Lessons from a Calf documents the studies of pupils at an elementary school as they raise a dairy cow named Lola. The camera follows the children and captures their lively expressions, inspired by the cow-based curriculum. A news report on the schoolchildren inspired Koreeda to make this modest project, which in turn helped him rediscover what he loved most about the filmmaking process: the spontaneous representation of life.

However… examines the life and impact of Yamanouchi Yoyomori. As the head of the national Social Welfare Bureau in Japan, Yoyomori was responsible for compensating victims of Minamata Disease, a neurological disorder caused by methyl mercury poisoning. As the wheels of the bureaucracy slowed, Koreeda’s subject became a sort of martyr for the cause, having grown increasingly frustrated with his department’s unwillingness to support the victims despite his overwhelming commitment to them.