Japanese Film Festival (Singapore) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

2011

The Japanese Film Festival was held from 2 to 10 July at the National Museum of Singapore

National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution...

. The festival theme was Journey.

Festival Highlights (Journey)

Opening Film:

Mother Water / マザーウォーター (2010) by Matsumoto Kana / 松本佳奈 (PG)

Closing Film:

Sketches of Kaitan City
Sketches of Kaitan City
is a 2010 Japanese film by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri. It was released in Japanese cinemas on 18 December 2010.-Cast List:* Mitsuki Tanimura as Honami Ikawa* Pistol Takehara as Futa Ikawa* Ryo Kase as Haruo Meguro* Masaki Miura as Hiroshi Hagiya...

/ 海炭市叙景 (2010) by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切和嘉 (PG)

Director in attendance:

Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切和嘉

Film Programme

Tribute to Takamine Hideko
Hideko Takamine
was a Japanese actress who began as a child actor and maintained her fame in a career that spanned nine decades.-Life and career:Born in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan, Takamine's first role was in the Shochiku studio's 1929 film Mother , which brought her tremendous popularity as a child actor. Soon...

/ 高峰秀子

Hideko the Bus Conductress
Hideko the Bus-Conductor
, based on the short story Okomasan by Masuji Ibuse, is a 1941 Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is a short film of 54 minutes.-Synopsis:Hideko, a young lady working as a conductor with a bus company in Kofu, Yamanashi, has an idea for her bus that could avert the dwindling number of...

/ 秀子の車掌さん (1941) by Naruse Mikio
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...

/ 成瀬　巳喜男 (PG)
Lightning
Lightning (film)
is a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse.The film won 1953 Blue Ribbon Awards for best director , best film and for best supporting actress Chieko Nakakita. It also won Mainichi Film Concours for best film score by Ichirō Saitō and again for best supporting actress Chieko...

/ 稲妻 (1952) by Naruse Mikio
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...

/ 成瀬　巳喜男 (PG)
Yearning
Yearning (1964 film)
is a 1964 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine and Yūzō Kayama. The film is based on the short story by Naruse and screenplay authored by the lead actress's husband, Zenzo Matsuyama...

/ 乱れる (1964) by Naruse Mikio
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...

/ 成瀬　巳喜男 (PG)
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse.Keiko, a young widow, becomes a bar hostess in Ginza to make ends meet. The story recounts the struggles to maintain her independence in a male-dominated society...

/ 女が階段を上る時 (1960) by Naruse Mikio
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...

/ 成瀬　巳喜男 (PG)
The Munakata Sisters / 宗方姉妹 (1950) by Ozu Yasujiro
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...

/ 小津　安二郎 (PG)
Immortal Love
Immortal Love
Immortal Love is a 1961 Japanese drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.- Cast :*Hideko Takamine as Sadako*Keiji Sada as Takashi...

/ 永遠の人 (1961) by Kinoshita Keisuke
Keisuke Kinoshita
was a Japanese film director.Although lesser known internationally than his fellow filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa , Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu , Keisuke Kinoshita was nonetheless a household figure at home beloved by audience and critics alike, especially in the forties through the sixties...

/ 木下　恵介 (PG)

Focus on Gosho Heinosuke
Heinosuke Gosho
was a Japanese film director who directed Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, in 1931. He once served as president of the Directors Guild of Japan.- Selected filmography :* Aiyoku no ki...

/ 五所　平之助

The Young Women of Izu / 伊豆の娘たち (1945) by Gosho Heinosuke
Heinosuke Gosho
was a Japanese film director who directed Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, in 1931. He once served as president of the Directors Guild of Japan.- Selected filmography :* Aiyoku no ki...

/ 五所　平之助 (PG)
Where Chimneys Are Seen
Entotsu no mieru basho
Entotsu no mieru basho is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ken Uehara - Ryukichi Ogata* Kinuyo Tanaka - Hiroko Ogata* Hiroshi Akutagawa - Kenzo Kubo...

/ 煙突の見える場所 (1953) by Gosho Heinosuke
Heinosuke Gosho
was a Japanese film director who directed Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, in 1931. He once served as president of the Directors Guild of Japan.- Selected filmography :* Aiyoku no ki...

/ 五所　平之助 (PG)
Woman of the Mist / 朧夜の女 (1936) by Gosho Heinosuke
Heinosuke Gosho
was a Japanese film director who directed Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, in 1931. He once served as president of the Directors Guild of Japan.- Selected filmography :* Aiyoku no ki...

/ 五所　平之助 (PG)

Focus on Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切和嘉

Sketches of Kaitan City
Sketches of Kaitan City
is a 2010 Japanese film by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri. It was released in Japanese cinemas on 18 December 2010.-Cast List:* Mitsuki Tanimura as Honami Ikawa* Pistol Takehara as Futa Ikawa* Ryo Kase as Haruo Meguro* Masaki Miura as Hiroshi Hagiya...

/ 海炭市叙景 (2010) by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切和嘉 (PG)
Antenna / アンテナ (2004) by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切和嘉 (R21)
Green Mind, Metal Bats / 青春☆金属バット (2006) by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切和嘉 (M18)

Japanese Currents

Mother Water / マザーウォーター (2010) by Matsumoto Kana / 松本佳奈 (PG)
Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberry Shortcakes is a Japanese film by director Hitoshi Yazaki. The film, based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Kiriko Nananan, concerns the life of four girls, as they deal with their own insecurities while living in the metropolis of Tokyo...

/ ストロベリーショートケイクス (2006) by Yazaki Hitoshi / 矢崎仁司 (R21)
Birthright / 臍帯 (2010) by Hashimoto Naoki / 橋本直樹 (PG)
Megane / めがね (2007) by Ogigami Naoko / 荻上直子 (PG)
Kamome Diner / かもめ食堂 (2005) by Ogigami Naoko / 荻上直子 (PG)
The Days After / 後の日 (2010) by Koreeda Hirokazu / 是枝裕和 (PG)
Pool / プール (2009) by Omori Mika / 大森美香 (PG)

Others

Till We Meet Again
Until We Meet Again (film)
is a 1950 Japanese film directed by Tadashi Imai.-Awards and nominations:1st Blue Ribbon Awards* Won: Best Film* Won: Best Director - Tadashi Imai-External links:...

/ また逢う日まで (1950) by Imai Tadashi / 今井正 (PG)
The Straits of Hunger / 飢餓海峡 (1964) by Uchida Tomu
Tomu Uchida
was a Japanese film director. Tomu Uchida, whose name translates to “spit out dreams” is considered one of the less well known masters of Japanese cinema in the West, whose films are rarely screened and not widely available on DVD...

/ 内田　吐夢 (PG)

2010 (19 to 29 August)

In 2010, the Japanese Film Festival was held from 19 to 29 August at the National Museum of Singapore

National Museum of Singapore

. The festival theme was Youth.

Festival Highlights (Youth)

Opening Film:

Boy / 少年 (1969) by Ōshima Nagisa / 大島渚 (PG)

Closing Film:

Sweet Little Lies / スイートリトルライズ (2010) by Yazaki Hitoshi / 矢崎仁司 (NC16)

Director in focus:

Ōshima Nagisa / 大島渚

Director in attendance:

Yoshida Kota / 吉田浩太

Film Programme

Focus on Japanese New Wave and Oshima Nagisa

Boy / 少年 (1969) by Ōshima Nagisa / 大島渚 (PG)
Diary of a Shinjuku Thief
Diary of a Shinjuku Thief
is a 1968 Japanese New Wave film by Nagisa Oshima.-Synopsis:The film centers around Birdie, a young, Japanese book thief who soon is caught by a woman named Umeko...

