It seems that the commercial value of Asian films, both of the past (for the most part) and of the current ones, is having an impact also on physical media, with a number of established and newer companies releasing even more movies from the region in 2023. At the same time, the competition seems to up the quality of releases which keep getting better and better, to the joy of collectors, a number of which are definitely among the writers of Asian Movie Pulse.
Without further ado, we list here 30 Best Asian DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2023, in no particular order.
1. The Katsuhito Ishii Collection (Third Window Films)
Over the course of his career Japanese auteur Katsuhito Ishii has gained not only popularity among the festival crowd but a loyal group of fans, which all the more understandable when watching his works, that are now gathered in one comprehensive boxset thanks to Third Window.
Without further ado, we list here 30 Best Asian DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2023, in no particular order.
1. The Katsuhito Ishii Collection (Third Window Films)
Over the course of his career Japanese auteur Katsuhito Ishii has gained not only popularity among the festival crowd but a loyal group of fans, which all the more understandable when watching his works, that are now gathered in one comprehensive boxset thanks to Third Window.
- 12/21/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Love shines like a light in the dark as a romance blossoms between a photographer losing his vision and a translator of films for the visually impaired in Naomi Kawase’s Radiance. Misako (Misaki Ayame) is a writer of audio descriptions of films for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Nakamori (Nagase Masatoshi), an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight following an illness. Misako soon discovers Nakamori’s photographs, which will strangely bring her back to her past. Though hesitant to start a relationship, feelings soon arise between a man who has lost the light and a woman who pursues it.
Radiance is available on DVD and Digital on June 13.
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Radiance is available on DVD and Digital on June 13.
Enter for your chance to win a DVD of Radiance, courtesy of Film Movement. Five (5) winners will be selected at random.
Here’s how to enter:
Step 1: Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Step...
- 6/11/2023
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
Flatbush Zombies’ Zombie Juice is stepping out on his own with Love Without Conditions, his first-ever solo album. The LP arrives in full on April 21st, while the first single “Hikari” is available now.
Zombie Juice hasn’t shared much about Love Without Conditions, but a press release promises the project delves into the rapper’s experiences with dark subject matter including abuse, homelessness, and loss. It’s being released on his own record label, Terp World.
The first look at the record, “Hikari,” reckons with the strange longing one feels for chaos after living within tumult. “She love trauma, love drama/ Love what I love, but when love is not enough…,” Zombie Juice raps, before admitting, “Sabotage everything like I don’t give a fuck.” Sensual horns add to the track as the artist croons, “I just want the best for you, even if I ain’t for you.
Zombie Juice hasn’t shared much about Love Without Conditions, but a press release promises the project delves into the rapper’s experiences with dark subject matter including abuse, homelessness, and loss. It’s being released on his own record label, Terp World.
The first look at the record, “Hikari,” reckons with the strange longing one feels for chaos after living within tumult. “She love trauma, love drama/ Love what I love, but when love is not enough…,” Zombie Juice raps, before admitting, “Sabotage everything like I don’t give a fuck.” Sensual horns add to the track as the artist croons, “I just want the best for you, even if I ain’t for you.
- 2/14/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
It’s officially Ali Wong vs. Steven Yeun in the new Netflix series from “Silicon Valley” and “Dave” writer Lee Sung Jin.
“Beef” stars Yeun as Danny Cho, a failing contractor who gets into an accident with Amy Lau (Wong), a self-made entrepreneur. After a confrontation on the road, Danny and Amy’s lives become intertwined as the haves and have nots.
The 10-episode dark comedy series is created by showrunner and executive producer Lee, who reunites with “Tuca & Bertie” executive producer Wong for the show. Yeun is also executive producing through his company Universal Remote. “Beef” is directed by executive producer Jake Schreier, plus helmer Hikari, and is set to make its world premiere as 2023 SXSW’s Closing Night episodic selection.
The official synopsis reads: “Beef” follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers. Danny Cho, a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau,...
“Beef” stars Yeun as Danny Cho, a failing contractor who gets into an accident with Amy Lau (Wong), a self-made entrepreneur. After a confrontation on the road, Danny and Amy’s lives become intertwined as the haves and have nots.
The 10-episode dark comedy series is created by showrunner and executive producer Lee, who reunites with “Tuca & Bertie” executive producer Wong for the show. Yeun is also executive producing through his company Universal Remote. “Beef” is directed by executive producer Jake Schreier, plus helmer Hikari, and is set to make its world premiere as 2023 SXSW’s Closing Night episodic selection.
