BFI Season - Two Masters of Japanese Cinema: Kaneto Shindo & Kozaburo Yoshimura

As Japanese director Kaneto Shindo celebrates his centenary, the BFI will hold a two-month tribute both to Shindo and his close collaborator and fellow director, Kozaburo Yoshimura, co-organised by the Japan Foundation.

This two-part retrospective presents a selection of major works by both directors. June’s programme focusing primarily on the 1950s, the period when their collaboration was at its closest, and July’s programme span the period stretching from the 1960s to the 21^st century – into which Shindo has survived to become one of the last living links to the Golden Age of Japanese Film.

Films for Part One of the season can be found on the BFI website www.bfi.org.uk

 

Japanese Cinema for Busy People - Part 3

Looking to expand your knowledge on Japanese cinema? The Japan Foundation is inviting those fascinated by all things cinema, or all things Japanese, to join the third series of Japanese Cinema for Busy People.

Whether you are a dedicated cineaste or a casual moviegoer, all are welcome to join and enjoy! Experts in the field will hold lectures assessing significant topics in Japanese cinema, past and present. As a complement to the BFI and Japan Foundation season Two Masters of Japanese Cinema: Kaneto Shindo & Kozaburo Yoshimura, fill your Wednesday evening with a cinema lecture – without having to do any of the homework!

 

Week 1 – Wednesday 13 June 2012 – 6.30pm

Beyond Rashomon: A Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, but for Whom?

by Jasper Sharp (Writer and Film Curator)

Jasper Sharp will look beyond the Japanese filmmakers of the 1950s championed in the West to focus on the technological and industrial developments of the era considered the ‘Golden Age’ of Japanese cinema.

 

Week 2 – Wednesday 20 June 2012 – 6.30pm

Fidelity, High and Low: Japanese Cinema and Literary Adaptation
by Lauri Kitsnik (University of Cambridge) 

Lauri Kitsnik will consider how the relationship between literature and film has developed through various periods of Japanese cinema and the way literary classics have been reinterpreted for the screen.

 

Week 3 – Wednesday 27 June 2012 – 6.30pm

The Meaning of Independence in Japanese Cinema: Production, Distribution and Exhibition
by Julian Ross (University of Leeds)

Julian Ross will discuss the meaning of independence in the context of Japan’s film history, and examine the alternatives in distribution, production and exhibition whilst investigating what exactly is gained and lost with the decision to turn independent.

 

Week 4 – Wednesday 4 July 2012 – 6.30pm

Collaboration or Exploitation? The Relationship Between Japanese Directors and their Stars
by Tony Rayns (Writer, Film Critic and Programmer)

Tony Rayns will explore the many creative relationships between Japanese directors and their stars, many of which instigated by contractual bounds under the Studio system, and how recurring actors can be both fruitful and restraining in film production.

 

Week 5 – Wednesday 11 July 2012 - 6.30pm

What’s Happening Now in Japanese Cinema?
by Rayna Denison (University of East Anglia)

As the final talk of the series, Rayna Denison will look into the current climate of the Japanese cinema industry and the production trend.

 

Date: From 13 June 2012
Venue: The Japan Foundation, London

 

This course is free but booking is essential – you are welcome to attend as many or as few talks as you like.

To register, please e-mail event@jpf.org.uk with your name and the session you would like to attend. Places will be limited – please book early to avoid disappointment.

This series is organised in association with BFI

For more information about the Two Masters of Japanese Cinema: Kaneto Shindo & Kozaburo Yoshimura season please click here

Himizu, from Japanese director Sion Sono opens in cinemas across the UK on June 1st

The new award-winning film from Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Cold Fish) ‘Himizu’ tells the powerful story of two teenagers’ struggle to live in dystopian future Japan destroyed by a natural disaster. When young Yuichi is pushed too far he embarks on a violent campaign of revenge against society’s evil doers and it’s up to Keiko who is desperately in love with him to try to bring him back to the path of a decent man. A heart-rending drama and tender love story, Himizu features startling performances from its young leads.

The film was in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in September where Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor and Actress for their work in the film. It also played in countless other major international film festivals such as 36th Toronto International Film Festival, 16th Busan International Film Festival, 44th SITGES International Film Festival, 14th Deauville Asian Film Festival and many more

‘Himizu’ will play at various sites across the UK with London sites confirmed at the ICA, Prince Charles and Curzon Renoir. For a full list please visit the Third Window Films website, or click here to see the trailer.