/ 新宿泥棒日記 (1968) by Ōshima Nagisa / 大島渚 (R21)
Sinner in Paradise / 帰って来たヨッパライ (1968) by Ōshima Nagisa / 大島渚 (NC16)
Sing a Song of Sex / 日本春歌考 (1967) by Ōshima Nagisa / 大島渚 (NC16)
Good for Nothing
Good for Nothing
"Good for Nothing" is a single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It is the first single from their third studio album Killer Sounds. The single cover does not bear the "Parental Advisory" sticker, despite the profanity used during the chorus...

/ ろくでなし (1960) by Yoshida Yoshishige
Yoshishige Yoshida
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Graduating from Tokyo University, Yoshida entered the Shōchiku studio in 1955 and debuted as a director in 1960 with Rokudenashi...

/ 吉田喜重 (PG)
Bloody Thirst / 血は乾いてる (1960) by Yoshida Yoshishige
Yoshishige Yoshida
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Graduating from Tokyo University, Yoshida entered the Shōchiku studio in 1955 and debuted as a director in 1960 with Rokudenashi...

/ 吉田喜重 (PG)
Hogs and Warships
Pigs and Battleships
is a 1961 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura.- Plot :The film depicts the mutually exploitative relationship that exists between the U.S. military and the lower elements of Japanese society at Yokosuka....

/ 豚と軍艦 (1961) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平 (PG)
A Man Vanishes
A Man Vanishes
is a 1967 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura. A Region 2 DVD release in the Masters of Cinema series is scheduled for October 2011.- Plot :On the face of it, a documentary about an ordinary man who—like many Japanese every year—disappears without trace, leaving his job and fiancee behind,...

/ 人間蒸発 (1967) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平 (PG)
A Flame at the Pier / 涙を、獅子のたて髪に (1962) by Shinoda Masahiro / 篠田正浩 (PG)
Ototo / おとうと (1960) by Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑 (PG)

Focus on PIA Film Festival

A Stranger of Mine / 運命じゃない人 (2004) by Uchida Kenji / 内田けんじ (PG)
Water Flower
Water Flower
is a Japanese film which was released on 5 August 2006.-Synopsis:Minako is a quiet junior high school student being raised by her overworked single father. This movie is a portrait of the relationship between Minako and Yu, Minako's younger half-sister who loves to ballet dance.Minako is at the age...

/ 水の花 (2005) by Kinoshita Yusuke / 木下雄介 (PG)
Fourteen / 14歳 (2006) by Hirosue Hiromasa / 廣末哲万 (PG)
ASYL - Park and Love Hotel / パーク　アンド　ラブホテル (2007) by Kumasaka Izuru / 熊坂出 (PG)
MIME-MIME / マイムマイム (2008) by Sode Yukiko / 岨手由貴子 (M18)

Directions – Focus on NDJC 2007

The Bus to Heaven (2007) by Gunjigake Masayuki (PG)
Good bye, George Adamski (2007) by Kodama Kazuto (PG)
Seismic Girl (2007) by Tatenai Kenta (PG)
Babin (2007) by Hirabayashi Isamu (PG)
Restaurant UFO (2007) by Yamaguchi Satoshi (PG)

Directions – Focus on NDJC 2008

A Lying Woman's Daybreak (2008) by Kumagai Madoka (PG)
Bloom (2008) by Tanaka Tomofumi (PG)
The Sparkling Amber (2008) by Nakako Ryota (PG)
Kudan (2008) by Yoshii Kazuyuki (PG)
The Third Skin (2008) by Wajima Kotaro (PG)

Japanese Currents

Air Doll
Air Doll
is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. It is based on the manga series Kuuki Ningyo by Yoshiie Gōda, which was serialized in the seinen manga magazine Big Comic Original, and is about an inflatable doll that develops a consciousness and falls in love. The movie debuted in the...

/ 空気人形 (2009) by Koreeda Hirokazu
Hirokazu Koreeda
is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. His films explore themes of memory, death, and coming to terms with loss.Koreeda originally planned to be a novelist, but after graduating from Waseda University instead worked as an assistant director on documentaries for TV Man Union...

/ 是枝裕和 (R21)
Bare Essence of Life / ウルトラミラクルラブストーリー (2009) by Yokohama Satoko / 横浜聡子 (PG)
Fish Story / フィッシュストーリー (2009) by Nakamura Yoshihiro
Yoshihiro Nakamura
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, best known for his 2005 horror film Būsu or The Booth.- Life :He was born on the 25th of August 1970 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He went to Seijo University Department of Arts and Literature...

/ 中村義洋 (PG)

LALAPIPO - A Lot of People / ララピポ (2009) by Miyano Masayuki / 宮野雅之 (R21)
Live Tape / ライブテープ (2009) by Matsue Tetsuaki / 松江哲明 (PG)
Yuriko's Aroma / ユリ子のアロマ (2010) by Yoshida Kota / 吉田浩太 (M18)

2009 (25 to 30 August)

The Japanese Film Festival 2009 was a showcase of some of the finest in Japanese horror, mystery and supernatural cinema that year. The festival was held from 25 to 30 August at the National Museum of Singapore

National Museum of Singapore

Festival Highlights (Horror)

Audience Award:

Strange Circus
Strange Circus
-Plot:School principal Ozawa Gozo rapes his daughter, Mitsuko, after she sees her parents having sex. Her mother Sayuri witnesses the rape. Gozo now rapes both of them as he pleases, while his family is undermined by incest, suicide, and murder... such is the erotic novel wheel-bound novelist Taeko...

/ 奇妙なサーカス (2006) by Sono Shion / 園子温 (R21)

Film Programme

House
House (1977 film)
is a 1977 Japanese horror film directed and produced by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The film stars mostly non professional actors with only Kimiko Ikegami and Yōko Minamida having any notable previous acting experience...

/ ハウス (1977) by Obayashi Nobuhiko
Nobuhiko Obayashi
is a Japanese director, screenwriter and editor of films and television advertisements who is well known for his surreal visual style. He began his career as a pioneering figure in Japanese experimental film during the 1960s before transitioning to directing more mainstream works such as television...

/ 大林宣彦 (NC16)
The Blind Beast / 盲獣 (1969) by Masumura Yasuzo
Yasuzo Masumura
was a Japanese film director.Masumura was born in Kōfu on Honshū. After dropping out of a law course at the University of Tokyo he worked as an assistant director at the Daiei studio, later returning to university to study philosophy; he graduated in 1949...

/ 増村保造 (R21)
Manji
Manji (film)
卍 is the title of several Japanese films based on the Japanese novel Quicksand written by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki in 1928.The theme is homosexuality between women. It was filmed in 1964, 1983, 1998 and 2006 in Japan.-Story:...

/ 卍　(1964) by Masumura Yasuzo
Yasuzo Masumura
was a Japanese film director.Masumura was born in Kōfu on Honshū. After dropping out of a law course at the University of Tokyo he worked as an assistant director at the Daiei studio, later returning to university to study philosophy; he graduated in 1949...

/ 増村保造 (R21)
Onibaba / 鬼婆 (1964) by Shindo Kaneto / 新藤兼人 (M18)
The Ghost Story of Yotsuya / 東海道四谷怪談 (1959) by Nakagawa Nobuo / 中川信夫 (PG)
Kichiku: Banquet of the Beasts
Kichiku Dai Enkai
Kichiku Dai Enkai is a 1997 Japanese film. It was written and directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri.-Story:In the year 1972, a small group of left-wing students are living at a dingy Tokyo apartment in the mountain village of Karuizawa in Nagano-ken, Japan. While the group leader, Aizawa waits to be...

