Shô Miyake’s All the Long Nights is a film about small things: decency, kindness, why people help each other out, how those acts can inspire others. The first character we meet is Misa (Mone Kamishiraishi), a sensitive type who suffers from premenstrual syndrome. In the opening scene, this causes Misa to lose her cool at work, and while the situation is smoothed over, she quits out of shame. Leaving the city, she lands a gig in a suburban company, assembling astronomical sets, and meets Takatoshi (Hokuto Matsumura), a young, panic attack-prone man who recently left a job under similar circumstances. After an initial misunderstanding, their orbits align into something that looks like love but never skews romantic.
If that all sounds a bit saccharine, bear with it: in Miyake’s previous film, Small, Slow But Steady, the director took the autobiography of Keiko Ogasawara, a hearing-impaired female boxer, and...
If that all sounds a bit saccharine, bear with it: in Miyake’s previous film, Small, Slow But Steady, the director took the autobiography of Keiko Ogasawara, a hearing-impaired female boxer, and...
- 3/21/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
A number of people in Amp, including this author, have a soft spot for Kiyohiko Shibukawa, an actor who has proven a true chameleon in the way he jumps from one part to another, with equal success. Shibukawa, born July 2, 1974, actually started his career as a fashion model under the name Kee. He started acting in TV with “Twinkle”, in 1998, and he got his first role in cinema in Toshiaki Toyoda's “Pornostar”, with him actually accompanying the director in most of his later works, something that actually happened with the rest of the filmmakers he was casted by over the years. These include, among others, Takashi Miike, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Eiji Uchida. Currently, his credits number 160, with the majority of them being non-protagonist roles, which, still, though do not prevent him from shining quite brightly, particularly to the more “trained” eye.
Without further ado, here are 10 of his most iconic performances,...
Without further ado, here are 10 of his most iconic performances,...
- 9/19/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Along with Keishi Otomo and Takashi Miike, Shinsuke Sato completed the trio of Japanese directors who truly excel in action anime/manga adaptations, with his works in “Gantz”, “Library Wars”, “I am a Hero” etc speaking for themselves. “Kingdom 2: Far and Away”, which continues the adaptation of the homonymous manga by Yasuhisa Hara, highlights the fact in the most eloquent fashion as it currently streams on Netflix, just before the third part's release later this year.
Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
In a style that points more towards Chinese than Japanese epics (the original is actually based on the Warring States period), the sequel see the State of Qin, who is now governed by Eisei, after the events of the first movie, facing a new threat from a neighboring nation, the State of Wei. Headed by general Go Kei, a genius in military warfare,...
Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
In a style that points more towards Chinese than Japanese epics (the original is actually based on the Warring States period), the sequel see the State of Qin, who is now governed by Eisei, after the events of the first movie, facing a new threat from a neighboring nation, the State of Wei. Headed by general Go Kei, a genius in military warfare,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
On the occasion of Sanka: Nomads of the Soul screening at Japan Cuts, Ryohei Sasatani talks to Panos Kotzathanasis about shooting a movie about the Sanka and the research he did for the subject, the inspiration behind the protagonist's coming of age, the concept of the accusation towards the previous generation in Japan, Shozo and Kiyohiko Shibukawa, the casting and the cinematography, and other topics.
- 7/27/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Following “Alive” from 2022, Toshiaki Toyoda has come up with the fifth entry in his “Wolf Resurrection” series, titled “Right Now”. The 18-minute short is a sequel to “Alive” an which a man goes missing in the mountains and is drowned by a waterfall deep in the mountains. The film was shot in Tochigi Prefecture and stars Toyoda's frequent collaborator Kiyohiko Shibukawa
In addition to the music by Seppuku Pistols, Kenji Nakagomi and Yuta Sumiyoshi from Kodo, a taiko performing arts group based on Sado Island that continues to spread traditional Japanese performing arts to the world, and Kakko-horn performance unit Shelltones, headed by Kakko master and first-class Horaishi priest of the Kinpozan Temple Shugendo Honshu, Kakugo Miyashita, have been announced as additional participants. Along with this, the new song “Wolf Roaring Gate” by Seppuku Pistols has been chosen as the ending song.
On July 24th,World Premiere Public Screening Event...
In addition to the music by Seppuku Pistols, Kenji Nakagomi and Yuta Sumiyoshi from Kodo, a taiko performing arts group based on Sado Island that continues to spread traditional Japanese performing arts to the world, and Kakko-horn performance unit Shelltones, headed by Kakko master and first-class Horaishi priest of the Kinpozan Temple Shugendo Honshu, Kakugo Miyashita, have been announced as additional participants. Along with this, the new song “Wolf Roaring Gate” by Seppuku Pistols has been chosen as the ending song.
On July 24th,World Premiere Public Screening Event...
- 7/16/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
From the moment that Kaho (Aobe Kawai) and Tomoya (Ryute Okomoto) announce their engagement to their friends in a restaurant, it’s clear that it isn’t going to work out as planned. Kaho’s shy glow of excitement just isn’t reciprocated by her fiancé. When the women go home after the meal, he joins friends Takeshi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) and Kenichiro (Nao Okabe) to visit the latter’s girlfriend, Takako (Fusako Orabe), whose cat has just died and who is keen to spend the evening drinking and talking.
The men’s attitude towards Takako is disquieting throughout, if not exactly unusual. Because she lives alone and is happy to have sex without commitment, Takeshi disapproves of her, going so far as to put the security of her living situation at risk. Kenichiro finds her a convenient distraction from his not very secret feelings for Kaho. Tomoya wants to save her,...
The men’s attitude towards Takako is disquieting throughout, if not exactly unusual. Because she lives alone and is happy to have sex without commitment, Takeshi disapproves of her, going so far as to put the security of her living situation at risk. Kenichiro finds her a convenient distraction from his not very secret feelings for Kaho. Tomoya wants to save her,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Friends meet at a restaurant for a birthday dinner in the opening scenes of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Passion. Everyone loves the wrong person. Tomoya (Ryuta Okamoto) is engaged to math teacher Kaho (Aoba Kawai), but like the married Takeshi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa), is drawn to post-grad Takako (Fusako Urabe).
Their stories unfold in a world of diners, small apartments, and taxis familiar to fans of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and the Oscar-winning Drive My Car. Shot as his thesis film at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Passion is Hamaguchi’s second feature. Though filmed in 2008, it only now opens for its North American theatrical run on Friday, April 14 at Film at Lincoln Center.
Ahead of its release, we spoke to the writer-director via Zoom about his second feature, the Oscars, and future projects. Thanks to Monika Uchiyama for her translations.
The Film Stage: What is your screenwriting process? Do...
Their stories unfold in a world of diners, small apartments, and taxis familiar to fans of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and the Oscar-winning Drive My Car. Shot as his thesis film at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Passion is Hamaguchi’s second feature. Though filmed in 2008, it only now opens for its North American theatrical run on Friday, April 14 at Film at Lincoln Center.
Ahead of its release, we spoke to the writer-director via Zoom about his second feature, the Oscars, and future projects. Thanks to Monika Uchiyama for her translations.
The Film Stage: What is your screenwriting process? Do...
