The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat with Yukihiro Morigaki

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Asian Pop-Up Cinema here in Chicago. For today’s podcast episode, we are sitting down for an in-person interview with director Yukihiro Morigaki to discuss his latest feature film, The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat.
The story centers on eight-year-old Yamabuki, a young boy caught in the crossfire of his dysfunctional family. To cope with their constant antics, he begins petting an imaginary dog as a silent refuge. The narrative fast-forwards twenty-five years to the death of the family matriarch, the one person who managed to hold everyone together over the decades. As the family reunites, the film explores whether their deep-seated differences can finally be resolved or if old wounds will simply be laid bare once again.
Director Yukihiro Morigaki brings a restrained and thoughtful approach to this chaotic family dynamic in his adaptation of Haruna Terachi’s novel. By showing how the destructive power of grief can consume people like a black hole, the film poses a compelling question. It asks if it is acceptable to feed one another with lies if those very lies are the only thing keeping a family from falling apart.
Born in 1983 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Yukihiro Morigaki began his career making documentary films while in university. He is the founder of the creators group Kujira and has a prolific background in directing commercials. His debut feature, Goodbye, Grandpa! (2017), won Best Asian Film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema.
Following the success of his drama Rude to Love (2024), which was selected at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, he returns with The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat (2025). This latest work continues his streak of international recognition, having been selected for the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Join us as we dive into his creative process and the themes of his newest release.