/ 鬼畜大宴会 (1997) by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi (R21)
Strange Circus
Strange Circus
-Plot:School principal Ozawa Gozo rapes his daughter, Mitsuko, after she sees her parents having sex. Her mother Sayuri witnesses the rape. Gozo now rapes both of them as he pleases, while his family is undermined by incest, suicide, and murder... such is the erotic novel wheel-bound novelist Taeko...

/ 奇妙なサーカス (2006) by Sono Shion / 園子温 (R21)
Rampo Noir / 乱歩地獄 (2005) by Jissoji Akio
Akio Jissoji
was a Japanese television and film director best known outside of Japan for the 1960s TV series Ultraman and Ultra Seven, as well as for his auteur erotic ATG-produced Buddhist trilogy , , and ....

/ 実相寺昭雄, Kaneko Atsushi, Sato Hisayasu / 佐藤寿保 and Takeuchi Suguru (R21)
A Snake of June / 六月の蛇 (2003) by Tsukamoto Shinya
Shinya Tsukamoto
is a Japanese film director and actor with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.-Biography:Tsukamoto started making movies at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Super 8 camera. He made a number of films, ranging...

/ 塚本晋也 (R21)

2008 (22 to 31 August)

In 2008, the Japanese Film Festival was held from 22 to 31 August 2008 at the National Museum of Singapore

National Museum of Singapore

, and was a pre-event of the Japan Creative Centre, which was launched in mid November 2009. The festival theme focused on femininity in Japanese Cinema, as exemplified by the festival theme: “Jyo-yuu” (女　優). The festival showcased works by Master director Naruse Mikio and acclaimed actress-director Tanaka Kinuyo. Works of award-winning young director Kawase Naomi and two other independent directors of the current indie movement Matsuoka Naomi and Matsue Tetsuaki were also featured.

Festival Highlights ("Jyo-yuu” 女優)

Director in focus:

Naruse Mikio
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...

/ 成瀬巳喜男

Directors in attendance:

Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美
Matsuoka Naomi
Matsue Tetsuaki

Film Programme

Free-Admission Component

Sansho the Bailiff
Sansho the Bailiff
-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database* * and QuickTime trailer* essay by Mark Le Fanu...

/ 山椒大夫 (1954) by Mizoguchi Kenji / 溝口健二 (PG)
Ginza Cosmetics
Ginza Cosmetics
is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse. It follows the life of a quite geisha,single mother of a young boy, in the lively Tokyo quarter of Ginza...

/ 銀座化粧 (1951) by Naruse Mikio / 成瀬巳喜男 (PG)
Mother
Mother (1952 film)
is a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Kinuyo Tanaka in title role. The film is based on the on a prize-winning entry of a school essay-writing competition and screenplay by Yūko Mizuki....

/ おかあさん(1952) by Naruse Mikio / 成瀬巳喜男 (PG)
A Wanderer's Notebook
A Wanderer's Notebook
, also known as Her Lonely Lane is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine. The film is based on the autobiography of author Fumiko Hayashi, whose work the director often adapted for the screen.-Plot:...

/ 放浪記 (1962) by Naruse Mikio / 成瀬巳喜男 (PG)
Floating Clouds
Floating Clouds
is a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel of the same name by Japanese author and poet Fumiko Hayashi....

/ 浮雲 (1955) by Naruse Mikio / 成瀬巳喜男 (PG)
Love Letter / 恋文 (1953) by Tanaka Kinuyo / 田中絹代 (PG)
The Eternal Breasts / 乳房よ永遠なれ (1955) by Tanaka Kinuyo / 田中絹代 (NC16)
A Hen in the Wind
A Hen in the Wind
is a 1948 drama film directed by Yasujiro Ozu, starring Kinuyo Tanaka and Shûji Sano.-Plot:The film is set in immediate postwar Japan, Tokyo. Tokiko , a twenty-nine-year-old mother of a young boy of four, is waiting for her husband's repatriation from World War II...

/ 風の中の雌鳥　(1948) by Ozu Yasujiro
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...

/ 小津安二郎 (PG)
Actress / 映画女優 (1987) by Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑 (PG)
Harmful Insect / 害虫 (2001) by Shiota Akihiko (PG)
The Milk Woman / いつか読書する日 (2005) by Ogata Akira (PG)

Paid Screenings Component

Shara
Shara (film)
Shara , is a 2003 Japanese drama film directed by Naomi Kawase. It was entered into the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Kōhei Fukunaga as Shun* Yuka Hyōdō as Yu* Naomi Kawase as Reiko* Katsuhisa Namase as Taku* Kanako Higuchi as Shouko...

/ 沙羅双樹　(2003) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
The Mourning Forest
The Mourning Forest
The Mourning Forest is an 2007 Japanese film directed by Naomi Kawase. It won the Grand prix at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of a nurse who is grieving for her dead child...

/ 殯の森　(2007) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
Shadow of Sand / 砂の影　(2008) by Kaida Yusuke (PG)
Katatsumori / かたつもり (1994) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
See Heaven / 天、見たけ (1995) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
The Setting Sun / 陽は傾ぶき (1996) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
Broken Blossom / 花の鼓 (2003) by Matsuoka Naomi (R21)
Pathos / 背骨のパトス (2008) by Matsuoka Naomi (R21)
Birth / Mother /　垂乳女 (2006) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (R21)
Summer Vacation with Naomi Kawase / 2002年の夏休み　ドキュメント沙羅双樹 (2003) by Matsue Tetsuaki (PG)
Every Japanese Woman Makes Her Own Curry / カレーライスの女たち (2003) by Matsue Tetsuaki (PG)
Embracing / につつまれて (1992) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth / きゃからばあ (2001) by Kawase Naomi / 河瀨直美 (PG)
Sakuran
Sakuran
, is a manga series created by Moyoco Anno. The manga is about a girl, Kiyoha who becomes a tayu or oiran courtesan.- Plot :...

/ さくらん (2006) by Ninagawa Mika
Mika Ninagawa
is a Japanese photographer known for her vibrant and brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes. She has enjoyed significant commercial success in fashion and advertising. She made her debut as a full length film director in 2007 with Sakuran...

/ 蜷川実花 (R21)

2007 (15 to 23 September)

The 2007 festival theme was True.Romance and the festival was held at the National Museum of Singapore

National Museum of Singapore

Festival Highlights (True.Romance)

Director in focus:

Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平

Director in attendance:

Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準

Actress in attendance:

Yoshiyuki Kazuko
Kazuko Yoshiyuki
- Early life :Kazuko was born in Tokyo as a first daughter of Eisuke Yoshiyuki, a writer, and Aguri. She has an older brother, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, a novelist, and a sister, Rie Yoshiyuki, a poet....

Film Programme

Imamura Shohei Retrospective

Black Rain
Black Rain (Japanese film)
is a 1989 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura and based on the novel of the same name by Ibuse Masuji. The events are centered on the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.-Plot:...

/ 黒い雨 (1989) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平
The Ballad of Narayama
The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)
is a 1983 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura. It stars Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin, Ken Ogata, and Shoichi Ozawa. It is an adaptation of the book Narayama bushiko by Shichiro Fukazawa and remake of the 1958 film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita.- Plot :...