Mitsuko Delivers at the ICA Cinema from May 11th-24th

‘Mitsuko Delivers’, the newest film from ‘Sawako Decides’ director Yuya Ishii, opens at the ICA Cinema from May 11th and runs until May 24th

Electrifying Japanese talent Yûya Ishii’s (A Man With Style) breathless new comedy tells the story of a thirtysomething woman (Riisa Naka, Summer Wars) who’s at a delicate juncture in life; alone, flat broke and to top it all nine-months pregnant. Her folks think she’s in California living the high life with her baby’s GI father. In fact she’s in Tokyo, searching for a purpose, and eventually finding one in the ramshackle working-class alley where she grew up. The place reeks of destitution and bone idleness, but Mitsuko’s infectious get-up-and-go attitude soon compels the locals to roll up their sleeves and restore the alley to its former glory. Mitsuko Delivers is original, fanciful and adventurous – quintessentially Japanese.

Screening times and tickets can be found on the ICA website or click here to see the trailer.

Crime & Punishment released by Third Window Films on May 14th

Third Window Films will be releasing Crime or Punishment on May 14th 2012. For more information, please visit the Third Window Films website, or click here to see a trailer.

Tohoku Documentary Screenings 26-27 March

One year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, three new DVD documentaries about Tohoku will be screened at the Embassy of Japan on 26 and 27 March 2012 at 18:30.

Monday 26 March

Fukushima Hula Girls がんばっぺフラガール！～フクシマに生きる。彼女たちのいま～
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi / Oct. 2011 / 100 mins

Following the destruction of the stage for their performances in March last year, the Hula Girls of Spa Resort Hawaiians went on a nationwide tour. A story about their struggle to revive their business, offering a vision of a brighter future for Fukushima.

Tuesday 27 March

Setting Sail from the Ruins ドキュメンタリーWAVE「ガレキの中からの再出航～漁業の町・岩手県大船渡市」
NHK / Jun. 2011 / 30 mins

This NHK documentary was filmed in a fishing town, Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture, focusing on the local fishery industry, which was restored by selling locally caught fish over the internet.

Can You See Our Lights? NHKスペシャル「東北　夏祭り～鎮魂と絆と～」
NHK / Aug. 2011 / 48 mins

Another documentary film by NHK. Despite the extraordinary damage caused by the tsunami, the residents of Rikuzentakata City were determined to carry out their Tanabata summer festival as usual. This documentary also features footage of various other traditional festivals on the northeast coast.

For more information, please click here.

3.11 A Sense of Home @ The Pan-Asia Film Festival 2012

Now in its fourth year, the Pan-Asia Film Festival returns to London’s Asia House, Ciné Lumière and Prince Charles Cinema from 9 – 18 March 2012. The festival showcases Asia’s freshest emerging talent alongside work by established filmmakers, reflecting the vibrancy and energy in Asian filmmaking today. With Asia increasingly taking centre stage economically and politically, it has never been more important to develop an insight into its myriad cultures.

The festival is hosted by Asia House, the leading pan-Asian organisation in the UK. “As Asia continues to grow in influence, economically and politically, a nuanced understanding of its diverse cultures and societies has never been more important. The Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival offers unique insights into the lives of the people of Asia, from Iran and Kazakhstan to China and Japan,” says Sumantro Ghose, CEO Asia House

3.11 A SENSE OF HOME: UK Premiere:  A project in response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, led by award-winning director Naomi Kawase, and featuring work by leading filmmakers including Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Jia Zhang-ke. The programme comprises 21 short films. This screening will coincide with the one year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

For more information on this screening and the whole season, please visit www.panasiafilmfestival.org

Japan Foundation Quiz - Pair of tickets to give away!

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme begins at the ICA in a couple of weeks, before going on to tour 6 further regional venues.

To win a pair of tickets to this season’s very first screening – Dear Doctor on Friday 10th February at 6:15pm – please answer the following question correctly:

In which film does the main character discover a woman and child living in his closet?

All the information you need to answer this, and more, can be found at our touring film website www.jpf-film.org.uk

Please send your answers to: info@jpf.org.uk

Deadline for entries 12:00pm 6th February 2012

Third Window Releases 2012!

This year promises to be a very exciting one for Japanese cinema, especially with news of several upcoming releases from Third Window Films. Please see below for information regarding some upcoming releases, and please keep an eye out for more titles, which will be posted here as they become available!

Adrift in Tokyo (DVD release) (click here for more!)
RELEASE DATE: 27 February 2012

Leading a lazy life, Fumiya has been a university student for 8 years and owes money to loan sharks. One day, a man named Fukuhara comes to collect the loan, which Fumiya cannot pay. So Fukuhara makes a proposition…

Miki Satoshi Collection (DVD release) (click here for more!)
RELEASE DATE: 27 February 2012

A collection of the 3 best works of famed Japanese director Miki Satoshi. The box set includes ‘Adrift in Tokyo’ starring Odagiri Joe and Kyoko Koizumi, ‘Instant Swamp’ starring Aso Kumiko and Ryo Kase and ‘Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers’ starring Ueno Juri and Aoi Yu.

More titles coming soon, watch this page and Third Window Films for more information!