The official synopsis reads: “Beef” follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers. Danny Cho, a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Nearly a decade after its debut in competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered alongside the likes of Goodbye to Language, Winter Sleep, Clouds of Sils Maria, Maps to the Stars, and Two Days, One Night, Naomi Kawase’s drama Still the Water is getting a North American home courtesy of Film Movement. Ahead of a March 3 digital release, we’re exclusively debuting the new trailer for the film starring Nijirô Murakami, Junko Abe, Miyuki Matsuda, Tetta Sugimoto, and Makiko Watanabe.
On the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, traditions about nature remain eternal. Following a typhoon and during the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito (Nijirô Murakami) discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend, Kyoko (Junko Abe), will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life,...
On the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, traditions about nature remain eternal. Following a typhoon and during the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito (Nijirô Murakami) discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend, Kyoko (Junko Abe), will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
What a discovery . . . I’m glad this was recommended to me. Kôsaku Yamashita’s powerful 1968 drama belongs to the semi-chivalrous ‘honor and code’ yakuza tradition. Crime clan blood brothers Kôji Tsuruta and Tomisaburô Wakayama are good men caught between conflicting loyalties to family, friends, and the yakuza credo. Clashes of honor lead to unavoidable ‘knives out’ confrontations. It’s as intense as the Japanese classics. The extras offer a refresher in yakuza customs and protocol, with expert guidance from Chris D. and Mark Schilling.
Big Time Gambling Boss
Region A + B Blu-ray
Radiance (UK)
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Bakuchiuci: Sôchô Tobaku; Gambling Den: Gambling Boss; The Great Casino; Presidential Gambling Street Date February 1, 2023 / Available from Radiance (UK) / £16.99
Starring: Kôji Tsuruta, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Hiroshi Nawa, Nobuo Kaneko, Hiroko Sakuramachi, Hideto Kagawa, Michiyo Hattori,Shin’ichirô Mikami.
Cinematography: Nagaki Yamagishi
Production Designer/ Art Director: Jirô Tomita
Film Editor: Miyamoto Shinjirô
Original Music: Toshiaki Tsushima...
Big Time Gambling Boss
Region A + B Blu-ray
Radiance (UK)
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Bakuchiuci: Sôchô Tobaku; Gambling Den: Gambling Boss; The Great Casino; Presidential Gambling Street Date February 1, 2023 / Available from Radiance (UK) / £16.99
Starring: Kôji Tsuruta, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Hiroshi Nawa, Nobuo Kaneko, Hiroko Sakuramachi, Hideto Kagawa, Michiyo Hattori,Shin’ichirô Mikami.
Cinematography: Nagaki Yamagishi
Production Designer/ Art Director: Jirô Tomita
Film Editor: Miyamoto Shinjirô
Original Music: Toshiaki Tsushima...
- 1/21/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Festival
Japanese director Kawase Naomi will lead the international competition jury of the 44th Cairo International Film Festival (Nov. 13-22).
Kawase won the Caméra d’Or for best debut feature film at Cannes for “Moe no Suzaku” (1997) and also won awards there for “Mogari no Mori” (2007) and “Hikari” (2017). In 2000, her film “Hotaru” won the Fipresci award at Locarno.
Cairo festival president Hussein Fahmy said that Kawase has had a distinguished career and possesses great experience that qualified her to obtain prestigious awards from various international festivals.
Festival director Amir Ramses added that the presence of an award-winning female director with such a successful career and rich filmography is a great inspiration to female filmmakers in Egypt.
Solidarity
The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) has declared solidarity with all those in Iran who stand up for their basic human rights and the freedom of expression.
“This is a revolution...
Japanese director Kawase Naomi will lead the international competition jury of the 44th Cairo International Film Festival (Nov. 13-22).
Kawase won the Caméra d’Or for best debut feature film at Cannes for “Moe no Suzaku” (1997) and also won awards there for “Mogari no Mori” (2007) and “Hikari” (2017). In 2000, her film “Hotaru” won the Fipresci award at Locarno.
Cairo festival president Hussein Fahmy said that Kawase has had a distinguished career and possesses great experience that qualified her to obtain prestigious awards from various international festivals.
Festival director Amir Ramses added that the presence of an award-winning female director with such a successful career and rich filmography is a great inspiration to female filmmakers in Egypt.
Solidarity
The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) has declared solidarity with all those in Iran who stand up for their basic human rights and the freedom of expression.
“This is a revolution...
- 10/12/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Andrew Myer has been appointed the next chair of Documentary Australia, succeeding Kevin Palmer. Myer, a producer and executive producer on projects such as Look Both Ways, Romulus My Father, Radiance, Paper Planes, Make Hummus Not War, Blueback and The Dry, has served as a director of the not-for-profit since 2017. “It’s truly exciting and […]
The post Andrew Myer appointed chair of Documentary Australia appeared first on If Magazine.