/ 楢山節考 (1983) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平
Vengeance Is Mine
Vengeance is Mine (1979 film)
Vengeance Is Mine is a 1979 film directed by Shohei Imamura, based on the book of the same name by Ryuzo Saki. It depicts the true story of serial killer Akira Nishiguchi .It stars Ken Ogata as Enokizu, with Mayumi Ogawa, Rentaro Mikuni, Mitsuko Baisho, Nijiko Kiyokawa and Chocho Miyako...

/ 復讐するは我にあり (1979) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平
Eejanaika
Eijanaika (film)
is a 1981 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Kaori Momoi - Ine* Shigeru Izumiya - Genji* Ken Ogata - Furukawa* Shigeru Tsuyuguchi - Kinzo* Masao Kusakari - Itoman...

/ ええじゃないか (1981) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平
Nianchan
My Second Brother
is a 1959 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura.- Plot :The film tells the story of four orphans living in an impoverished mining town. An adaptation of a best-selling book based on the diary of a ten-year-old zainichi girl, it was one of the first films to deal with the subject of zainichi...

/ にあんちゃん (1959) by Imamura Shohei / 今村昌平

Ichikawa Jun Showcase

Dying at a Hospital (1993) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準
Tokyo Marigold (2001) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準
How to Become Myself (2007) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準

Other films

Inochi
Inochi
is a 2002 Japanese movie directed by Shinohara Tetsuo starring Esumi Makiko and Etsushi Toyokawa. It is based on a memoir of the same title by the Korean-Japanese author Yu Miri.-Plot summary:...

/ 命 (2002) by Shinohara Tetsuo / 篠原哲雄
The Sting of Death
The Sting of Death
is a 1990 Japanese film directed by Kôhei Oguri. It tells the story of a writer with a wandering eye and his jealous wife.-Cast:*Keiko Matsuzaka as Miho*Ittoku Kishibe as Toshio*Midori Kiuchi as Kuniko*Takenori Matsumura as Shinichi*Yuri Chikamori as Maya...

/ Shi no toge (1990) by Oguri Kohei
Kôhei Oguri
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Gunma, Oguri first became a freelance assistant director after graduating from Waseda University. He made his directorial debut in 1981 with Muddy River, which earned him both a Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year and a citation...

/ 小栗康平
The Strange Tale of Oyuki / Bokuto Kidan (1992) by Shindo Kaneto / 新藤兼人
Faraway Sunset
Tōki Rakujitsu
is Japanese film released in 1992 that was directed by Seijirō Kōyama. It stars Hiroshi Mikami and is based on an biographical novel written by Kaneto Shindō about the Japanese scientist Hideyo Noguchi....

/ Toki rakujitsu (1992) by Koyama Seijiro
Hachiko Monogatari
Hachiko Monogatari
is a Japanese language film starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa, Mako Ishino and Masumi Harukawa. The film, directed by Seijirō Kōyama, is a tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after his death...

/ Hachiko Monogatari (1987) by Koyama Seijiro
Lost in the Wilderness / 植村直己物語 (1986) by Sato Junya
Junya Sato
is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Tokyo, Sato graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1956 with a degree in French literature. He joined the Toei studio and worked as an assistant to such directors as Tadashi Imai and Miyoji Ieki. He debuted as a director in 1963 with Rikugun zangyaku...

/ 佐藤純彌
Appassionata / Jo no mai by Nakajima Sadao
Sadao Nakajima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter known for his work in yakuza film and jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Chiba Prefecture, he attended Hibiya High School and then the University of Tokyo before joining the Tōei studio in 1959...
Oriume by Matsui Hisako
Gabai Granny / 佐賀のがばいばあちゃん (2006) by Kurauchi Hitoshi
Life Can Be So Wonderful / Sekai wa tokidoki utsukushii (2007) by Minorikawa Osamu
Moon and Cherry / Tsuki to Cherry (2004) by Tanada Yuki
Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story
Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story
Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story is an American documentary about Megumi Yokota, a Japanese student who was abducted by a North Korean agent in 1977.The film made its world premiere at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival and has won numerous awards...

/ Megumi hikisakareta kazoku no sanjyuunen (2006) by Patty Kim
Patty Kim
Patty Kim is a Canadian filmmaker and co-founder of Safari Media. With her husband, Chris Sheridan, she directed the 2006 documentary Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story and the 2004 documentary Destiny...

and Chris Sheridan
Chris Sheridan (director)
Chris Sheridan is a Canadian filmmaker and co-founder, with wife Patty Kim, of Safari Media. With his wife he co-directed the 2006 documentary Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story and the 2004 documentary Destiny, which won a top award at the New York International Independent Video and Film Festival...

Festival Highlights (Friendship)

Director in focus:

Kitano Takeshi / 北野武

Director in attendance:

Ogigami Naoko

Film Programme

Kitano Takeshi Retrospective

Kids Return
Kids Return
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Meet Again" 5:02#"Graduation" 1:07#"Angel Doll" 2:21#"Alone" 1:15#"As a Rival" 1:29#"Promise... for Us" 5:08#"Next Round" 1:28#"Destiny" 3:31#"I Don't Care" 2:18#"High Spirits" 2:03#"Defeat" 2:29#"Break Down" 3:46...

/ キッズ・リターン (1996) by Kitano Takeshi / 北野武
Fireworks
Hana-bi
, released in the US as "Fireworks", is a 1997 Japanese film written, directed and edited by, and starring Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. The film's score was composed by renowned Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. This was their fourth collaboration...

/ はなび (1997) by Kitano Takeshi / 北野武
Kikujiro
Kikujiro
The album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance...

/ 菊次郎の夏 (1999) by Kitano Takeshi / 北野武

Ogigami Naoko Showcase

Yoshino's Barber Shop by Ogigami Naoko
Kamome Diner / Kamome Shokudo by Ogigami Naoko

Other films

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children / ファイナルファンタジーVII アドベントチルドレン (2005) by Nomura Tetsuya / 野村哲也 and Nozue Takeshi
Captain Harlock in Arcadia
Arcadia of My Youth
is an anime film depicting the origin of Leiji Matsumoto's seminal character Captain Harlock. At one time, it was considered to be the central hub of the so called Leijiverse with other works such as Galaxy Express 999 and 1978's Space Pirate Captain Harlock television series occurring sometime...

/ わが青春のアルカディア (1982) by Katsumata Tomoharu
Tomoharu Katsumata
is a Japanese film director best known for his work on various anime works. A leading director at the Toei Animation studio during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Katsumata worked as a director on several of Toei's TV anime adaptations of manga by Go Nagai, including Devilman , Mazinger Z , Cutey...

/ 勝間田具治
Robocon (2003) by Furumaya Tomoyuki
A Class to Remember
A Class to Remember
is a 1993 Japanese film directed by Yōji Yamada. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony.-Synopsis:A cantankerous but loveable high school teacher teaches a night school in a poor neighborhood for adult students on the fringes of Japanese society.-Cast:* Toshiyuki Nishida*...

/ 学校 (1993) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
A Class to Remember II (also known as The Learning Circle) / 学校 II (1996) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
A Class to Remember IV (also known as Fifteen) / 学校 IV (2000) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
Scarred Angels / Kizu Darake no Tenshi (1997) by Sakamoto Junji / 阪本順治
Free and Easy Special Version
Tsuribaka Nisshi
' is a fishing manga by Jūzō Yamasaki and Kenichi Kitami that has been serialized in Big Comic Original since 1979. It won the 28th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1983...