- 4/12/2023
- by Daniel Eagan
- The Film Stage
Moving into adult life is quite a transition, overshadowed by many obstacles, decisions and changes within yourself, which can often feel soul-crushing and confusing. It is also one of those phases in the life of a person, which has inspired many artists to reminisce about the nature of growing up, how the choices one makes are based on free will or other aspects, such as social pressure or gender expectations. In his second feature, produced as his thesis at Tokyo University of Arts, Ryusuke Hamaguchi's “Passion” tells a story of a group of characters caught in the middle of that period of transition in their lives. It is a movie which not only highlights the director's gift of working with actors, but also his sense of place and time, resulting in a story which is both contemplative and captivating.
Film Movement has announced that “Passion” is opening theatrically on...
Film Movement has announced that “Passion” is opening theatrically on...
- 4/4/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Following the success of “Midnight Swan”, which won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Picture, Uchida decided to return to one of his favorite themes, the meta “film about films” concept, continuing in the same level of quality he exhibited in titles like “Lowlife Love” and “The Naked Director”.
Shrieking in the Rain is screening at Camera Japan
The story takes place in an anonymous studio during the summer of 1988, where video production for home rentals has reached its highest peak. First-time director Hanako Hayashi is in charge, but the truth is, she actually isn’t. At all. Instead, she experiences frequent meltdowns, as in the initial scene where she has locked herself in the prop car, not talking to anybody, exhibits rather eloquently, her directions are vague, contradicting, and rather annoying for the cast and crew who get increasingly fed up with her. The fact that most of them...
Shrieking in the Rain is screening at Camera Japan
The story takes place in an anonymous studio during the summer of 1988, where video production for home rentals has reached its highest peak. First-time director Hanako Hayashi is in charge, but the truth is, she actually isn’t. At all. Instead, she experiences frequent meltdowns, as in the initial scene where she has locked herself in the prop car, not talking to anybody, exhibits rather eloquently, her directions are vague, contradicting, and rather annoying for the cast and crew who get increasingly fed up with her. The fact that most of them...
- 9/26/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The story of Sanka is not something from another country. They lived in Japan and had the technical ability to mend tools such as the winnowing baskets used in agriculture. They went from farm to farm and received food such as wheat or rice in exchange for their mending work. They made their homes near riverbeds or in the caves of cliffs, fished in rivers, and washed themselves there also. They were drifters that lived in family units. […] After the 1960s, they suddenly disappeared. […]One of the reasons for their disappearance could be that tools like winnowing baskets and others that were used by cultivators and were their livelihood are no longer used. Also, forests, rivers and plains where they used to live freely had disappeared under the waves of development. They must have started having problems like landowners that wouldn’t allow access to their property to strangers. (source: https://globalvoices.
- 3/17/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Moving into adult life is quite a transition, overshadowed by many obstacles, decisions and changes within yourself, which can often feel soul-crushing and confusing. It is also one of those phases in the life of a person, which has inspired many artists to reminisce about the nature of growing up, how the choices one makes are based on free will or other aspects, such as social pressure or gender expectations. In his second feature, produced as his thesis at Tokyo University of Arts, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Passion” tells a story of a group of characters caught in the middle of that period of transition in their lives. It is a movie which not only highlights the director’s gift of working with actors, but also his sense of place and time, resulting in a story which is both contemplative and captivating.
“Passion” screened at Close-Up Film Centre as part...
“Passion” screened at Close-Up Film Centre as part...
- 12/8/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Completing the accusation-towards-the-system “Resurrection Trilogy”, following “Wolf’s Calling” and “The Day of Destruction”, eloquently titled “Go Seppuku Yourselves” is another audiovisual extravaganza, this time aiming at the samurai system and particularly the Bushido, alongside politicians.
“Go Seppuku Yourselves” is screening at Japan Cuts
The 25-minute short begins with a rather impressive scene, where a geisha is moving in slow motion through the narrow street of a village during the samurai era. The camera follows her from behind, but when it turns to her face, a black oni mask is revealed, before she cuts off her little finger, which is then showed being dropped somewhere. The whereabouts are revealed in the next scene, which changes completely setting, inside the “den” of a pharmacist, where a samurai, Danbe, enters, informing the owner that a well has been contaminated by an oni (a Japanese demon). Danbe also cautions the pharmacist, that the authorities,...
“Go Seppuku Yourselves” is screening at Japan Cuts
The 25-minute short begins with a rather impressive scene, where a geisha is moving in slow motion through the narrow street of a village during the samurai era. The camera follows her from behind, but when it turns to her face, a black oni mask is revealed, before she cuts off her little finger, which is then showed being dropped somewhere. The whereabouts are revealed in the next scene, which changes completely setting, inside the “den” of a pharmacist, where a samurai, Danbe, enters, informing the owner that a well has been contaminated by an oni (a Japanese demon). Danbe also cautions the pharmacist, that the authorities,...
- 8/20/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
What began with “Pornostar” and “Blue Spring”, found its apogee in “9 Souls”, one of the greatest samples of Japanese indie cinema.
Nine convicts escape prison, since the tenth, Yamamoto, lost it just before a rat, which showed the others the way out, appeared on their cell. The convicts have decided to search for a money stash hidden by Yamamoto and so they function as a team, despite the fact that they differ in age, natire of crime and general background. Torakichi is the eldest and acts as the leader of the group. He has killed his own son. Kazuma is a young man, former member of a bike gang. He stabbed four members of his own group. Inui is a bomber (of sorts) who suffers from epilepsy. Shiratory is a dwarf, and a doctor who aided suicide. Michiru, the last one to enter prison, is an adolescent who killed his father.
Nine convicts escape prison, since the tenth, Yamamoto, lost it just before a rat, which showed the others the way out, appeared on their cell. The convicts have decided to search for a money stash hidden by Yamamoto and so they function as a team, despite the fact that they differ in age, natire of crime and general background. Torakichi is the eldest and acts as the leader of the group. He has killed his own son. Kazuma is a young man, former member of a bike gang. He stabbed four members of his own group. Inui is a bomber (of sorts) who suffers from epilepsy. Shiratory is a dwarf, and a doctor who aided suicide. Michiru, the last one to enter prison, is an adolescent who killed his father.
- 8/10/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Using crime-filled Shibuya of the 90’s as his setting, Toshiaki Toyoda presents a true guerilla film, which frequently functions as a music video.
The film starts with a mysterious, almost catatonic young man named Arano, walking in the street and bumping everyone around him, in a more violent edition of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” music video. Eventually, he stumbles upon Kamijo, a young club-owner who struggles to stay away from the Yakuza, despite the fact that he is kind of a gangster himself. Through a series of violent episodes, Arano ends up in Kamijo’s group, as the latter appreciates his knack for violence. Their relationship though, is anything but smooth.
Toshiaki Toyoda presents a world where violence is the rule, where every man seems to be a gangster or on his way of becoming one. This world seems to be a perfect fit for Arano,...
The film starts with a mysterious, almost catatonic young man named Arano, walking in the street and bumping everyone around him, in a more violent edition of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” music video. Eventually, he stumbles upon Kamijo, a young club-owner who struggles to stay away from the Yakuza, despite the fact that he is kind of a gangster himself. Through a series of violent episodes, Arano ends up in Kamijo’s group, as the latter appreciates his knack for violence. Their relationship though, is anything but smooth.
Toshiaki Toyoda presents a world where violence is the rule, where every man seems to be a gangster or on his way of becoming one. This world seems to be a perfect fit for Arano,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Following the successful film “Wolf’s Calling” and “The Day of Destruction”, dir. Toshiaki Toyoda will produce another film called “Seppuku Everybody”. The film will be produced as part of the “Okami Yomigaeri Yama” trilogy project and this will be the last instalment of the series. “Okami Yomigaeri Yama” is the imaginary shrine and it was used as the film location for “Wolf’s Calling” and “The Day of Destruction”.