The post Andrew Myer appointed chair of Documentary Australia appeared first on If Magazine.
- 8/17/2022
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Moving Bangladesh wins $20,000 Sloan Fast Track Grant.
Projects from the UK, Bangladesh, Greece and Trinidad & Tobago were among 15 selected for Film Independent’s 19th Fast Track Film Finance Market that took place online from November 15-18, the organisation said on Friday.
The four-day programme connected participating filmmakers with financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals from, among others, A24, Decal, Maven Screen Media, Searchlight Pictures, Venice Film Festival, and Hollywood agencies.
Recent Fast Track projects completed include Bing Liu’s 2019 Oscar-nominated documentary Minding The Gap; Hikari’s 2019 Berlinale jury prize and audience award-winning debut 37 Seconds; Kirill Mikhanovsky...
Projects from the UK, Bangladesh, Greece and Trinidad & Tobago were among 15 selected for Film Independent’s 19th Fast Track Film Finance Market that took place online from November 15-18, the organisation said on Friday.
The four-day programme connected participating filmmakers with financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals from, among others, A24, Decal, Maven Screen Media, Searchlight Pictures, Venice Film Festival, and Hollywood agencies.
Recent Fast Track projects completed include Bing Liu’s 2019 Oscar-nominated documentary Minding The Gap; Hikari’s 2019 Berlinale jury prize and audience award-winning debut 37 Seconds; Kirill Mikhanovsky...
- 11/19/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“Welcome to Siegheilkirchen” not only honors Manfred Deix, one of Austria’s most revered cartoonists and satirists, it also marks the country’s first ever animated feature film.
Unspooling in Gala Premieres at the Zurich Film Festival, the film follows a kid whose immense talent for drawing gives him an outlet for his discontent while growing up in a small conservative Austrian town, where Nazi sympathy is still very prevalent. Deix initially worked on the project as art director before his death in 2016.
For Marcus H. Rosenmüller, “Welcome to Siegheilkirchen” has been long in the making. It was the first animated film for the celebrated German filmmaker, who joined the project nearly a decade ago after producers Josef Aichholzer and Ernst Geyer convinced Deix of making a film based on his work and partly inspired by his life.
Development on the film took several years and the process became a learning experience for Rosenmüller,...
Unspooling in Gala Premieres at the Zurich Film Festival, the film follows a kid whose immense talent for drawing gives him an outlet for his discontent while growing up in a small conservative Austrian town, where Nazi sympathy is still very prevalent. Deix initially worked on the project as art director before his death in 2016.
For Marcus H. Rosenmüller, “Welcome to Siegheilkirchen” has been long in the making. It was the first animated film for the celebrated German filmmaker, who joined the project nearly a decade ago after producers Josef Aichholzer and Ernst Geyer convinced Deix of making a film based on his work and partly inspired by his life.
Development on the film took several years and the process became a learning experience for Rosenmüller,...
- 9/26/2021
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Jen Peedom’s River and Ben Lawrence’s Ithaka add to the already strong contingent of local films bound for August’s Melbourne International Film Festival, which unveiled its full program today.
Miff 2021 will include a hefty 283 titles, including 199 features, 84 shorts and 10 Xr experiences. Among them are 40 world premieres; the most in the festival’s 69 year history.
Some 62 of those films will be available nationally via Miff Play, the festival’s online screening platform, with the festival reimagined this year as a hybrid event.
“This year, Miff continues to evolve — to meet the moment, and to meet audiences where they are,” said artistic director Al Cossar.
“What will not change is the extraordinary lineup of cinematic adventures, from home and afar, waiting for them. These are anticipated festival blockbusters, experimentations, breakthrough discoveries, and a huge lineup of incredible Australian talent. We will again share a world of cinema, reignited, to...
Miff 2021 will include a hefty 283 titles, including 199 features, 84 shorts and 10 Xr experiences. Among them are 40 world premieres; the most in the festival’s 69 year history.
Some 62 of those films will be available nationally via Miff Play, the festival’s online screening platform, with the festival reimagined this year as a hybrid event.
“This year, Miff continues to evolve — to meet the moment, and to meet audiences where they are,” said artistic director Al Cossar.
“What will not change is the extraordinary lineup of cinematic adventures, from home and afar, waiting for them. These are anticipated festival blockbusters, experimentations, breakthrough discoveries, and a huge lineup of incredible Australian talent. We will again share a world of cinema, reignited, to...
- 7/12/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Wang Xiaoshuai took the best director prize for So Long, My Son.
Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite took best film at the 14th Asian Film Awards (Afa) today (October 28). The Palme d’Or and multiple Oscars winner also took best screenplay, editing and production design.