/ 釣りバカ日誌 (1994) by Morisaki Azuma / 森崎東
Dixieland Daimyo / Jazz Daimyo (1986) by Okamoto Kihachi / 岡本喜八
The All-Out Nine-Field of Nightmares / Gyakkyo Nine (2005) by Hasumi Eiichiro
We Shall Overcome Someday
Pacchigi!
is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu.-Awards:48th Blue Ribbon Awards* Won: Best Film27th Yokohama Film Festival* Won: Best Film* Won: Best Director - Kazuyuki Izutsu...

/ Pacchigi! (2004) by Izutsu Kazuyuki
Kazuyuki Izutsu
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and film critic. Born in Nara Prefecture, he started making 8mm films in high school, and directed his first 35mm film, a pink film, in 1975. He earned a citation from the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award in 1981 for Gaki teikoku, and his Boys...

/ 井筒和幸
The Professor and His Beloved Equation
The Professor's Beloved Equation (film)
The Professor's Beloved Equation is a Japanese film released January 21, 2006 and directed by Takashi Koizumi. It is based on the novel The Housekeeper and the Professor....

/ 博士の愛した数式 (2006) by Koizumi Takashi / 小泉堯史
Dead Run / Shisso (2005) by Sabu
Sabu (director)
is the pseudonym of Japanese actor and director .-Career:Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Sabu studied at an Osaka fashion school before deciding to go to Tokyo to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in Sorobanzuku...

/ サブ
Linda Linda Linda
Linda Linda Linda
is a 2005 Japanese film. Its name comes from Japanese punk band The Blue Hearts' hit song "Linda Linda". The film was directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita and stars Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine as the band members, and Bae Doona as a South Korean foreign exchange student...

(2005) by Yamashita Nobuhiro
Nobuhiro Yamashita
is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Aichi Prefecture, Yamashita attended Osaka University of Arts where he worked on Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's Kichiku Dai Enkai. His graduation film Hazy Life, took the Off Theatre Competition Grand Prize at the 2000 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival...

/ 山下敦弘

Festival Highlights (Adaptations)

Directors in focus:

Nomura Yoshitaro / 野村芳太郎
Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑

Film Programme

Nomura Yoshitaro Retrospective

Zero Focus
Zero Focus
is a 1961 Japanese mystery film directed by Yoshitaro Nomura and is based on a novel by Seicho Matsumoto.-Plot:One week into newlywed Teiko Uhara's marriage, her husband, Kenichi, leaves on a short business trip and never returns. Teiko travels across Japan to search for him, and along the way...

/ ゼロの焦点 (1961) by Nomura Yoshitaro / 野村芳太郎
Castle of Sand
Castle of Sand
Castle of Sand is a 1974 police procedural directed by Yoshitaro Nomura, based on the novel "Inspector Imanishi Investigates" by Seicho Matsumoto, and is largely considered by critics as one of the masterpieces of Japanese cinema....

/ 砂の器 (1974) by Nomura Yoshitaro / 野村芳太郎
The Incident / 事件 (1978) by Nomura Yoshitaro / 野村芳太郎

Ichikawa Kon Retrospective

Conflagration
Enjo
is a 1958 Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa and adapted from the Yukio Mishima novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. It stands as one of his better known films...

/ 炎上 (1958) by Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑
I Am a Cat
I Am a Cat
is a satirical novel written in 1905–1906 by Natsume Sōseki, about Japanese society during the Meiji Period; particularly, the uneasy mix of Western culture and Japanese traditions, and the aping of Western customs....

/ 吾輩は猫である (1975) by Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑
The Phoenix / Hi no Tori (1978) by Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑
The Makioka Sisters
The Makioka Sisters (film)
is the name of three films based on the serial novel of the same name by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. The third of these films, released in 1983, is the most famous. It was directed by Kon Ichikawa.-The Sisters:...

/ 細雪 (1983) by Ichikawa Kon / 市川崑

Other films

Tony Takitani
Tony Takitani
Tony Takitani is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Jun Ichikawa, based on the short story by Haruki Murakami.-Inspiration:Haruki Murakami was intrigued by the name Tony Takitani when, at a garage sale on Maui, he found a yellow T-shirt that said, "Tony Takitani, House ."At the time, Takitani was...

/ トニー滝谷 (2004) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準
The Laughing Frog / 笑う蛙 (2002) by Hirayama Hideyuki / 平山秀幸
L'Amant (2004) by Hiroki Ryuichi
Ryuichi Hiroki
is a Japanese artist, film director, and film editor.-Biography:Ryūichi Hiroki is now one of the most prolific film directors in Japan. He is a pioneer in using digital video to shoot theatrical films in Japan...

/ 廣木隆
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish / Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi (2003) by Inudo Isshin
Letter from the Mountain / 阿弥陀堂だより (2002) by Koizumi Takashi / 小泉堯史
The Tragedy of W
W's Tragedy
is a 1984 Japanese film directed by Shinichirō Sawai, based on the novel by Shizuko Natsuki...

/ Wの悲劇 (1984) by Sawai Shinichiro
Shinichirō Sawai
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as Masahiro Makino and Noribumi Suzuki. He also collaborated...

/ 澤井信一郎
And Then
Sorekara (film)
is a 1985 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita.-Cast:-Awards and nominations:7th Yokohama Film Festival*Won: Best Music Score - Shigeru Umebayashi*6th Best Film-External links:...

/ それから (1985) by Morita Yoshimitsu / 森田芳光
When the Rain Lifts / 雨あがる (1999) by Koizumi Takashi / 小泉堯史
Poppoya - Railroad Man
Poppoya
is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Yasuo Furuhata. It was Japan's submission to the 72nd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony....

/ 鉄道員 (1999) by Furuhata Yasuo / 降旗康男

Festival Highlights (Tokyo Stories)

Directors in focus:

Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準

Film Programme

Yamada Yoji Retrospective

It's Tough Being a Man
It's Tough Being a Man
aka Am I Trying and Tora-san,Our Lovable Tramp is a 1969 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Kiyoshi Atsumi. It is the first entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.-Synopsis:...

/ 男はつらいよ (1969) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset
aka Torasan and the Painter and Tora-san's Sunset Glow is a 1976 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma , and Kiwako Taichi as his love interest or "Madonna"...

/ 男はつらいよ寅次郎夕焼け小焼け (1976) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
The Yellow Handkerchief
The Yellow Handkerchief
is a 1977 Japanese film directed by Yoji Yamada. It was the winner of the first Best Picture award at the Japan Academy Prize.-Cast:* Ken Takakura: Yusaku Shima* Chieko Baisho: Mitsue Shima* Tetsuya Takeda: Kinya Hanada* Kaori Momoi: Akemi Ogawa* Hachirō Tako...

/ 幸福の黄色いハンカチ (1977) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
My Sons
My Sons
is a 1991 Japanese film directed by Yōji Yamada. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony.-Synopsis:The children of old-fashioned patriarch of a family in Iwate Province gather to observe the first anniversary of their mother's death. Tetsuya, working as a bartender in Tokyo,...

/ 息子 (1991) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次

Ichikawa Jun Retrospective

BU.SU
Bu Su
is a 1987 Japanese film directed by Jun Ichikawa.-Awards:9th Yokohama Film Festival*Won: Best Actress - Yasuko Tomita*2nd Best Film...

(1987) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準
Tsugumi
Goodbye Tsugumi (novel)
Goodbye Tsugumi （TUGUMI) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto Goodbye Tsugumi （TUGUMI) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto Goodbye Tsugumi （TUGUMI) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな）in 1989 and translated into English in 2002 by...

