Director and screenwriter Haruhiko Arai worked as an assistant director for Wakamatsu Productions before making his screenwriting debut with Shinjuku, Messy District: I'll Be There (1977), directed by Chusei Sone. He established his reputation in Japan and worldwide with works such as W's Tragedy (1984), Flakes of Snow (1985), and Someday (2011). For the latter Haruhiko received the Screenplay of the Year Award by the Japan Academy Film Prize. Body and Soul (1997) was his directorial debut. A Spoiling Rain (2023), IFFR 2024 selection, is his fourth feature film.
On the occasion of “A Spoiling Rain” screening at IFFR, we speak with him about the changes he have seen in the industry through the years, love and sex, adapting the particular novel, the casting and the current situation of the Japanese film industry.
translation by Shione Kunimori
My name is Haruhiko Arai. It has been 27 years since I was at the IFFR last time. 27 years ago, I...
On the occasion of “A Spoiling Rain” screening at IFFR, we speak with him about the changes he have seen in the industry through the years, love and sex, adapting the particular novel, the casting and the current situation of the Japanese film industry.
translation by Shione Kunimori
My name is Haruhiko Arai. It has been 27 years since I was at the IFFR last time. 27 years ago, I...
- 2/11/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Lighthouse Media & Management has signed the multi-hyphenate Kiko Mizuhara, best known for starring in Toho’s adaptation of Norwegian Wood and the beloved manga Attack on Titan, for representation in all areas.
Based on the novel by Haruki Murakami, the former film follows Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), a young man in 1960s Tokyo, as he grapples with the suicide of a friend, as well as fledgling relationships with both the friend’s girlfriend and another woman. Mizuhara played the latter, Midori. After world premiering in Venice, the film was released in Japan in 2010, making its way to the U.S. two years later.
Released in two parts in 2015, Shinji Higuchi’s live-action Attack on Titan — based on the Hajime Isayama manga — is a post-apocalyptic actioner picking up with Eren (Haruma Miura) and his friends as they join a military group known as The Survey Corps, in order to take...
Based on the novel by Haruki Murakami, the former film follows Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), a young man in 1960s Tokyo, as he grapples with the suicide of a friend, as well as fledgling relationships with both the friend’s girlfriend and another woman. Mizuhara played the latter, Midori. After world premiering in Venice, the film was released in Japan in 2010, making its way to the U.S. two years later.
Released in two parts in 2015, Shinji Higuchi’s live-action Attack on Titan — based on the Hajime Isayama manga — is a post-apocalyptic actioner picking up with Eren (Haruma Miura) and his friends as they join a military group known as The Survey Corps, in order to take...
- 9/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the success of “Confessions”, a plethora of Kanae Minato's works have been adapted in both TV and cinema, with “Homecoming”, “ A Chorus of Angels”, “Penance” and “The Snow White Murder Case” being some of the most renowned. The latest one, “Motherhood” comes from 2012 novel “Bosei” and explores the theme of motherhood through the stories of three generations of women.
Motherhood is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Sayaka, a highschool student, kills herself for reasons that are initially unknown, since she seems to have been living a pretty normal life until that point, having been raised with love by her mother, Rumiko. The narrative then switches to the past, starting with the story of the latter, before it presents Sayaka's own version of their life story. In that fashion, Rumiko was an art enthusiast who enrolled in art school, where she met Satoshi, with the two eventually getting married,...
Motherhood is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Sayaka, a highschool student, kills herself for reasons that are initially unknown, since she seems to have been living a pretty normal life until that point, having been raised with love by her mother, Rumiko. The narrative then switches to the past, starting with the story of the latter, before it presents Sayaka's own version of their life story. In that fashion, Rumiko was an art enthusiast who enrolled in art school, where she met Satoshi, with the two eventually getting married,...
- 7/18/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The quality of Asian short films have been increasing exponentially during the last few years, with the necessity to cut down on production size due to Covid actually giving a number of directors the opportunity to shine in the format. Shorts Shorts Film Festival and Asia highlights the fact with an impressive selection for their 20th anniversary, with one of the dominant trends of this year having Japanese actors directing their own films, with Kengo Kora and Hiroshi Tamaki being two among a number. Our coverage of the festival includes a number of reviews and interviews, beginning with one with the director of Ssff & Asia, which sheds a very thorough light to a number of details regarding how the whole thing works.
Click on the titles for the full articles.
1. Amp Video Interviews: Shoko Takegasa
2. Short Film Review: Courier (2023) by Kengo Kora
To begin with, the thing the viewer will...
Click on the titles for the full articles.
1. Amp Video Interviews: Shoko Takegasa
2. Short Film Review: Courier (2023) by Kengo Kora
To begin with, the thing the viewer will...