Due to Covid-19, the awards show was broadcast on the Afaa’s website and Youtube channel as well as on Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) website with pre-recorded messages from organizers, presenters and winners, all in different locales.
Presenting the best film award, last year’s winner Kore-eda Hirokazu said: “In March last year,...
Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite took best film at the 14th Asian Film Awards (Afa) today (October 28). The Palme d’Or and multiple Oscars winner also took best screenplay, editing and production design.
Due to Covid-19, the awards show was broadcast on the Afaa’s website and Youtube channel as well as on Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) website with pre-recorded messages from organizers, presenters and winners, all in different locales.
Presenting the best film award, last year’s winner Kore-eda Hirokazu said: “In March last year,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
South Korean Oscar sensation Parasite was the big winner at this year’s Asian Film Awards, which were held today in an online format due to continued pandemic challenges.
The movie won Best Film, Best Screenplay for co-writers Han Jin Won and director Bong Joon Ho, Best Production Design and Best Editing. Bong Joon Ho was pipped to the Best Director award, however, by Wang Xiaoshuai, who took the prize for Chinese feature So Long, My Son.
The 13th Asian Film Awards were organized by the Afa Academy with the collaboration of the Busan, Tokyo, and Hong Kong film festivals. The ceremony was broadcast online by the Afaa and Busan festival’s official websites and Youtube channels.
Further awards included Hikari winning Best New Director for 37 Seconds, Lee Byung-hun winning Best Actor for The Man Standing Next, which is South Korea’s Oscar entry this year, and Zhou Dongyu...
The movie won Best Film, Best Screenplay for co-writers Han Jin Won and director Bong Joon Ho, Best Production Design and Best Editing. Bong Joon Ho was pipped to the Best Director award, however, by Wang Xiaoshuai, who took the prize for Chinese feature So Long, My Son.
The 13th Asian Film Awards were organized by the Afa Academy with the collaboration of the Busan, Tokyo, and Hong Kong film festivals. The ceremony was broadcast online by the Afaa and Busan festival’s official websites and Youtube channels.
Further awards included Hikari winning Best New Director for 37 Seconds, Lee Byung-hun winning Best Actor for The Man Standing Next, which is South Korea’s Oscar entry this year, and Zhou Dongyu...
- 10/28/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The Asian Film Awards Academy has decided to announce the winners online on October 14.
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards (Afa) – hosted by Busan International Film Festival and the first to be held outside of Hong Kong and Macau – with ten nominations including best film and best director.
The Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa), comprising the Hong Kong, Tokyo and Busan international film festivals, announced during last year’s Busan that the 14th Afa ceremony would be held in the South Korean city this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers...
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards (Afa) – hosted by Busan International Film Festival and the first to be held outside of Hong Kong and Macau – with ten nominations including best film and best director.
The Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa), comprising the Hong Kong, Tokyo and Busan international film festivals, announced during last year’s Busan that the 14th Afa ceremony would be held in the South Korean city this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers...
- 9/9/2020
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Remi Chayé’s “Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary,” Benoît Chieux’ “Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds” and “They Shot the Piano Player,” from Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, were among projects which caught attention at this week’s 22nd Cartoon Movie, which ran March 3-5 in the French port city of Bordeaux.
The presentation of “Calamity.” the awaited second feature by Chayé (“Long Way North”), registered the highest attendance of any pitch at the animation co-production and sales forum. Produced by France’s Maybe Movies and Denmark’s Nørlum and sold by Paris-based Indie Sales, “Calamity” tells the story of Martha Jane Cannary, a 12-year-old girl caring for her siblings in a wagon train heading West to Wyoming. A coming-of-age feature, it is also an origins story of the young woman would become the legendary Calamity Jane.
A buzz title in Bordeaux, sold by Film Constellation and...
The presentation of “Calamity.” the awaited second feature by Chayé (“Long Way North”), registered the highest attendance of any pitch at the animation co-production and sales forum. Produced by France’s Maybe Movies and Denmark’s Nørlum and sold by Paris-based Indie Sales, “Calamity” tells the story of Martha Jane Cannary, a 12-year-old girl caring for her siblings in a wagon train heading West to Wyoming. A coming-of-age feature, it is also an origins story of the young woman would become the legendary Calamity Jane.
A buzz title in Bordeaux, sold by Film Constellation and...
- 3/7/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Barcelona – Rémi Chayé’s “Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary,” Anca Damian’s “The Island,” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s “They Shot the Piano Player,” and Enrique Gato’s “Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of the Mummy” are among the sixty-six projects from twenty countries to be pitched at the 22nd Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event. Cartoon Movie will take place in the French port city of Bordeaux, kicking off March 3rd.