(1990) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準
Tadon and Chikuwa (1998) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準
Osaka Story / Osaka Monogatari (1999) by Ichikawa Jun
Ichikawa Jun
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first an award-winning director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside of Japan was Tony Takitani, an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami...

/ 市川準

Other films

Tokyo Drifter
Tokyo Drifter
is a 1966 yakuza action film directed by Seijun Suzuki. The story follows Tetsuya Watari as the reformed yakuza hitman "Phoenix" Tetsu who is forced to roam Japan avoiding execution by rival gangs.-Plot:...

/ 東京流れ者 (1966) by Suzuki Seijun / 鈴木清順
Scoutman / ペイン (2000) by Ishioka Masato
Edo Porn / 北斎漫画 (1981) by Shindo Kaneto / 新藤兼人
The Taste of Tea
The Taste of Tea
is the third film by Japanese writer and director Katsuhito Ishii. The film has been referred to as a "surreal" version of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander. It was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival.-Synopsis:...

/ 茶の味 (2004) by Ishii Katsuhito
Katsuhito Ishii
-Work:Katsuhito Ishii began directing commercials in 1992, receiving numerous awards in this field. His first short film The Promise of August, shot in 1995, went on to receive the Japanese Film Grand Prix in the Fantastic Video Section of the 1995 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Ishii...

/ 石井克人

Festival Highlights (Commemoration - Ozu Yasujiro)

Director in focus: Fukasaku Kinji / 深作欣二
Commemoration: 100th birthday and 40th death anniversary of Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎

Film Programme

Fukasaku Kinji Retrospective

Lovers Lost
Dotonbori River
Dotonbori River is a 1982 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku.-Cast:*Keiko Matsuzaka as Machiko*Hiroyuki Sanada as Kunihiko Yasuoka*Tsutomu Yamazaki as Tetsuo Takeuchi*Koichi Sato as Masao Takeuchi*Mariko Kaga as Yuki...

/ 道頓堀川 (1982) by Fukasaku Kinji / 深作欣二
The Geisha House
The Geisha House
-Cast:*Maki Miyamoto as Tokiko aka Omocha*Junko Fuji as Satoe*Kaho Minami as Terucho*Mai Kitajima as Somemaru*Masahiko Tsugawa as Yoshikawa*Yumiko Nogawa as Michiko*Mariko Okada as Hanaman's owner*Takeshi Katô as Kitayama*Noboru Mitani as Mikami...

/ おもちゃ (1999) by Fukasaku Kinji / 深作欣二
Amateur Singing Contest
NHK Nodo Jiman
NHK Nodo Jiman is one of the longest running TV programs broadcast on Japanese NHK TV and NHK radio.- History :Nodo Jiman features amateur singers who live in the locality where the competition is held....

/ Nodo jiman (1999) by Izutsu Kazuyuki
Kazuyuki Izutsu
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and film critic. Born in Nara Prefecture, he started making 8mm films in high school, and directed his first 35mm film, a pink film, in 1975. He earned a citation from the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award in 1981 for Gaki teikoku, and his Boys...

/ 井筒和幸

Ozu Yasujiro (Commemoration)

I Was Born, But...
I Was Born, But...
is a 1932 black-and-white Japanese silent film directed by Yasujiro Ozu. It became the first of six Ozu films to win the Kinema Junpō Critics' Prize...

/ 大人の見る繪本　生れてはみたけれど (1932) by Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎
Late Spring
Late Spring
is a critically acclaimed black-and-white Japanese film drama, directed by Yasujirō Ozu , first released in Japan in September 1949. Based on the novel Father and Daughter by Kazuo Hirotsu, the story concerns a young woman who lives happily in Kamakura with her kindly professor father, a widower...

/ 晩春 (1949) by Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎
Tokyo Story
Tokyo Story
is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It tells the story of an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. The film contrasts the behavior of their biological children, who are too busy to pay them much attention, and their daughter-in-law, who treats them with...

/ 東京物語 (1953) by Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎
Equinox Flower
Equinox Flower
is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Yasujiro Ozu. It is Yasujiro Ozu's first film in color while Japan's first color film, Keisuke Kinoshita's Carmen Comes Home, had been released in 1951. The film is based on a novel by Ton Satomi...

/ 彼岸花 (1958) by Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎
The End of Summer
The End of Summer
is a 1961 film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was his penultimate film; only An Autumn Afternoon followed it....

/ 小早川家の秋 (1961) by Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎
An Autumn Afternoon
An Autumn Afternoon
is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It stars Ozu regular Chishu Ryu as the patriarch of the Hirayama family who oversees the wedding of his daughter, played by Shima Iwashita. It was Ozu's last film; he died in the following year...

/ 秋刀魚の味 (1962) by Ozu Yasujiro / 小津安二郎
Tokyo-Ga
Tokyo-Ga
Tokyo-Ga is a 1985 documentary film directed by Wim Wenders ostensibly about filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. However, only two scenes actually focus on Ozu—one where Wenders interviews Ozu’s regular cinematographer, Yuharu Atsuta, and another where he interviews Ozu’s favorite actor, Chishu Ryu. The rest...

(1985 documentary) by Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...

Other films

Twilight Samurai / たそがれ清兵衛 (2002) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
Moonlight Whispers
Moonlight Whispers
is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Akihiko Shiota. The film is based on the manga Gekko no sasayaki.Boy meets girl , they fall in love...

/ Gekko no Sasayaki (1999) by Shiota Akihiko
Millennium Actress
Millennium Actress
is a 2001 Japanese anime by director Satoshi Kon and animated by the Studio Madhouse. It tells the story of a documentary filmmaker investigating the life of an elderly actress in which reality and cinema become blurred.-Plot:...

/ 千年女優 (2001) by Kon Satoshi / 今敏

Film Programme

Lightning
Lightning (film)
is a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse.The film won 1953 Blue Ribbon Awards for best director , best film and for best supporting actress Chieko Nakakita. It also won Mainichi Film Concours for best film score by Ichirō Saitō and again for best supporting actress Chieko...

/ 稲妻 (1952) by Naruse Mikio / 成瀬巳喜男
Flowing
Nagareru
is a 1956 Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse. The black-and-white drama starred Kinuyo Tanaka, Isuzu Yamada, Hideko Takamine, Mariko Okada, Haruko Sugimura, Sumiko Kurishima, Chieko Nakakita, Natsuko Kahara, Seiji Miyaguchi, Daisuke Katō, Nobuo Nakamura, Kumeko Otowa and others....

/ 流れる (1956) by Naruse Mikio / 成瀬巳喜男
Ugetsu
Ugetsu
Ugetsu is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Set in 16th century Japan, it stars Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō, and is inspired by short stories by Ueda Akinari and Guy de Maupassant...

/ 雨月物語 (1953) by Mizoguchi Kenji / 溝口健二
Juvenile
Juvenile (film)
-Plot:11 year old Yusuke, and his classmates are camping in a woods when suddenly they see a bright light streak over the treetops and into the woods.The boys takes off into the woods towards the light....

/ ジュブナイル (2000) by Yamazaki Takashi
Takashi Yamazaki (film director)
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and visual effects director. He won the Best Director and Best Screenplay prizes at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2006 for Always Sanchōme no Yūhi...

/ 山崎貴
First Love / Hatsukoi (2000) by Shinohara Tetsuo
Tetsuo Shinohara
Tetsuo Shinohara is a Japanese film director. His film First Love was the 3rd Best Film at the 22nd Yokohama Film Festival.-Filmography:# Ogawa no Hotori # Clearless...

