own movie ticket.
Please buy online before the event day because this is a small independent cinema and we want to sit together if possible.
Official September 22 ticket link:
https://tickets.thecinematheque.ca/websales/pages/ticketsearchcriteria.aspx?evtinfo=571372~c720b4d8-2524-4617-94b4-09d7b2ffa465&
Current official ticket prices:
- General admission age 18+: $15
- Senior 65+: $13
- Student: $11
- First Nations, Inuit, and Métis admission: $0
Official film page:
https://thecinematheque.ca/films/2026/samurai-prisoner
Film details
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Japanese title: Kokurojo
Director: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Japan, 2026
147 minutes
DCP
PG
Japanese with English subtitles
Adapted from Yonezawa Honobu’s novel
When and where
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026
🕒 Meet outside: 6:30 PM
Official screening: 7:00 PM
Approx. film end: 9:27 PM
Meetup end: 9:45 PM
📍 Location: The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7
Event venue & nearby stays
The Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.