Projects will be accessible for buyers and potential partners and will be pitched in different stages of production: 28 in concept, 27 in development, six in production and five sneak previews. The five projects at the sneak preview showcase and the six in production have previously been to Cartoon Movie in preliminary production stages. Twenty-three projects are co-productions.
A family adventure, Rémi Chayé’s (acclaimed “Long Way North”) sophomore feature depicts the...
Projects will be accessible for buyers and potential partners and will be pitched in different stages of production: 28 in concept, 27 in development, six in production and five sneak previews. The five projects at the sneak preview showcase and the six in production have previously been to Cartoon Movie in preliminary production stages. Twenty-three projects are co-productions.
A family adventure, Rémi Chayé’s (acclaimed “Long Way North”) sophomore feature depicts the...
- 1/21/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson.
Ludo Studio were the big winners at last night’s Screen Producers Australia (Spa) Awards in Melbourne, taking home four gongs, including the major prize of the night: Screen Production Business of the Year.
The Brisbane company, co-founded by Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson, also walked away with Animated Series Production of the Year for its pre-school phenomenon Bluey, Online Series Production of the Year for Robbie Hood with co-production partner Since 1788 Productions and Screen Business Export Award for Bluey, in recognition of its Disney sale – it will be the first Australian series to stream on Disney+.
The latter award was jointly shared with Porchlight Films’ Animal Kingdom, with the Us remake now in its fourth season for TNT.
“This industry has been very kind to us,” said Pearson on accepting the major award, which recognises Ludo’s growth over the past five years, and...
Ludo Studio were the big winners at last night’s Screen Producers Australia (Spa) Awards in Melbourne, taking home four gongs, including the major prize of the night: Screen Production Business of the Year.
The Brisbane company, co-founded by Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson, also walked away with Animated Series Production of the Year for its pre-school phenomenon Bluey, Online Series Production of the Year for Robbie Hood with co-production partner Since 1788 Productions and Screen Business Export Award for Bluey, in recognition of its Disney sale – it will be the first Australian series to stream on Disney+.
The latter award was jointly shared with Porchlight Films’ Animal Kingdom, with the Us remake now in its fourth season for TNT.
“This industry has been very kind to us,” said Pearson on accepting the major award, which recognises Ludo’s growth over the past five years, and...
- 11/14/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
I must say, my first impression, composed of the outline and poster of this movie, was: “Oh please, not another corny romantic culinary drama.” In Japan, there has always been an audience craving for food and craftmanship orientated content. The long list of contemporary dramas ranges from Asadora’s like “Massan” (2014) to the Netflix hit “Midnight Diner” (2011) and also includes big oversea successes “An” (2015). The Japanese movie industry, therefore, has a very big output serving this demand. I was even more surprised when I actually saw the movie and I had to admit, that the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” once more was accurate.
“For Love’s Sake” is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival
The plot of Naoki Segi’s “For Love’s Sake” offers a pretty simple and predictable fish-out-of-the-water scenario. Shirio (Rina Kawaei), obligated to her incredible palate for wine, is the...
“For Love’s Sake” is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival
The plot of Naoki Segi’s “For Love’s Sake” offers a pretty simple and predictable fish-out-of-the-water scenario. Shirio (Rina Kawaei), obligated to her incredible palate for wine, is the...
- 6/10/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Paris-based company Playtime and Japanese outfit Kino Intl. have boarded “Comes Morning” (“Asa ga Kuru”), the next project by revered Japanese director Naomi Kawase. The film started shooting last month in Tokyo.
Penned by Kawase and based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s bestselling novel of the same name, “Comes Morning” tells the story of a young couple, Satoko and her husband, Kiyokazu, who after a long and painful experience with fertility treatment decide to adopt a child. Six years later, they get a threatening phone call from a woman named Hikari, who pretends to be the biological mother of the child and who is ready to extort money from them.
“Everyone is somebody’s ‘child’ and was given birth [to] by ‘mother.’ And because of this fact, the core of this story will shake people’s heart, I believe,” said Kawase in a statement. “There lies the beginning of the world, seen...
Penned by Kawase and based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s bestselling novel of the same name, “Comes Morning” tells the story of a young couple, Satoko and her husband, Kiyokazu, who after a long and painful experience with fertility treatment decide to adopt a child. Six years later, they get a threatening phone call from a woman named Hikari, who pretends to be the biological mother of the child and who is ready to extort money from them.
“Everyone is somebody’s ‘child’ and was given birth [to] by ‘mother.’ And because of this fact, the core of this story will shake people’s heart, I believe,” said Kawase in a statement. “There lies the beginning of the world, seen...