In addition, Toyoda Films will launch a crowdfunding campaign for the new film project. The original storyline and characters are still veiled in secrecy, but the protagonists will be Yosuke Kubozuka and Kiyohiko Shibukawa. Also the 20-person Edo punk band Seppuku Pistols, Kenta Nakagomie and Yuta Sumiyoshi from the Sado Island-based Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble “Kodo” and the DJ/Composer Mars89 will provide the soundtrack for the new film. The Campaign will last approximately five weeks, until 30th April at...
In addition, Toyoda Films will launch a crowdfunding campaign for the new film project. The original storyline and characters are still veiled in secrecy, but the protagonists will be Yosuke Kubozuka and Kiyohiko Shibukawa. Also the 20-person Edo punk band Seppuku Pistols, Kenta Nakagomie and Yuta Sumiyoshi from the Sado Island-based Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble “Kodo” and the DJ/Composer Mars89 will provide the soundtrack for the new film. The Campaign will last approximately five weeks, until 30th April at...
- 3/22/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
When Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi made his return to fiction after time away in the realm of documentary, he dispensed with the idea that stories must conform to feature length. “Happy Hour,” the sprawling ensemble drama that sparked interest in him among cinephiles, ran more than five hours, and while his latest, “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” boasts a conventional enough running time of 121 minutes, the film is actually composed of three short stories, stitched together and somewhat arbitrarily presented as a single package.
The vignettes are, by the director’s own description, explorations of “coincidence and imagination” — the first three of what he conceived as seven stories, pointing toward what might have been another epic-length project. Audiences tend not to take well to coincidence in drama, which can feel unrealistic when handled clumsily. In Hamaguchi’s hands, however, lucky (or unlucky) twists don’t feel so much like manipulation...
The vignettes are, by the director’s own description, explorations of “coincidence and imagination” — the first three of what he conceived as seven stories, pointing toward what might have been another epic-length project. Audiences tend not to take well to coincidence in drama, which can feel unrealistic when handled clumsily. In Hamaguchi’s hands, however, lucky (or unlucky) twists don’t feel so much like manipulation...
- 3/11/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, after the excellent “Asako I&ii” seems to have established a specific style, contextually at least, that has “unremarkable” people experiencing remarkable, somewhat surrealistic events, and characters, particularly women, who exhibit behaviors that are exactly the opposite of how Japanese people usually conduct themselves. This approach is cemented in the three episodes of “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”.
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is screening on Berlinale
The first episode, “Magic (or Something Less Assuring)” has two best friends, younger Meiko and on the brink of middle age Tsugumi chatting, in the back of a car, about a man the latter met, and her growing fondness of him. The discussion is rather revealing, with the two women speaking quite sincerely about both him and the way they conduct themselves on relationships, including sex. Soon, however, it is revealed that the man Tsugumi was talking about is Meiko’s ex boyfriend,...
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is screening on Berlinale
The first episode, “Magic (or Something Less Assuring)” has two best friends, younger Meiko and on the brink of middle age Tsugumi chatting, in the back of a car, about a man the latter met, and her growing fondness of him. The discussion is rather revealing, with the two women speaking quite sincerely about both him and the way they conduct themselves on relationships, including sex. Soon, however, it is revealed that the man Tsugumi was talking about is Meiko’s ex boyfriend,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is cinema portmanteau: three short stories focused on three different characters, each a little lovesick and just a little lost. The director is Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, an emerging filmmaker from Japan who seems to have already mastered his craft, and whose work is perfectly at home to such dilemmas. His 2015 film Happy Hour, a five-hour saga, followed the lives of four women in Kobe, one of whom had filed for divorce. Next came Asako I & II in 2018, an adaptation of Tomoka Shibasaki’s novel about a woman who starts seeing a man who looks exactly like the boy she loved when she was younger––a story of doppelgängers, it also showcased his touch for surrealist flourishes.
While fast closing in on auteur status, Hamaguchi’s films continue to hold a kind of literary spirit: Happy Hour the epic; Asako the novella; and now Wheel of Fortune,...
While fast closing in on auteur status, Hamaguchi’s films continue to hold a kind of literary spirit: Happy Hour the epic; Asako the novella; and now Wheel of Fortune,...
- 3/4/2021
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
One of the few things that may be keeping Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 2015 film Happy Hour from being recognized as one of the great films of the 2010s is its length: At over five hours, its drama of mid-30s women wrestling with their place in life is undoubtedly imposing, regardless of the fact that Hamaguchi’s style is clean and crisp, underscored by shadows of mystery, with none of the arduous challenge usually presented by lengthy art films. Possibly if it had been presented in the format of a multi-episode series, its audience would have easily found it. Hamaguchi’s follow-up, Asako I & II, broke things up cleverly by segmenting its Vertigo-esque story of lovers lost and found into two parts. Now, the Japanese director’s latest, the sly and intriguing portmanteau Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, which is premiering in Berlin's main competition, helps the audience by being...
- 3/4/2021
- MUBI
Diaphana has taken French rights to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s drama.
On the eve of the EFM, Berlin-based sales outfit m-appeal has announced two key deals for its Berlinale Competition contender Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy in advance of the film’s world premiere next week.
Leading French arthouse outfit Diaphana will handle Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s latest film in France and is planning a theatrical release later this year on 80 to 150 prints.
Other deals confirmed are Paulo Branco’s Lisbon-based Leopardo Filmes for Portugal; GreenNarea Media for Korea; and Andrews Films for Taiwan. All are planning a theatrical release...
On the eve of the EFM, Berlin-based sales outfit m-appeal has announced two key deals for its Berlinale Competition contender Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy in advance of the film’s world premiere next week.
Leading French arthouse outfit Diaphana will handle Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s latest film in France and is planning a theatrical release later this year on 80 to 150 prints.
Other deals confirmed are Paulo Branco’s Lisbon-based Leopardo Filmes for Portugal; GreenNarea Media for Korea; and Andrews Films for Taiwan. All are planning a theatrical release...
- 2/26/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
This year’s Berlin International Film Festival will look a bit different this year, with a virtual edition taking place March 1-5 for industry and press, then a public, in-person edition kicking off in June.
The complete lineup has now been unveiled, including Céline Sciamma’s highly-anticipated Portrait of a Lady on Fire follow-up Petite Maman, a surprise new Hong Sang-soo feature, the latest work from Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, along with new projects by Radu Jude, Xavier Beauvois, Dominik Graf, Pietro Marcello, Ramon Zürcher & Silvan Zürcher, and more.
Check out each section below.
Competition Tiles
“Albatros” (Drift Away)
France
by Xavier Beauvois
with Jérémie Renier, Marie-Julie Maille, Victor Belmondo
“Babardeală cu buclucsau porno balamuc” (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)
Romania/Luxemburg/Croatia/Czech Republic
by Radu Jude
with Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai
“Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde” (Fabian – Going to the Dogs)
Germany
by Dominik Graf
with Tom Schilling,...
The complete lineup has now been unveiled, including Céline Sciamma’s highly-anticipated Portrait of a Lady on Fire follow-up Petite Maman, a surprise new Hong Sang-soo feature, the latest work from Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, along with new projects by Radu Jude, Xavier Beauvois, Dominik Graf, Pietro Marcello, Ramon Zürcher & Silvan Zürcher, and more.