- 6/27/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) held a press conference today to unveil the complete lineup of programmes for its upcoming edition, featuring 42 films from 15 countries. The festival also announced the distinguished presence of acclaimed filmmaker Johnnie To as the Jury President of the competition section. In addition, MIFFest bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award on renowned actress Sylvia Chang for her exceptional contributions to the world of cinema. The event also revealed the top 10 finalists and nominations for the BMW Shorties 2023.
Over 300 record-breaking submissions were received for the 6th MIFFest
With over 300 record-breaking submissions received for the 6th MIFFest, the festival continues to attract talented filmmakers from around the world. The high number of submissions is a testament to MIFFest's growing prominence and its commitment to recognising outstanding talents in the film industry.
“This year, we had the pleasure of receiving and watching over 300 films. This is an impressive...
Over 300 record-breaking submissions were received for the 6th MIFFest
With over 300 record-breaking submissions received for the 6th MIFFest, the festival continues to attract talented filmmakers from around the world. The high number of submissions is a testament to MIFFest's growing prominence and its commitment to recognising outstanding talents in the film industry.
“This year, we had the pleasure of receiving and watching over 300 films. This is an impressive...
- 6/16/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
It seems that in this year's Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, one of the motifs is famous actors shooting their debut short films, with Kengo Kora and Hiroshi Tamaki being two of the most prominent samples. The former has come up with “Courier”, a short that focuses on a bicycle courier in Tokyo.
Courier is screening at Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia
The said individuals is named Maru, and we follow his path through the streets of Tokyo during a day of his work. First, he goes to an office building, then he takes a break by visiting a cycle shop owner who is in a philosophical mood. A bit later, he goes to his usual joint to grab a bite, where he meets a colleague, Hide, who tells him of his plans to move out of Tokyo, now that his wife is expecting a child. Lastly, during the night,...
Courier is screening at Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia
The said individuals is named Maru, and we follow his path through the streets of Tokyo during a day of his work. First, he goes to an office building, then he takes a break by visiting a cycle shop owner who is in a philosophical mood. A bit later, he goes to his usual joint to grab a bite, where he meets a colleague, Hide, who tells him of his plans to move out of Tokyo, now that his wife is expecting a child. Lastly, during the night,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Nyaff unveils first wave of features from China, Hong Kong, Japan and beyond.
The New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) has unveiled the first wave of features for its 22nd edition and announced that Japanese actor Ryohei Suzuki will receive the Screen International Rising Star award.
Nyaff will run from July 14-30 at the city’s Film at Lincoln Center, with a programme of more than 60 titles, and Suzuki will be presented with the award recognising emerging talent from East Asia on July 15.
Suzuki has been acting on screen for more than 15 years, with a string of roles in Japanese...
The New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) has unveiled the first wave of features for its 22nd edition and announced that Japanese actor Ryohei Suzuki will receive the Screen International Rising Star award.
Nyaff will run from July 14-30 at the city’s Film at Lincoln Center, with a programme of more than 60 titles, and Suzuki will be presented with the award recognising emerging talent from East Asia on July 15.
Suzuki has been acting on screen for more than 15 years, with a string of roles in Japanese...
- 6/15/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
MIFFest to open with the world premiere of ‘Eraser’.
Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To has been named jury president of the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), which will also honour Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang with a lifetime achievement award.
To will chair the festival’s competition jury, which also includes Vietnamese actress Truong Ngoc Anh, Japanese filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki, Malaysian star Zizan Razak and Singaporean director Eric Khoo. To is a leading director of films such as Breaking News, Election, Exiled, Mad Detective and Drug War, and sat on the Berlinale international competition jury earlier this year.
MIFFest...
Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To has been named jury president of the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), which will also honour Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang with a lifetime achievement award.
To will chair the festival’s competition jury, which also includes Vietnamese actress Truong Ngoc Anh, Japanese filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki, Malaysian star Zizan Razak and Singaporean director Eric Khoo. To is a leading director of films such as Breaking News, Election, Exiled, Mad Detective and Drug War, and sat on the Berlinale international competition jury earlier this year.
MIFFest...
- 6/15/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
MIFFest to open with the world premiere of ‘Eraser’.
Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To has been named jury president of the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), which will also honour Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang with a lifetime achievement award.
To will chair the festival’s competition jury, which also includes Vietnamese actress Truong Ngoc Anh, Japanese filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki, Malaysian star Zizan Razak and Singaporean director Eric Khoo. To is a leading director of films such as Breaking News, Election, Exiled, Mad Detective and Drug War, and sat on the Berlinale international competition jury earlier this year.
MIFFest...
Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To has been named jury president of the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), which will also honour Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang with a lifetime achievement award.