- 5/30/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
There have been upsets and surprises throughout the “World of Dance” Duels this season, but this battle round came to an end on April 7 with the Upper Team Division dancers challenging each other to single-elimination combat. So who won, who lost and who was redeemed? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.
The 10 teams competing for a spot in the next round, the Cut, in order of their Qualifiers scores were The Kings (97.7), Unity La (95.3), Fuego Dance Crew (93.7), The Heima (93.7), Main Guys (89.7), Exiles (88.0), Radiance (88.0), Siudy Flamenco (86.7), Motiv Crew (85.7) and Style and Grace (85.0).
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
The Kings, a hip-hop crew from Mumbai, India, gave the highest scoring performance from any division during the Qualifiers, so they might be the front-runners to win the entire competition, not just their division. And getting such big numbers earned...
The 10 teams competing for a spot in the next round, the Cut, in order of their Qualifiers scores were The Kings (97.7), Unity La (95.3), Fuego Dance Crew (93.7), The Heima (93.7), Main Guys (89.7), Exiles (88.0), Radiance (88.0), Siudy Flamenco (86.7), Motiv Crew (85.7) and Style and Grace (85.0).
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
The Kings, a hip-hop crew from Mumbai, India, gave the highest scoring performance from any division during the Qualifiers, so they might be the front-runners to win the entire competition, not just their division. And getting such big numbers earned...
- 4/7/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Naomi Kawase’s tenth feature and her first one to be partially in English, is a genuine Kawase film (the Japanese festival-favorite has definitely made a trademark out of her style) with all the pros and the cons the fact entails.
Vision is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The story takes place in one of the director’s favorite setting, the forest, which this time, is located to Mount Yoshino. In this rather secluded area, a resident ranger, Satoshi, spends his days in loneliness, with his only company being a dog and a blind woman named Aki, who seems in perfect resonance with the forest. Aki feels that something is about to change in the forest, but Satoshi chooses to ignore it, until it hits him right in the face. Enter Jeanne, a French journalist who seeks the locals’ help in locating a mythic all-curing herb called “vision,...
Vision is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The story takes place in one of the director’s favorite setting, the forest, which this time, is located to Mount Yoshino. In this rather secluded area, a resident ranger, Satoshi, spends his days in loneliness, with his only company being a dog and a blind woman named Aki, who seems in perfect resonance with the forest. Aki feels that something is about to change in the forest, but Satoshi chooses to ignore it, until it hits him right in the face. Enter Jeanne, a French journalist who seeks the locals’ help in locating a mythic all-curing herb called “vision,...
- 11/11/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Award-winning Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase has been appointed to helm the official film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The selection was made by the International Olympic Committee in collaboration with the Organizing Committee of the Games who review proposals from the host nation’s top filmmaking talent. Kawase was chosen after close consultation among Tokyo 2020, Japanese film experts, international film experts and the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage who guides the production on behalf of the Ioc.
Kawase, who is a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, is the fifth woman to direct an Official Film, following the works of Caroline Rowland (London 2012), Gu Jun (Beijing 2008), Mai Zetterling (for one of the segments of the film Munich 1972) and Leni Riefenstahl (Berlin 1936).
She will also build on a legacy of more than 100 years of Olympic Film, including documentaries created for past Olympic Games that were held in Japan: Tokyo 1964 (Kon Ichikawa...
Kawase, who is a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, is the fifth woman to direct an Official Film, following the works of Caroline Rowland (London 2012), Gu Jun (Beijing 2008), Mai Zetterling (for one of the segments of the film Munich 1972) and Leni Riefenstahl (Berlin 1936).
She will also build on a legacy of more than 100 years of Olympic Film, including documentaries created for past Olympic Games that were held in Japan: Tokyo 1964 (Kon Ichikawa...
- 10/23/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
I have to admit, I find a number of Naomi Kawase’s films repeating, too self-conscious and occasionally even pretentious, despite their more than evident visual prowess. “Radiance” however, achieves a rather unusual and also quite impressive accomplishment, of encompassing all the characteristics (both good and bad) that have shaped her career, including her own life experiences in cinema, and in the process becoming the quintessential Kawase film. As my friend Bastian Meiresonne mentioned, “An open manual on how to watch a Naomi Kawase movie, which is the most beautiful and the most pretentious thing an artist could do.”
Radiance is screening at Japan Cuts 2018
Misako is a young writer of audio description working for a company that produces soundtracks for visually impaired cinemagoers. Her work seems to be her passion, as, in the initially scenes, we watch her narrating everything that occurs in front of her eyes in a street she crosses.
Radiance is screening at Japan Cuts 2018
Misako is a young writer of audio description working for a company that produces soundtracks for visually impaired cinemagoers. Her work seems to be her passion, as, in the initially scenes, we watch her narrating everything that occurs in front of her eyes in a street she crosses.