Check out each section below.
Competition Tiles
“Albatros” (Drift Away)
France
by Xavier Beauvois
with Jérémie Renier, Marie-Julie Maille, Victor Belmondo
“Babardeală cu buclucsau porno balamuc” (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)
Romania/Luxemburg/Croatia/Czech Republic
by Radu Jude
with Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai
“Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde” (Fabian – Going to the Dogs)
Germany
by Dominik Graf
with Tom Schilling,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
This week of Berlin International Film Festival announcements comes to a close with the main course – the Competition and Special Screenings programs. Scroll down for the full lists.
The 15-strong Competition – all world premieres – includes titles from filmmakers including Celine Sciamma, Daniel Bruhl and Xavier Beauvois.
Celine Sciamma is following on from her Golden Globe-nominated Portrait Of A Lady On Fire with her next movie, Petite Maman, which only went into production in November; plot details are hush but it is understood to star two eight-year-olds.
Actor-turned-filmmaker Bruhl also plays the protagonist in his directorial debut, Next Door, which centers on a film star and his troublesome neighbor.
Xavier Beauvois, whose credits include the Cannes Grand Prix winner Of Gods And Men and the 2017 film The Guardians, presents his eighth work, Albatros, which follows a police captain whose life goes into a tailspin.
Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude will also present his latest work,...
The 15-strong Competition – all world premieres – includes titles from filmmakers including Celine Sciamma, Daniel Bruhl and Xavier Beauvois.
Celine Sciamma is following on from her Golden Globe-nominated Portrait Of A Lady On Fire with her next movie, Petite Maman, which only went into production in November; plot details are hush but it is understood to star two eight-year-olds.
Actor-turned-filmmaker Bruhl also plays the protagonist in his directorial debut, Next Door, which centers on a film star and his troublesome neighbor.
Xavier Beauvois, whose credits include the Cannes Grand Prix winner Of Gods And Men and the 2017 film The Guardians, presents his eighth work, Albatros, which follows a police captain whose life goes into a tailspin.
Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude will also present his latest work,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor Daniel Bruhl’s directorial debut and new titles from Radu Jude, Celine Sciamma, Hong Sangsoo and Xavier Beauvois are among the 15 competition titles in the Berlin Film Festival, all of which were revealed Thursday.
Five of the titles are from female filmmakers (some of whom are co-directors on titles), on par with last year’s competition, when six of the 18 competition titles were helmed by women.
The festival also revealed the 11 titles in the Berlinale Special strand.
Festival executive director Mariette Rissenbeek introduced the format of this year’s festival, after which artistic director Carlo Chatrian presented the films selected.
As first revealed by Variety, the festival’s 71st edition will take place in two stages. Industry platforms European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund will be online March 1-5. Meanwhile, June 9-20 will see a physical summer public event, pandemic permitting.
Explaining the rationale,...
Five of the titles are from female filmmakers (some of whom are co-directors on titles), on par with last year’s competition, when six of the 18 competition titles were helmed by women.
The festival also revealed the 11 titles in the Berlinale Special strand.
Festival executive director Mariette Rissenbeek introduced the format of this year’s festival, after which artistic director Carlo Chatrian presented the films selected.
As first revealed by Variety, the festival’s 71st edition will take place in two stages. Industry platforms European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund will be online March 1-5. Meanwhile, June 9-20 will see a physical summer public event, pandemic permitting.
Explaining the rationale,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sion Sono takes another trip towards the preposterous, this time managing to mix tokusatsu, kaiju, and family film elements while mocking a vast plethora of notions, including the Olympic Games, history, the music industry, bullying, pop culture, and even Santa Claus.
Love and Peace is screening as part of Five Flavours Asian New Year’s Eve Online
Ryoichi is the definition of the loser. When he was young, he dreamt of becoming a punk rock star but instead ended up being a timid white-collar employee of a musical parts company. Furthermore, everybody seems to constantly mock him and that includes not just his co-workers and boss, but actually everybody. From the passengers of the train he takes to work every day, who seem to stare at him perpetually, to talk-show producers on TV, in a distinct surrealistic notion, typical of Sono’s style. Ryoichi has feelings for a co-worker, Yuko Terajima,...
Love and Peace is screening as part of Five Flavours Asian New Year’s Eve Online
Ryoichi is the definition of the loser. When he was young, he dreamt of becoming a punk rock star but instead ended up being a timid white-collar employee of a musical parts company. Furthermore, everybody seems to constantly mock him and that includes not just his co-workers and boss, but actually everybody. From the passengers of the train he takes to work every day, who seem to stare at him perpetually, to talk-show producers on TV, in a distinct surrealistic notion, typical of Sono’s style. Ryoichi has feelings for a co-worker, Yuko Terajima,...
- 12/24/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Toshiaki Toyoda seems to be experiencing one of his most prolific periods, with his recent arrest, the concept of the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the pandemic functioning as a great source of inspiration for him. Namely, since 2018, Toyoda has shot “The Miracle of Crybaby Shotan“, “Planetist”, “Wolf’s Calling” and now “The Day of Destruction“.
On the occasion the latter screening at Camera Japan, we speak with him about the parade he managed to organize in Tokyo amidst the pandemic, the rage exhibited in the film, working with Gezan and Seppuku Pistols on the music, the great cast he managed to amass, guerrilla filmmaking, and other topics.
On July 23, you had some of the actors parade through the streets of Tokyo, eventually reaching a stage where Gezan performed. What was your purpose? Were the crew and particularly Kiyohiko Shibukawa ok with this and what was the reaction of the people in the streets?...
On the occasion the latter screening at Camera Japan, we speak with him about the parade he managed to organize in Tokyo amidst the pandemic, the rage exhibited in the film, working with Gezan and Seppuku Pistols on the music, the great cast he managed to amass, guerrilla filmmaking, and other topics.
On July 23, you had some of the actors parade through the streets of Tokyo, eventually reaching a stage where Gezan performed. What was your purpose? Were the crew and particularly Kiyohiko Shibukawa ok with this and what was the reaction of the people in the streets?...
- 10/2/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Toshiaki Toyoda is an angry man. Angry for the “treatment” he experienced at the hands of the police for the second time, angry about the greed resulting from the upcoming (?) Tokyo Olympic games, angry at capitalism, and angry at the government for its policies regarding the pandemic. All this anger is channeled in “Days of Destruction” and eventually is turned into an audiovisual rage that fills the screen on multiple occasions. Having premiered on a 24-hour screening window at Japan Cuts on July 24, date the Olympics would have started, and with a performance that had the protagonists of the movie marching through the streets of Tokyo, eventually reaching a venue where Seppuku Pistols and Gezan performed, the film probably had the ideal promotion, given the circumstances, and the result does not disappoint at all.
The Day of Destruction is screening at Camera Japan
The narrative of the film is somewhat confusing,...
The Day of Destruction is screening at Camera Japan
The narrative of the film is somewhat confusing,...
- 9/23/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic” casts a damning eye on the pernicious role alcohol plays in the working careers and social lives of Japanese men. Narrated by the innermost thoughts of a daughter during the 25 years she spends watching her father drink himself to death, With achingly honest things to say about misplaced female guilt, and uplifting messages about female strength, “A Life” deserves to be on the radar of streaming platforms looking for high quality, universally accessible foreign-language fare.