/ 篠原哲雄
Fifteen / 学校 IV (2000) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
Ozamu Tezuka's Anime by Tezuka Osamu
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...

/ 手塚治虫 - Jumping (1984) / Pictures At An Exhibition (1966) / Broken Down Film (1985)

Festival Highlights (Kurosawa Retrospective)

Director in focus: Kurosawa Akira

Akira Kurosawa

was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明

Film Programme

Kurosawa Retrospective

The Bad Sleep Well
The Bad Sleep Well
is a 1960 film directed by the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. It was the first film to be produced under Kurosawa's own independent production company. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival....

/ 悪い奴ほどよく眠る (1960) by Kurosawa Akira
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明
The Quiet Duel
The Quiet Duel
is a 1949 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa.-Plot:Toshirō Mifune plays a young idealistic doctor who works at his father's clinic in a small and seedy district. During the war, he contracts syphilis from the blood of a patient when he cuts himself during an operation...

/ 静かなる決闘 (1949) by Kurosawa Akira
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明
Red Beard
Red Beard
is a 1965 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa about the relationship between a town doctor and his new trainee. The film was based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's short story collection, Akahige shinryotan . Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Insulted and the Injured provided the source for a subplot about a...

/ 赤ひげ (1965) by Kurosawa Akira
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明
Not Yet
Madadayo
is a 1993 Japanese film. It is the thirtieth and final film to be completed by Akira Kurosawa. It was screened out of competition at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...

/ まあだだよ (1993) by Kurosawa Akira
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明
Sanjuro
Sanjuro
is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's previous film Yojimbo, with Mifune reprising his role as a wandering ronin...

/ 椿三十郎 (1962) by Kurosawa Akira
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明
Doomed (To Live)
Ikiru
is a 1952 Japanese film co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a minor Tokyo bureaucrat and his final quest for meaning. The film stars Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe.-Plot:...

/ 生きる (1952) by Kurosawa Akira
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

/ 黒澤明

Other films

Nowhere Man / Muno no Hito (1991) by Takenaka Naoto
Naoto Takenaka
is a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director from Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture affiliated with From First Production. He is married to idol singer and actress Midori Kinouchi.-Director:*Munō no Hito *119...

/ 竹中直人
Beijing Watermelon / Pekin Teki Suika (1989) by Obayashi Nobuhiko
Nobuhiko Obayashi
is a Japanese director, screenwriter and editor of films and television advertisements who is well known for his surreal visual style. He began his career as a pioneering figure in Japanese experimental film during the 1960s before transitioning to directing more mainstream works such as television...

/ 大林宣彦
Tora-san Takes a Vacation
Tora-san Takes a Vacation
is a 1990 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma , and Kumiko Gotō as his love interest or "Madonna"...

/ 男はつらいよ寅次郎の休日 (1990) by Yamada Yoji / 山田洋次
Kikujiro
Kikujiro
The album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance...

/ 菊次郎の夏 (1999) by Kitano Takeshi / 北野武
Adrenaline Drive (1999) by Yaguchi Shinobu
Shinobu Yaguchi
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He specializes in feel-good "zero to hero" films, where a group of people take up an unlikely activity, face a number of obstacles, but finally succeed. His film Waterboys was particularly successful and led to a TV series which entered its third...

/ 矢口史靖
Don't Look Back / Doko Made Mo Ikou by Shiota Akihiko
Nabbie's Love
Nabbie's Love
is a 1999 film written and directed by Yuji Nakae about a grandmother named Nabbie Agarikinjo, played by Tomi Taira. The film score is by Kenichiro Isoda and Michael Nyman, working separately. The film tied with Rituparno Ghosh's Bariwali for the Netpac Award at the Berlin International Film...

/ ナビィの恋 (1999) by Nakane Yuji
Yuji Nakae
is a Japanese film director who specializes in films set in Okinawa, featuring Okinawan music, language, themes and atmosphere. He shared the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his debut film, Pineapple Tours, which was an omnibus film co-directed with Tsutomu Makiya and Hayashi Tōma...

/ 中江裕司

Festival Highlights (Mizoguchi Retrospective)

Director in focus: Mizoguchi Kenji

Kenji Mizoguchi

Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...

/ 溝口健二

Film Programme

Mizoguchi Retrospective

Ugetsu
Ugetsu
Ugetsu is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Set in 16th century Japan, it stars Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō, and is inspired by short stories by Ueda Akinari and Guy de Maupassant...

/ 雨月物語 (1953) by Mizoguchi Kenji
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...

/ 溝口健二
Sansho the Bailiff
Sansho the Bailiff
-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database* * and QuickTime trailer* essay by Mark Le Fanu...

/ 山椒大夫 (1954) by Mizoguchi Kenji
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...

/ 溝口健二
The Taira Clan Saga / 新平家物語 (1955) by Mizoguchi Kenji
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...

/ 溝口健二
Street of Shame
Street of Shame
is a 1956 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, his last film.The film is based on the novel Susaki no Onna by Yoshiko Shibaki.-Cast:* Machiko Kyō as Mickey* Ayako Wakao as Yumeko* Aiko Mimasu as Yasumi* Michiyo Kogure as Hanae...

/ 赤線地帯 (1956) by Mizoguchi Kenji
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...

/ 溝口健二

Other films

Wait and See / あ、春 (1998) by Somai Shinji
Shinji Sōmai
was a Japanese film director. He directed 13 films between 1980 and 2000. His film Ohikkoshi was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Tonda kappuru * Sērā-fuku to kikanjū...

/ 相米慎二
Amateur Singing Contest
NHK Nodo Jiman
NHK Nodo Jiman is one of the longest running TV programs broadcast on Japanese NHK TV and NHK radio.- History :Nodo Jiman features amateur singers who live in the locality where the competition is held....

/ のど自慢 (1999) by Izutsu Kazuyuki
Kazuyuki Izutsu
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and film critic. Born in Nara Prefecture, he started making 8mm films in high school, and directed his first 35mm film, a pink film, in 1975. He earned a citation from the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award in 1981 for Gaki teikoku, and his Boys...

/ 井筒和幸
Give It All / がんばっていきまっしょい (1998) by Isomura Itsumichi
Itsumichi Isomura
is a Japanese film director. He won the award for Best Director at the 20th Yokohama Film Festival for Ganbatte Ikimasshoi....

/ 磯村一路
The Makioka Sisters
The Makioka Sisters (film)
is the name of three films based on the serial novel of the same name by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. The third of these films, released in 1983, is the most famous. It was directed by Kon Ichikawa.-The Sisters:...

/ 細雪 (1983) by Ichikawa Kon
Kon Ichikawa
was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...

/ 市川崑
Muddy River
Muddy River (film)
Muddy River is a 1981 Japanese film directed by Kôhei Oguri. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.-External links:...

/ 泥の河 (1981) by Oguri Kohei
Kôhei Oguri
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Gunma, Oguri first became a freelance assistant director after graduating from Waseda University. He made his directorial debut in 1981 with Muddy River, which earned him both a Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year and a citation...

/ 小栗康平
Take Me to the Snowland / 私をスキーに連れてって (1987) by Baba Yasuo / 馬場康夫
Free & Easy Special Version / 釣りバカ日誌スペシャル (1994) by Morisaki Azuma / 森崎東
Tora-san, My Uncle
Tora-san, My Uncle
is a 1989 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma , and Kumiko Gotō as his love interest or "Madonna"...