- 7/26/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Even those who live in Asia may find there’s no better time and place to be a fan of their cinema than this July in New York City. A mere few days after New York Asian Film Festival concludes, the last half of the month features the return of Japan Cuts, which is dedicated to the best in Japanese cinema, and this year proves to be another stellar line-up. Featuring 28 feature-length films and 9 short films, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer for the festival, which runs from July 19 through the 29 at Japan Society.
Highlights from this year’s festival include Takeshi Kitano’s crime drama sequel Outrage Coda, Naomi Kawase’s Radiance, the U.S. premiere of Shinsuke Sato’s much-anticipated live-action manga adaptation Bleach, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s recent Berlinale premiere Yocho (Foreboding), and many more. This year’s Opening Night film is Eric Khoo’s Ramen Shop,...
Highlights from this year’s festival include Takeshi Kitano’s crime drama sequel Outrage Coda, Naomi Kawase’s Radiance, the U.S. premiere of Shinsuke Sato’s much-anticipated live-action manga adaptation Bleach, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s recent Berlinale premiere Yocho (Foreboding), and many more. This year’s Opening Night film is Eric Khoo’s Ramen Shop,...
- 6/18/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Previous organiser Office Kitano withdrew from the festival earlier this year.
Japanese conglomerate Kinoshita Group has taken over the management and partial funding of Tokyo Filmex after its previous organiser Office Kitano withdrew from the festival earlier this year.
Office Kitano, the agency and production company co-founded by leading actor-filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, had managed the festival since its launch in 2000. However, the company is being restructured after Kitano announced in March that he was quitting to go independent.
As representing Kitano brought in a large proportion of Office Kitano’s revenue, the company has now scaled back production and is...
Japanese conglomerate Kinoshita Group has taken over the management and partial funding of Tokyo Filmex after its previous organiser Office Kitano withdrew from the festival earlier this year.
Office Kitano, the agency and production company co-founded by leading actor-filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, had managed the festival since its launch in 2000. However, the company is being restructured after Kitano announced in March that he was quitting to go independent.
As representing Kitano brought in a large proportion of Office Kitano’s revenue, the company has now scaled back production and is...
- 5/9/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Eric Barbier’s “Promise at Dawn” will headline the 2018 Colcoa French Film Festival on April 23, the Franco-American Cultural Fund announced Tuesday.
“Promise at Dawn” is an adaptation of French author Romain Gary’s autobiography that stars Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film will kick off the screenings of 37 new features and documentaries competing for the Colcoa Cinema Awards at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The event will present a record total of 86 films, TV shows, digital series, and virtual reality programs, 75 of which will be considered for the Colcoa awards throughout the week’s festivities, which will culminate on May 1.
Colcoa executive producer and artistic director Francois Truffart also announced that this year’s festival will set aside a day exclusively for screening first films made by female writers and directors. The day, titled “Focus on a Filmmaker Day,” will honor writer, director, and actor Melanie...
“Promise at Dawn” is an adaptation of French author Romain Gary’s autobiography that stars Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film will kick off the screenings of 37 new features and documentaries competing for the Colcoa Cinema Awards at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The event will present a record total of 86 films, TV shows, digital series, and virtual reality programs, 75 of which will be considered for the Colcoa awards throughout the week’s festivities, which will culminate on May 1.
Colcoa executive producer and artistic director Francois Truffart also announced that this year’s festival will set aside a day exclusively for screening first films made by female writers and directors. The day, titled “Focus on a Filmmaker Day,” will honor writer, director, and actor Melanie...
- 4/4/2018
- by Christi Carras
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes Ends with…Awards — 3rd of 3
The heightened security with machine gun armed soldiers and policemen constantly patrolling was intensified after the Manchester Massacre. With a pall over the festival, one minute of silence was observed for the 22 murdered and flags hung at half-mast. In addition to that, the sudden death at 57 of the Busan Film Festival deputy director Kim Ji-seok and that of the James Bond star Roger Moore brought the film world into a new perspective as we join the larger world to face the random indications of human mortality. High security vs. cinema as a sanctuary of freedom is highlighted this year like no other time that I can recall in my 31 years here.President of the jury, Pedro Almodovar
But life does go on, the jury judges, the stars get press attention on the red carpet and the rest of us continue to wait patiently in...
The heightened security with machine gun armed soldiers and policemen constantly patrolling was intensified after the Manchester Massacre. With a pall over the festival, one minute of silence was observed for the 22 murdered and flags hung at half-mast. In addition to that, the sudden death at 57 of the Busan Film Festival deputy director Kim Ji-seok and that of the James Bond star Roger Moore brought the film world into a new perspective as we join the larger world to face the random indications of human mortality. High security vs. cinema as a sanctuary of freedom is highlighted this year like no other time that I can recall in my 31 years here.President of the jury, Pedro Almodovar
But life does go on, the jury judges, the stars get press attention on the red carpet and the rest of us continue to wait patiently in...