The source material is Mariko Kikuchi’s autobiographical online manga, the title of which translates literally as “My father, who becomes a monster when he’s drunk, causes me pain.” When the manga first appeared in April 2017, overwhelming demand caused the publisher’s server to crash. At the heart of Kikuchi’s story, and faithfully maintained in the screenplay by Katagiri (“Room Laundering”) and fellow male writer Ayumu Kyuma,...
The source material is Mariko Kikuchi’s autobiographical online manga, the title of which translates literally as “My father, who becomes a monster when he’s drunk, causes me pain.” When the manga first appeared in April 2017, overwhelming demand caused the publisher’s server to crash. At the heart of Kikuchi’s story, and faithfully maintained in the screenplay by Katagiri (“Room Laundering”) and fellow male writer Ayumu Kyuma,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
In April 2019, director Toshiaki Toyoda (“Blue Spring” 2001) was arrested for unlawful possession of a handgun. It turned out that the weapon was a familial keepsake and he was released without charge. Based on this experience he produced a 17 minutes period drama called “Wolf’s Calling.”
Wolf’s Calling is screening at Japan Cuts 2020:
A girl finds an old handgun in her attic and the symbolic object conjures a mystical scene of samurai gathering within the moss-grown location of Kasosan Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture.
Produced outside the committee system and with his own money, “Wolf’s Calling” stars a familiar cast for a Toyoda movie. Kiyohiko Shibukawa (“9 Souls” 2003) and Ryuhei Matsuda are accompanied by international known actor Tadanobu Asano (“Ichi the Killer” 2001) in a supporting role. Since it is a self-financed project, “Wolf’s Calling” might be a hint to a future Japanese film industry outside the production system of the big studios.
Wolf’s Calling is screening at Japan Cuts 2020:
A girl finds an old handgun in her attic and the symbolic object conjures a mystical scene of samurai gathering within the moss-grown location of Kasosan Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture.
Produced outside the committee system and with his own money, “Wolf’s Calling” stars a familiar cast for a Toyoda movie. Kiyohiko Shibukawa (“9 Souls” 2003) and Ryuhei Matsuda are accompanied by international known actor Tadanobu Asano (“Ichi the Killer” 2001) in a supporting role. Since it is a self-financed project, “Wolf’s Calling” might be a hint to a future Japanese film industry outside the production system of the big studios.
- 7/20/2020
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese director Kenji Katagiri (“Room Laundering“) second feature length film “A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic” is set for release on March 6th, 2020. The film that chronicles a young daughters struggles within a fragmented family is based on the autobiographical web comic “You to Bakemono ni Naru Chichi ga Tsurai” by Mariko Kikuchi.
“A Life Turned Upside Down” previously screened at Camera Japan 2019, you can read our review here, and check out the new trailer below.
Synopsis
Saki’s (Honoka Matsumoto) father (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is an alcoholic and her mother is a follower of a new religion. She sees her father’s strange behavior and her mother’s loneliness. Her family is collapsing, but Saki struggles to look for her future. (Asianwiki)...
“A Life Turned Upside Down” previously screened at Camera Japan 2019, you can read our review here, and check out the new trailer below.
Synopsis
Saki’s (Honoka Matsumoto) father (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is an alcoholic and her mother is a follower of a new religion. She sees her father’s strange behavior and her mother’s loneliness. Her family is collapsing, but Saki struggles to look for her future. (Asianwiki)...
- 1/15/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
By Adam Torel
Third Window Films is quite different to many distributors in the fact that it’s not just incredibly niche, but also run totally ‘in-house’. I started Third Window in 2005, so it’s been 15 years now, and the goal of the label was to release many minor Asian films which probably wouldn’t have gotten released otherwise. As a massive fan of Asian cinema, I wanted to really focus on titles which had never been released before in the West, instead of working like a normal distributor would do in focusing mainly on easily ‘sellable’ and well-known titles. In order to do this, Third Window has been run incredibly tight, with no office, no real staff and keeping as much in house (literally run out of my home) as possible. This means handling as much of the process: from buying rights, making materials, subtitling, filming and editing extras,...
Third Window Films is quite different to many distributors in the fact that it’s not just incredibly niche, but also run totally ‘in-house’. I started Third Window in 2005, so it’s been 15 years now, and the goal of the label was to release many minor Asian films which probably wouldn’t have gotten released otherwise. As a massive fan of Asian cinema, I wanted to really focus on titles which had never been released before in the West, instead of working like a normal distributor would do in focusing mainly on easily ‘sellable’ and well-known titles. In order to do this, Third Window has been run incredibly tight, with no office, no real staff and keeping as much in house (literally run out of my home) as possible. This means handling as much of the process: from buying rights, making materials, subtitling, filming and editing extras,...
- 1/10/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
A loser salary man escapes in alcohol causing everything around him to collapse. Kenji Katagiri’s second feature film surpasses his theatrical debut “Room Laundering” (2018).
“A Life Turned Upside Down” is screening at Camera Japan 2019
In the middle of the chaos stands Saki, played by 22-year-old actress Honoka Matsumoto. She wants to be a Manga artist and her identity crisis is portrayed with fitting speech bubbles that share her inner monologue with the audience. The sad fairy tail is comedy and drama at the same time. Narrated by Saki, the story may appear simple, but is well elaborated. Heavy subjects like alcoholism, suicide, and existential fear are presented light-hearted, but not in a naive way. Unlike Katagiri’s debut “Room Laundering” (2018), “A Life Turned Upside Down” manages to hit the right tones and keeps the balance between the mix of genres.
Besides the story elements, the stylistic approach also contributes a lot to the movie.
“A Life Turned Upside Down” is screening at Camera Japan 2019
In the middle of the chaos stands Saki, played by 22-year-old actress Honoka Matsumoto. She wants to be a Manga artist and her identity crisis is portrayed with fitting speech bubbles that share her inner monologue with the audience. The sad fairy tail is comedy and drama at the same time. Narrated by Saki, the story may appear simple, but is well elaborated. Heavy subjects like alcoholism, suicide, and existential fear are presented light-hearted, but not in a naive way. Unlike Katagiri’s debut “Room Laundering” (2018), “A Life Turned Upside Down” manages to hit the right tones and keeps the balance between the mix of genres.
Besides the story elements, the stylistic approach also contributes a lot to the movie.
- 9/29/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda has been making the news lately. Sadly, not with any of his films, but with being falsely arrested for the possession of a firearm. Since this has not been the first time Toyoda has come into contact with Japanese authorities, it also significantly slowed down the release of his latest project “The Planetist”, a documentary about the Ogasawara Islands, beautiful islands which can only be accessed via ship.
We sat down with the director to talk to him about his films “The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan”, which is screening at Nippon Connection, and “The Planetist” but also about his latest experiences with the Japanese authorities.
“The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan” is screening at
Nippon Connection
I would like to start the interview with a question about your recent arrest. However, you do not have to answer if you do not want to.. What happened? Since this...
We sat down with the director to talk to him about his films “The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan”, which is screening at Nippon Connection, and “The Planetist” but also about his latest experiences with the Japanese authorities.
“The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan” is screening at
Nippon Connection
I would like to start the interview with a question about your recent arrest. However, you do not have to answer if you do not want to.. What happened? Since this...
- 9/19/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Two Japanese films, “Tezuka’s Barbara” and “A Beloved Wife” have been selected for the main competition section of next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
The festival will reveal the remainder of the competition and the bulk of its other selections later this month. To date the Japanese festival has only revealed its opening film a gala screening of Japanese film “Talking The Pictures,” directed by Masayuki Suo, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as its closing event.
