Hirayama, a janitor at a public facility in Shibuya, Tokyo, reads a paperback book purchased at a second-hand bookstore before bed, and listens to old pop music on a cassette tape while in the car on his way to work. He has a simple lunch of bread and milk, captures the sunlight filtering through the trees with his film camera, and carefully stores the developed photos one by one in a box. Patterson, a bus driver in the city, observes the small-town scenery and people while driving his bus and writes poems in a small notebook. After work, he returns home to have dinner with his wife, takes the dog for a walk, and stops by a bar for a beer before heading back.

For April's Curator's Choice, two films were selected that tell the story of 'Homo Bookers,' people who live their mundane daily lives to the fullest while reading books. Wim Wenders' Perfect Days (2024) and Jim Jarmusch's Paterson (2016) both capture the radiant beauty in repetitive, simple routines, showing two characters who embrace the 'now' as it is. On April 23rd, World Book Day, why not spend a day like Hirayama, buying a book from a second-hand bookstore, or like Patterson, writing a poem in a notebook, or even capturing the spring sunshine with a camera (even if it’s just a phone camera)?