- 5/29/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
As we pass the halfway mark, several new developments of the Cannes International Film Festival seem to have more importance in some ways than the traditional Films in Competition which so far are “interesting” if lacking a bit in luster…
A jury of international critics gathered together by the top international trade paper, Screen International, keeps its own score of the 20 Competition Films as does Film Francais whose critics are all French. Thus far 13 have screened and on a scale of 4 (Excellent) to 0 (Bad), Screen’s highest scoring film so far is 3.2 for the French-Russian coproduction “Loveless” about a bitterly out-of-love couple going through a divorce who must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their brutal arguments. Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and funded independently because the Russian government so disliked his 2014 Competition Film, “Leviathan” ( for which it had put up 35% of the funding), that...
A jury of international critics gathered together by the top international trade paper, Screen International, keeps its own score of the 20 Competition Films as does Film Francais whose critics are all French. Thus far 13 have screened and on a scale of 4 (Excellent) to 0 (Bad), Screen’s highest scoring film so far is 3.2 for the French-Russian coproduction “Loveless” about a bitterly out-of-love couple going through a divorce who must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their brutal arguments. Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and funded independently because the Russian government so disliked his 2014 Competition Film, “Leviathan” ( for which it had put up 35% of the funding), that...
- 5/29/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
All you need to know about Cannes 2017 line-up announcement.Scroll down for the line-up
The films chosen for the Cannes Official Selection will be announced on April 13 at 11am Cet (10am GMT).
Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux will reveal the line-up at a press conference, which you can watch below (or on mobile Here).
The 70th Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to run from May 17-28. The films as they are announced are below:
Competition
Wonderstruck, Todd Haynes
Le Redoutable, Michel Hazanavicius
Geu-Hu (The Day After), Hong Sangsoo
Hikari (Radiance), Naomi Kawase
The Killing Of The Sacred Deer, Yorgos Lanthimos
A Gentle Creature, Sergei Loznitsa
Jupiter’s Moon, Kornél Mundruczó
L’amant Double, François Ozon
You Were Never Really Here, Lynne Ramsay
Good Time, Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie
Loveless, Andrey Zvyagintsev
The Meyerowitz Stories, Noah Baumbach
Ismael’s Ghosts, Arnaud Desplechin (opening film)
In The Fade, Fatih Akin
[link...
The films chosen for the Cannes Official Selection will be announced on April 13 at 11am Cet (10am GMT).
Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux will reveal the line-up at a press conference, which you can watch below (or on mobile Here).
The 70th Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to run from May 17-28. The films as they are announced are below:
Competition
Wonderstruck, Todd Haynes
Le Redoutable, Michel Hazanavicius
Geu-Hu (The Day After), Hong Sangsoo
Hikari (Radiance), Naomi Kawase
The Killing Of The Sacred Deer, Yorgos Lanthimos
A Gentle Creature, Sergei Loznitsa
Jupiter’s Moon, Kornél Mundruczó
L’amant Double, François Ozon
You Were Never Really Here, Lynne Ramsay
Good Time, Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie
Loveless, Andrey Zvyagintsev
The Meyerowitz Stories, Noah Baumbach
Ismael’s Ghosts, Arnaud Desplechin (opening film)
In The Fade, Fatih Akin
[link...
- 4/12/2017
- ScreenDaily
While Naomi Kawase‘s cachet stateside hasn’t necessarily increased in the last few years, her last film, Sweet Bean, did manage to get a U.S. release. The Japanese filmmaker is now returning with her follow-up, Radiance (aka Hikari), which is set for a Japanese release at the end of May, hinting at a likely return to the Cannes Film Festival.
The first teaser trailer has landed, which previews the story of a film writer who meets a photographer who is losing his eyesight. Starring Masatoshi Nagase (last seen at the end of Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson), Ayame Misaki, and Tatsuya Fuji, check out the trailer below (via Cine Maldito), which is currently without subtitles, but we’ll update if they arrive.
Misako is a passionate writer of film versions for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Masaya, an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight.
The first teaser trailer has landed, which previews the story of a film writer who meets a photographer who is losing his eyesight. Starring Masatoshi Nagase (last seen at the end of Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson), Ayame Misaki, and Tatsuya Fuji, check out the trailer below (via Cine Maldito), which is currently without subtitles, but we’ll update if they arrive.
Misako is a passionate writer of film versions for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Masaya, an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight.
- 3/16/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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