“Barbara” is an adult-oriented fantasy tale, directed by Makoto Tezka who adapts his father Osamu Tezka’s famous novel, itself a reimagining of “The Tales of Hoffmann.” The story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a novelist whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious girl named Barbara, and touches on taboos including forbidden love, eroticism, scandal and the occult.
Tokyo festival selector Yoshi Yatabe called it: “extremely luxurious and fortunate filmmaking,...
The festival will reveal the remainder of the competition and the bulk of its other selections later this month. To date the Japanese festival has only revealed its opening film a gala screening of Japanese film “Talking The Pictures,” directed by Masayuki Suo, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as its closing event.
“Barbara” is an adult-oriented fantasy tale, directed by Makoto Tezka who adapts his father Osamu Tezka’s famous novel, itself a reimagining of “The Tales of Hoffmann.” The story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a novelist whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious girl named Barbara, and touches on taboos including forbidden love, eroticism, scandal and the occult.
Tokyo festival selector Yoshi Yatabe called it: “extremely luxurious and fortunate filmmaking,...
- 9/18/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Everybody in this industry is crafty, filthy and bitter.“
Through most of our lives, especially during our teenage years, we often hear we should follow our dreams and our passions in life. It is true that the metaphorical doors of opportunity are still wide open for us in these years so many people feel a certain obligation to tell us to not be lazy, not waste our time and use the window of time we have left. Generally speaking, we all might feel the same way and we might even catch ourselves using the same words in front of a young person, but then perhaps the motivation for this action may stem from our own disappointments in life, or the complete opposite. Whatever the case may be, following one’s passion remains one of the strongest ideals in our lives.
However, actually following through with this statement requires steps which...
Through most of our lives, especially during our teenage years, we often hear we should follow our dreams and our passions in life. It is true that the metaphorical doors of opportunity are still wide open for us in these years so many people feel a certain obligation to tell us to not be lazy, not waste our time and use the window of time we have left. Generally speaking, we all might feel the same way and we might even catch ourselves using the same words in front of a young person, but then perhaps the motivation for this action may stem from our own disappointments in life, or the complete opposite. Whatever the case may be, following one’s passion remains one of the strongest ideals in our lives.
However, actually following through with this statement requires steps which...
- 8/19/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Kiyohiko Shibukawa started his career as a model under the name “Kee” but eventually changed it in 2006. Since 1998 he has worked with many directors like Takashi Miike (“Ichi the Killer”), Sion Sono (“Love & Peace”) and Toshiaki Toyoda. In this year’s Nippon Connection the actor is featured in five productions.
We sat down with the actor to talk about his career, the changes in the Japanese film industry and his work on Toyoda’s latest film “The Planetist”.
Since 1998, when you started acting, you have played in more than 120 titles in TV and cinema, with 15 of them only in 2018. Don’t you ever feel exhausted, and how difficult is jumping from one role to another?
Of course, keeping up this pace is kind of exhausting in a way. With regards to last year, the amount of productions happened through sheer coincidence because some of them were shot long before and...
We sat down with the actor to talk about his career, the changes in the Japanese film industry and his work on Toyoda’s latest film “The Planetist”.
Since 1998, when you started acting, you have played in more than 120 titles in TV and cinema, with 15 of them only in 2018. Don’t you ever feel exhausted, and how difficult is jumping from one role to another?
Of course, keeping up this pace is kind of exhausting in a way. With regards to last year, the amount of productions happened through sheer coincidence because some of them were shot long before and...
- 6/3/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
If you were wondering what Toyoda did between 2014 and “Crows Explode” and 2018, this documentary provides the perfect answer: He spent those years on the Ogasawara Islands, a Unesco World Heritage Site located 1,000 km south of the main Japanese archipelago, with “Tarzan of the Sea” Noritsugu Miyagawa. The 65-year-old is quite famous, as he was the man who created the world’s first swimming-with-dolphins tour, but in this particular film, he is the host of a number of people Toyoda invited to spent time on the island, namely didgeridoo instrumentalist Goma, actors Yosuke Kubozuka and Kiyohiko Shibukawa, drummer Tatsuya Nakamura, and guitarist Kazuhide Yamaji.
Toyoda directs a naturalistic documentary that seems to aim at highlighting both the beauties of the setting and the benefits of spending time in such a unique, but mostly secluded place. This last aspect is mostly represented by the segment dealing with Goma, which is the most lengthy one,...
Toyoda directs a naturalistic documentary that seems to aim at highlighting both the beauties of the setting and the benefits of spending time in such a unique, but mostly secluded place. This last aspect is mostly represented by the segment dealing with Goma, which is the most lengthy one,...
- 6/3/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
My “excursion” in the slow-burning Japanese family drama continues with “Another World”, another indie that deals with social issues in the remote areas of Japan, which manages to stand out, though, due to its deeply dramatic impact.
“Another World” is screening at Nippon Connection
The story revolves around three childhood friends, now closing on becoming middle-aged. Hiroshi owns a charcoal kiln he inherited from his father, in a rather hard line of work that has led him to neglect his hard-working wife, Hatsuno, and particularly his son, Akira, who bears a grudge with him for not realizing he is being harshly bullied at school. Mitsuhiko is the gang’s “clown” always being cheerful and in a good mood, despite the hardships his alcoholic father bares on him, and runs the local car dealership. When the third friend, Eisuke, returns from his service in the Japan Self-Defence Forces obviously traumatized, the three friends,...
“Another World” is screening at Nippon Connection
The story revolves around three childhood friends, now closing on becoming middle-aged. Hiroshi owns a charcoal kiln he inherited from his father, in a rather hard line of work that has led him to neglect his hard-working wife, Hatsuno, and particularly his son, Akira, who bears a grudge with him for not realizing he is being harshly bullied at school. Mitsuhiko is the gang’s “clown” always being cheerful and in a good mood, despite the hardships his alcoholic father bares on him, and runs the local car dealership. When the third friend, Eisuke, returns from his service in the Japan Self-Defence Forces obviously traumatized, the three friends,...
- 5/31/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The second film from Takahisa Zeze for 2018, after “My Friend A” is a humongous production of 189 minutes, based on two actual “stories” and a rather unusual film for the Japanese veteran, who, in the latest years, seems to indulge in a diversity he was not able to explore during his youth. At times, I thought that his effort was similar to the one of another great director who started his career in pinku films and eventually shot a 3-hour political film, Koji Wakamatsu, whose “The Red Army” shares some similarities in style with the present film, although his approach was much more documentary-like.
The story uses the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as its base, before it extends into two arcs, which eventually overlap.
The first one deals with women’s sumo, a sport which was initiated in the early 18th century and was popular in rural areas until the 1960’s. The...
The story uses the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as its base, before it extends into two arcs, which eventually overlap.
The first one deals with women’s sumo, a sport which was initiated in the early 18th century and was popular in rural areas until the 1960’s. The...
- 12/12/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan’s The Fool (“River’s Edge”) the U.K.’s Third Window Films (“Lowlife Love”) and Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies (“Ruined Heart”) have joined forces to back “Barbara,” a live action adaptation of the 1970s erotic manga by Osamu Tezuka.
“Barbara” Osamu Tezuka’s reimagining of ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’ as an adult-orientated fantasy tale. Its story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a famous novelist whose life is tossed upside down by a mysterious girl. It touches on taboos including forbidden love, mystery, art, Eros, scandal and occultism.