To will chair the festival’s competition jury, which also includes Vietnamese actress Truong Ngoc Anh, Japanese filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki, Malaysian star Zizan Razak and Singaporean director Eric Khoo. To is a leading director of films such as Breaking News, Election, Exiled, Mad Detective and Drug War, and sat on the Berlinale international competition jury earlier this year.
MIFFest...
- 6/15/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Malaysian Mission
Hong Kong icon Johnnie To will head the jury of the sixth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) next month. Other jurors include: Truong Ngoc Anh from Vietnam, Ryuichi Hiroki from Japan, Zizan Razak from Malaysia, and Eric Khoo from Singapore.
The event will open with the world premiere of “Eraser,” directed by Mark Lee See Teck. The Malaysian film features the final on-screen appearance of the late Adibah Noor, a beloved Malaysian gem known for her timeless charisma. MIFFest will play “See You at the Rally,” directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kanny Chang as its closing title. The festival is set to take place at Lalaport Bbcc from July 23-29 and will play a total of 42 films from 15 countries.
The festival is building its impact through a series of collaborations with other events. It will screen a selection of genre titles from this month’s Bucheon...
Hong Kong icon Johnnie To will head the jury of the sixth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) next month. Other jurors include: Truong Ngoc Anh from Vietnam, Ryuichi Hiroki from Japan, Zizan Razak from Malaysia, and Eric Khoo from Singapore.
The event will open with the world premiere of “Eraser,” directed by Mark Lee See Teck. The Malaysian film features the final on-screen appearance of the late Adibah Noor, a beloved Malaysian gem known for her timeless charisma. MIFFest will play “See You at the Rally,” directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kanny Chang as its closing title. The festival is set to take place at Lalaport Bbcc from July 23-29 and will play a total of 42 films from 15 countries.
The festival is building its impact through a series of collaborations with other events. It will screen a selection of genre titles from this month’s Bucheon...
- 6/15/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s Far East Film Festival unveiled a power-packed lineup Wednesday for its 25th anniversary edition. The largest cinema event in Europe specializing in popular moviemaking from Asia, Feff will open April 21 with an inspired double bill, He Shuming’s hit Korea-Singapore co-production Ajoomma followed by first-time Taiwanese director Kai Ko’s black comedy Bad Education. And on April 29, the curtain will come down on the festival with the Italy premiere of legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s latest blockbuster, Full River Red. Between those dates, the festival will screen 78 Asian films from 14 countries, including nine world premieres.
The organizers of Feff, founded in 1999 in the picturesque northern Italian city of Udine by festival pioneers Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, say the 2023 selection “aims to showcase the immense complexity of Asia more than ever before.” The lineup indeed presents a compelling snapshot of a wildly diverse content’s commercial cinema in flux.
The organizers of Feff, founded in 1999 in the picturesque northern Italian city of Udine by festival pioneers Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, say the 2023 selection “aims to showcase the immense complexity of Asia more than ever before.” The lineup indeed presents a compelling snapshot of a wildly diverse content’s commercial cinema in flux.
- 4/6/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 46th edition of its awards ceremony on March 10, 2023. The nominees are selected by industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2022 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas. Award categories are modelled after Hollywood's Academy Awards®.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
A Man
Shin Ultraman
Phases of the Moon
Anime Supremacy!
Wandering
Team from A Man Animation of the Year
Inu-Oh
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Suzume
One Piece Film Red
The First Slam Dunk
Director of the Year
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
A Man
Shin Ultraman
Phases of the Moon
Anime Supremacy!
Wandering
Team from A Man Animation of the Year
Inu-Oh
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Suzume
One Piece Film Red
The First Slam Dunk
Director of the Year
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...
- 3/15/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
One of the prestigious national cinema awards in Japan presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the 65th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards announced its winners on February 24, 2023. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2022 within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Leading with 6 nominations, A Man by Kei Ishikawa, wins Best Film while Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa picks up Best Director and Best Actress for Chieko Baisho. The full list of winners is described below.
Best Film
A Man
Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands
Small, Slow But Steady
Missing
Silent Parade
Dr Coto’s Clinic
Plan 75
Motherhood
Fragments of the Last Will
Wandering
A Man Best Director
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Shinzo Katayama – Missing
Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will
Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75
Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon
Best Actor
Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...
Best Film
A Man
Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands
Small, Slow But Steady
Missing
Silent Parade
Dr Coto’s Clinic
Plan 75
Motherhood
Fragments of the Last Will
Wandering
A Man Best Director
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Shinzo Katayama – Missing
Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will
Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75
Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon
Best Actor
Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...
- 2/28/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Click here to read the full article.