/ 男はつらいよぼくの伯父さん (1990) by Yamada Yoji
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....

/ 山田洋次
The Terrible Couple / 翔んだカップル (1980) by Somai Shinji
Shinji Sōmai
was a Japanese film director. He directed 13 films between 1980 and 2000. His film Ohikkoshi was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Tonda kappuru * Sērā-fuku to kikanjū...

/ 相米慎二
Diary of Early Winter Shower / 時雨の記 (1998) by Sawai Shinichiro
Shinichirō Sawai
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as Masahiro Makino and Noribumi Suzuki. He also collaborated...

/ 澤井信一郎
Memories of You
Memories of You
"Memories of You" is a popular song with lyrics written by Andy Razaf and music composed by Eubie Blake and published in 1930.-Song history:The song was introduced by singer Minto Cato in the Broadway show Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930...

/ ラブストーリーを君に (1988) by Sawai Shinichiro
Shinichirō Sawai
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as Masahiro Makino and Noribumi Suzuki. He also collaborated...

/ 澤井信一郎

Film Programme

Magnitude / マグニチュード (1998) by Sugawara Hiroshi
Hiroshi Sugawara
Hiroshi Sugawara is a Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter.-Director:# Seven Days' War # That's Cunning! Shijo Saidai no Sakusen # Tokimeki Memorial # Magnitude # Dreammaker...

/ 菅原浩志
Bloom in the Moonlight
Bloom in the Moonlight
is a 1993 Japanese film directed by Shinichirō Sawai.-Awards:17th Japan Academy Prize*Nominated: Best Film*Nominated: Best Director - Shinichirō Sawai*Nominated: Best Screenplay*Nominated: Best Actor - Tōru Kazama*Nominated: Best Actress - Isako Washio...

/ わが愛の譜滝廉太郎物語 (1993) by Sawai Shinichiro
Shinichirō Sawai
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as Masahiro Makino and Noribumi Suzuki. He also collaborated...

/ 澤井信一郎
Children of the Island / 二十四の瞳 (1997) by Asama Yoshitaka / 朝間義隆
Faraway Sunset / 遠き落日 (1992) by Koyama Seijiro
Seijirō Kōyama
is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Gifu Prefecture, Kōyama attended Nihon University but quit midway to join the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai, where he worked as an assistant director under such directors as Kaneto Shindō, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, and Tadashi Imai...

/ 神山征二郎
Haunted School / 学校の怪談 (1995) by Hirayama Hideyuki
Hideyuki Hirayama
is a Japanese film director. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for The Games Teachers Play in 1992. He was given a Best Director award at the 2003 Yokohama Film Festival...

/ 平山秀幸
Kids Return
Kids Return
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Meet Again" 5:02#"Graduation" 1:07#"Angel Doll" 2:21#"Alone" 1:15#"As a Rival" 1:29#"Promise... for Us" 5:08#"Next Round" 1:28#"Destiny" 3:31#"I Don't Care" 2:18#"High Spirits" 2:03#"Defeat" 2:29#"Break Down" 3:46...

/ キッズリターン (1996) by Kitano Takeshi
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...

/ 北野武
Love Suicide at Sonezaki
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki is a love-suicide play by Chikamatsu. While not his first one nor his most popular , it is probably the most popular of his "domestic tragedies" or "domestic plays" as Donald Keene characterizes the...

/ 曽根崎心中 (1981) by Midori Kurisaki / 栗崎碧
MacArthur's Children
MacArthur's Children
is a popular and influential 1984 Japanese motion picture. Describing the impact of the United States' occupation of Japan from the perspective of the inhabitants of a small, rural island community, the film featured the big screen debut of actor Ken Watanabe....

/ 瀬戸内少年野球団 (1984) by Shinoda Masahiro
Masahiro Shinoda
is a Japanese film director, originally associated with the Shochiku Studio, who came to prominence as part of the Japanese New Wave in the 1960s.-Career:...

/ 篠田正浩
Many Happy Returns / 教祖誕生 (1993) by Toshihiro Tenma / 天満敏広
Musashino High Voltage Towers / 鉄塔武蔵野線 (1997) by Nagao Naoki / 長尾直樹
My Secret Cache
My Secret Cache
My Secret Cache is a 1997 award - winning Japanese film. Its original Japanese title is . It was directed by Shinobu Yaguchi.- Plot :The film begins with a prologue that quickly sketches the backstory of the protagonist: since childhood, Sakiko Suzuki was obsessed with cash...

/ ひみつの花園 (1997) by Yaguchi Shinobu
Shinobu Yaguchi
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He specializes in feel-good "zero to hero" films, where a group of people take up an unlikely activity, face a number of obstacles, but finally succeed. His film Waterboys was particularly successful and led to a TV series which entered its third...

/ 矢口史靖
A Scene at the Sea
A Scene at the Sea
is a 1991 Japanese film written and directed by Takeshi Kitano.This movie was a break from previous Kitano fare in that it features no gangsters or police...

/ あの夏、いちばん静かな海。 (1991) by Kitano Takeshi
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...

/ 北野武
Takeshi: Childhood Days
Childhood Days
is a 1990 Japanese film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony.-Synopsis:A story of childhood life during wartime Japan. Takeshi, the intelligent son of a fisherman, is the schoolyard bully. When his cousin comes to stay with his family to avoid...

/ 少年時代 (1990) by Shinoda Masahiro
Masahiro Shinoda
is a Japanese film director, originally associated with the Shochiku Studio, who came to prominence as part of the Japanese New Wave in the 1960s.-Career:...

/ 篠田正浩
The Wild Daisy / 野菊の墓 (1981) by Sawai Shinichiro
Shinichirō Sawai
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as Masahiro Makino and Noribumi Suzuki. He also collaborated...

/ 澤井信一郎

Audience Award winners

Year	Film	Director	Country of origin
2010	Fish Story / フィッシュストーリー	Nakamura Yoshihiro Yoshihiro Nakamura is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, best known for his 2005 horror film Būsu or The Booth.- Life :He was born on the 25th of August 1970 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He went to Seijo University Department of Arts and Literature... / 中村義洋	Japan
2009	Strange Circus Strange Circus -Plot:School principal Ozawa Gozo rapes his daughter, Mitsuko, after she sees her parents having sex. Her mother Sayuri witnesses the rape. Gozo now rapes both of them as he pleases, while his family is undermined by incest, suicide, and murder... such is the erotic novel wheel-bound novelist Taeko... / 奇妙なサーカス	Sono Shion / 園子温	Japan

About the Festival

Website

http://sfs.org.sg/japanesefilmfestival

Facebook

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Twitter

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YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/japanesefilmfestival

Organisers

Embassy of Japan in Singapore, Singapore Film Society, Japan Foundation

Japan Foundation

The was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan on 1 October 2003 under the "Independent...

, The Japanese Association of Singapore

Premier Sponsor

Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Venue

National Museum of Singapore

Theme

The festival programme focus on a theme each year to highlight strands of Japanese Cinema that exemplifies it.

Language

All films were screened in their original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles.

Ratings

All films are uncut unless otherwise stated. Age limits apply for films rated R21, M18 and NC16. Proof of age is required at the point of purchase and at the point of admission. All films are subject to approval and classification by the Media Development Authority

Media Development Authority

The Media Development Authority is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts .-History:...

, Singapore.

PG - Parental Guidance

NC16 - No children below 16 years old

M18 - Mature 18 for person 18 years and above

R21 - Restricted to persons 21 years and above

External links

Other Japanese Film Festivals in Asia

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