“Barbara” was originally serialized in Big Comic from July 1973 to May 1974. It was recently published in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. That inspired the crowdfunded English re-release of the manga.
The new film is directed by Macoto Tezka, the son of Tezuka, who would have been 90 this year. It stars Fumi Nikaido (“Himizu”) and Goro Inagaki...
“Barbara” Osamu Tezuka’s reimagining of ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’ as an adult-orientated fantasy tale. Its story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a famous novelist whose life is tossed upside down by a mysterious girl. It touches on taboos including forbidden love, mystery, art, Eros, scandal and occultism.
“Barbara” was originally serialized in Big Comic from July 1973 to May 1974. It was recently published in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. That inspired the crowdfunded English re-release of the manga.
The new film is directed by Macoto Tezka, the son of Tezuka, who would have been 90 this year. It stars Fumi Nikaido (“Himizu”) and Goro Inagaki...
- 11/30/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Fumi Nikaido and Goro Inagaki star in the film, directed by Osamu Tezuka’s son, Macoto Tezuka.
Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies and the UK’s Third Window Films are teaming with Japanese production outfit Thefool on a live-action version of Osamu Tezuka’s 1970s erotic manga Barbara.
Tezuka’s son, Macoto Tezuka, is directing the film, which is being produced to celebrate the 90th birth year of the late anime pioneer who also created the Astro Boy character.
Tezuka’s Barbara, as the film will be called, will star Fumi Nikaido, who won best actress at the Venice film festival in 2011 for Himizu,...
Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies and the UK’s Third Window Films are teaming with Japanese production outfit Thefool on a live-action version of Osamu Tezuka’s 1970s erotic manga Barbara.
Tezuka’s son, Macoto Tezuka, is directing the film, which is being produced to celebrate the 90th birth year of the late anime pioneer who also created the Astro Boy character.
Tezuka’s Barbara, as the film will be called, will star Fumi Nikaido, who won best actress at the Venice film festival in 2011 for Himizu,...
- 11/22/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
One of the many tall, slender, handsome guys who populate (and in some cases over-populate) Japanese TV dramas and films, Hiroki Hasegawa is also not the usual model-turned-actor. After graduating from Tokyo’s Chuo University, he joined the famed Bungei-za theater company, an incubator of acting talent for generations, and appeared in productions by renowned stage director Yukio Ninagawa.
After turning 30, he began to act on TV, and several years later, in films. Now 42, he has worked with such internationally known auteurs as Sion Sono (“Why Don’t You Play In Hell?”) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (“Before We Vanish”), while winning a 2017 Japan Academy best actor prize for his work in the smash “Shin Godzilla.”
Hasesgawa stars in two films at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival: Junji Sakamoto’s dark drama “Another World,” which screens in competition, and Daishi Matsunaga’s “Hekishu,” the Myanmar-set segment of the three-part omnibus “Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2018: Journey.
After turning 30, he began to act on TV, and several years later, in films. Now 42, he has worked with such internationally known auteurs as Sion Sono (“Why Don’t You Play In Hell?”) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (“Before We Vanish”), while winning a 2017 Japan Academy best actor prize for his work in the smash “Shin Godzilla.”
Hasesgawa stars in two films at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival: Junji Sakamoto’s dark drama “Another World,” which screens in competition, and Daishi Matsunaga’s “Hekishu,” the Myanmar-set segment of the three-part omnibus “Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2018: Journey.
- 10/26/2018
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
As a landlord, there are many rules and regulations that need to be adhered to. As indicated by a suitably seedy Tomorowo Taguchi in “Room Laundering’s” carnivalesque opening scene, Japanese law requires that landlords reveal that if a previous tenant died in a property, any prospective renters must be informed as such. But, with the help of a troubled young woman, uncaring landlords can find a way round this.
Room Laundering is screening at Camera Japan
Miko (Elaiza Ikeda) saw her father die at a young age and then her mother disappear soon after. Raised by her grandmother, it wasn’t long before her only living relative was her uncle Goro (Joe Odagiri), a low-level dealer in all things of the illegal variety. With no home, Goro sends Miko to live in any apartment of the recently deceased, making the current tenant alive and well, so Goro’s clients...
Room Laundering is screening at Camera Japan
Miko (Elaiza Ikeda) saw her father die at a young age and then her mother disappear soon after. Raised by her grandmother, it wasn’t long before her only living relative was her uncle Goro (Joe Odagiri), a low-level dealer in all things of the illegal variety. With no home, Goro sends Miko to live in any apartment of the recently deceased, making the current tenant alive and well, so Goro’s clients...
- 10/1/2018
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
You have probably heard about money laundering. But what about Room Laundering? Director and writer Kenji Katagiri wants to tell you more about that in his same-titled debut film.
“Room Laundering” is part of the Asian selection at Fantasia International Film Festival
Room Laundering means to restore the reputation of an apartment. Why was the Reputation damaged? Because someone got killed or killed himself there. The Japanese law demands the landlord to inform the new tenant about the previous happenings, which will make it very hard to sell the apartment. There is a loophole, though. This information obligation lasts until the first new tenant after the incident, moves in.
And this is where the story kicks in. Miko, played by Elaiza Ikeda (“The Many Faces of Ito” 2017), is a young woman, who works as a placeholder. Whenever there is a murder room or a suicide apartment, her phone rings and she has to move in,...
“Room Laundering” is part of the Asian selection at Fantasia International Film Festival
Room Laundering means to restore the reputation of an apartment. Why was the Reputation damaged? Because someone got killed or killed himself there. The Japanese law demands the landlord to inform the new tenant about the previous happenings, which will make it very hard to sell the apartment. There is a loophole, though. This information obligation lasts until the first new tenant after the incident, moves in.
And this is where the story kicks in. Miko, played by Elaiza Ikeda (“The Many Faces of Ito” 2017), is a young woman, who works as a placeholder. Whenever there is a murder room or a suicide apartment, her phone rings and she has to move in,...
- 8/1/2018
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
According to Kenji Katagiri’s debut feature Room Laundering — and I have no reason to disbelieve him — Japan has a law stating that landlords must divulge whether a previous tenant died or suffered a violent crime within any newly vacated property to all prospective replacements. But while this rule makes sense considering people are sensitive to the notion of supernatural hauntings and evil spirits, lawmakers never stipulated how long before that history can be “cleaned” off the books. No one setting the duration at “x-amount of years” is an obvious oversight, but that lack of concrete interpretation allows owners to simply agree to a loose understanding hinged upon the basis of the tenants themselves. If someone moves in and leaves afterwards, whomever follows won’t technically have to know.
It’s a wild loophole that makes for a captivating premise to set a sweetly funny and surreal coming-of-age tale centered upon a twenty-year old,...
It’s a wild loophole that makes for a captivating premise to set a sweetly funny and surreal coming-of-age tale centered upon a twenty-year old,...
- 7/18/2018
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
With the final wave of programming, the 2018 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup of over 125 features and 220 shorts, featuring the premieres of more than 100 cutting-edge visions from across the world. Fantasia’s brand new website, which has just gone online, details all films and events at this year’s festival.
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 2 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.
Many juicy Asian titles (including several Premieres) can be found within the rich programme of this Canadian Festival. Let’s have a look at them:
Donnie Yen will School you in “Big Brother” (World Premiere)
Mixed martial arts meet high-school intrigue, with Hong Kong superhero Donnie Yen at the blackboard! The closing night festivities of Fantasia 2018 will begin...
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 2 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.
Many juicy Asian titles (including several Premieres) can be found within the rich programme of this Canadian Festival. Let’s have a look at them:
Donnie Yen will School you in “Big Brother” (World Premiere)
Mixed martial arts meet high-school intrigue, with Hong Kong superhero Donnie Yen at the blackboard! The closing night festivities of Fantasia 2018 will begin...
- 6/29/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Gentle comedy “Enokida Trading Post” is the latest work of Gunma-born director Ken Iizuka who, this time, chooses to go back to the familiar ground of his own hometown and tell the stories of a bunch of people reinventing themselves. It will celebrate its world premiere in the presence of director Iizuka and leading actor Kiyohiko Shibukawa at the Nippon Connection 2018 in Frankfurt.
After few years in Tokyo and a couple of failed marriages, Enokida Yojiro (Shibukawa Kiyohiko) is back to his rural hometown of Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, where he runs a successful thrift and recycling / second hand shop. Enokida’s motto is “Anything but garbage. We take it all” and sometimes it feels like Enokida is not talking only about objects. The shop is in fact a sort of gathering of old friends and curious individuals. There are two regular employees, Kiyoharu (Ryu Morioka) a reserved and good-natured man...
After few years in Tokyo and a couple of failed marriages, Enokida Yojiro (Shibukawa Kiyohiko) is back to his rural hometown of Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, where he runs a successful thrift and recycling / second hand shop. Enokida’s motto is “Anything but garbage. We take it all” and sometimes it feels like Enokida is not talking only about objects. The shop is in fact a sort of gathering of old friends and curious individuals. There are two regular employees, Kiyoharu (Ryu Morioka) a reserved and good-natured man...
- 6/3/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Toshiaki Toyoda hardly needs an introduction to fans of Japanese cinema. Since his debut in 1999, with “Pornostar”, he has been acknowledged as one of the most original filmmakers in the country. With films like “Blue Spring”, “Hanging Garden” and “9 Souls” he became internationally known, as his films continue to screen in festivals all over the world.
On the occasion of the release of Toshiaki Toyoda: The Early Years by Third Window, we speak with him about his films, his career, the Japanese movie industry, the fate of the characters in “Unchain”, and many more subjects.
In “Unchain” you focus on a character that could be easily characterized as a “loser”. What was the appeal to focus on Kaji? Did he acknowledge his failures?
“Unchain my heart”, are the words that Kaji lived by. Kaji is an artist that lived by those words. The appeal was that I also wish to live that way,...
On the occasion of the release of Toshiaki Toyoda: The Early Years by Third Window, we speak with him about his films, his career, the Japanese movie industry, the fate of the characters in “Unchain”, and many more subjects.
In “Unchain” you focus on a character that could be easily characterized as a “loser”. What was the appeal to focus on Kaji? Did he acknowledge his failures?
“Unchain my heart”, are the words that Kaji lived by. Kaji is an artist that lived by those words. The appeal was that I also wish to live that way,...
- 1/17/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Maya Okano, Shugo Oshinari | Written and Directed by Eiji Uchida
When you decide to delve into Asian cinema, it is like a treasure trove sometimes. Sure, there are many genres such as horror that dominate sometimes, but there are also many more waiting to be discovered. One such treasure is Lowlife Love aka Gesu no ai, which is a must for fans of the filmmaking process.
Tetsuo (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is a lowlife film director living off the fame of his one hit indie movie he made years ago. Now thirty-nine he refuses to move from the indie scene as it would go against his ‘artistic integrity’. Abusing his actors and fast losing their trust, it is not until Minami (Maya Okano) arrives at his film school that his true love of film is reignited. When he loses Minami to the corrupt world of filmmaking though, his world begins to unravel.
When you decide to delve into Asian cinema, it is like a treasure trove sometimes. Sure, there are many genres such as horror that dominate sometimes, but there are also many more waiting to be discovered. One such treasure is Lowlife Love aka Gesu no ai, which is a must for fans of the filmmaking process.
Tetsuo (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is a lowlife film director living off the fame of his one hit indie movie he made years ago. Now thirty-nine he refuses to move from the indie scene as it would go against his ‘artistic integrity’. Abusing his actors and fast losing their trust, it is not until Minami (Maya Okano) arrives at his film school that his true love of film is reignited. When he loses Minami to the corrupt world of filmmaking though, his world begins to unravel.
- 11/22/2016
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Sion Sono's Love and PeaceSTORY72%DIRECTION75%ACTING70%VISUALS80%POSITIVESGreat story in the distinct Sono styleActing matching the general aesthetics to the fullestGreat, retro visualsNegativesA small time frame that the film seems a bit lagging2016-06-1474%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (0 Votes)0%
Sion Sono takes another trip towards the preposterous, this time managing to mix tokusatsu, kaiju, and family film elements while mocking a vast plethora of notions, including the Olympic Games, history, the music industry, bullying, pop culture, and even Santa Claus.
Ryoichi is the definition of loser. When he was young, he dreamt of becoming a punk rock star but instead ended up being a timid white-collar employee of a musical parts company. Furthermore, everybody seems to constantly mock him and that includes not just his co-workers and boss, but actually everybody. From the passengers of the train he takes to work every day, who seem to stare at him perpetually,...
Sion Sono takes another trip towards the preposterous, this time managing to mix tokusatsu, kaiju, and family film elements while mocking a vast plethora of notions, including the Olympic Games, history, the music industry, bullying, pop culture, and even Santa Claus.
Ryoichi is the definition of loser. When he was young, he dreamt of becoming a punk rock star but instead ended up being a timid white-collar employee of a musical parts company. Furthermore, everybody seems to constantly mock him and that includes not just his co-workers and boss, but actually everybody. From the passengers of the train he takes to work every day, who seem to stare at him perpetually,...
- 6/14/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Yayan Ruhian, Rirî Furankî, Hayato Ichihara, Mio Yûki, Pierre Taki, Denden, Tetsu Watanabe, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Riko Narumi, Reiko Takashima, Lily Frankie, Masanori Mimoto, Shô Aoyagi, Manzô Shinra, Kiyohiko Shibukawa | Written by Yoshitaka Yamaguchi | Directed by Takashi Miike
I’m not sure if it’s from watching Battles Without Honour and Humanity or my love of the Crows Zero movies that did it, but I have to admit that I was very excited about Takashi Miike’s Yakuza Apocalypse. Now that I’ve seen it, I may be a little confused but I’ll also admit to being in love with the insane little film.
Yakuza Apocalypse focuses on the story of Kageyama, a Yakuza who is ridiculed for his lack of signature tattoos down to his sensitive skin. When he witnesses the defeat of his former boss, whose decapitated head in turn bites him turning him into a vampire he turns into a vampire.
I’m not sure if it’s from watching Battles Without Honour and Humanity or my love of the Crows Zero movies that did it, but I have to admit that I was very excited about Takashi Miike’s Yakuza Apocalypse. Now that I’ve seen it, I may be a little confused but I’ll also admit to being in love with the insane little film.
Yakuza Apocalypse focuses on the story of Kageyama, a Yakuza who is ridiculed for his lack of signature tattoos down to his sensitive skin. When he witnesses the defeat of his former boss, whose decapitated head in turn bites him turning him into a vampire he turns into a vampire.
- 5/3/2016
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
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