In a welcome return to normalcy, the Tokyo International Film Festival rolled out the full red carpet, all 541 feet of it, for the first time since 2019, once again welcoming guests from around the globe to a new venue for its opening ceremony on a brisk autumn evening in the Japanese capital.
The Covid-19 pandemic had kept international visitors away for the last few editions, but the opening of the 35th Tokyo festival felt like old times. More than one hundred overseas guests are joining the proceedings this year — some paying their own way to Tokyo as sky-high airline ticket prices drained the event’s budget — up from just eight at the 2021 edition.
The red carpet, which clocked in at almost two hours, snaked its way from Toho’s famed Godzilla statue in front of Hibiya Midtown to the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. Once a fixture of Roppongi,...
In a welcome return to normalcy, the Tokyo International Film Festival rolled out the full red carpet, all 541 feet of it, for the first time since 2019, once again welcoming guests from around the globe to a new venue for its opening ceremony on a brisk autumn evening in the Japanese capital.
The Covid-19 pandemic had kept international visitors away for the last few editions, but the opening of the 35th Tokyo festival felt like old times. More than one hundred overseas guests are joining the proceedings this year — some paying their own way to Tokyo as sky-high airline ticket prices drained the event’s budget — up from just eight at the 2021 edition.
The red carpet, which clocked in at almost two hours, snaked its way from Toho’s famed Godzilla statue in front of Hibiya Midtown to the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. Once a fixture of Roppongi,...
- 10/24/2022
- by Gavin J Blair and Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fresh from his Netflix success with “Ride or Die”, a film that everyone seems to have seen for different reasons, Ryuichi Hiroki continues his exploration of the concept of crime and punishment in a completely different setting, the closed community of a small fictional island.
Noise is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
The story is adapted from the homonymous manga by Tetsuya Tsutsui and begins with a middle-aged local driving a stranger around the island, before the latter strangles him for no apparent reason. A bit later, the stranger ends up in the property of Keita Izumi, the “star of the island”, since his black figs are about to feature on a TV program that also comes with a big government grant that will help the declining economy of the area. The first interaction ends up without any happenings, but soon Keita’s daughter disappears. The aggravated father seeks...
Noise is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
The story is adapted from the homonymous manga by Tetsuya Tsutsui and begins with a middle-aged local driving a stranger around the island, before the latter strangles him for no apparent reason. A bit later, the stranger ends up in the property of Keita Izumi, the “star of the island”, since his black figs are about to feature on a TV program that also comes with a big government grant that will help the declining economy of the area. The first interaction ends up without any happenings, but soon Keita’s daughter disappears. The aggravated father seeks...
- 9/10/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The most memorable scene in Ryuichi Hiroki’s Netflix thriller “Ride or Die” is its most brutal one, in which a whole bedroom gets painted in Dario Argento red after few minutes of rather pink activities. Those we can count are but a few, but when they happen, Hiroki is fast to return where he had started many years ago. Naked skin is famously something that made his career, and once the erotic wheel starts rotating it takes a wee bit of time to put a halt to it. For the audience who can totally live with only three minutes of canoodling/ making love instead of six – these moments are ideal for visiting the restroom or pouring a glass of whatever. For the others, six minutes will be too short because some sexual fantasies never cease to excite specific type of viewers.
Before anyhing else is said about the film,...
Before anyhing else is said about the film,...
- 4/25/2021
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Photo: ‘Ride or Die’/Netflix ‘Thelma & Louise’ meets ‘Bound’ in ‘Ride or Die’, the new Japanese Netflix original film in which lesbian Rei Nagasawa (Kiko Mizuhara) kills the wife-beating husband of old schoolyard crush Nanae Shinoda (Honami Sato), who undresses early in the film to reveal a body covered in bruises. It begins with a ‘Goodfellas’ tracking shot as Rei enters a nightclub to mark her prey, following him home for a graphic sex scene (did I mention that director Ryuichi Hiroki got his start working on softcore porn?) that ends with bare, blood-spattered breasts--she stabs him in the neck while riding him à la ‘Gone Girl’. Afterward, Rei reveals that she had been a virgin beforehand. Related article: ‘Moffie’ Review: A Stunning Gay Coming-of-Age Story Set In Apartheid South Africa Related article: One of the Most Beautiful Love Stories ‘God’s Own Country’ is a Must Watch for...
- 4/16/2021
- by Daniel Choi
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
In the spirit of “Thelma and Louise,” a lesbian fugitive and the woman she’d kill for hit the road with three stilettos and a blood-red BMW in “Ride or Die.” A glammed up, erotically-charged cocktail of amour fou and true romance directed by Ryuichi Hiroki and written by Nami Kikkawa, the Netflix production gives agency to full-blooded female protagonists. That’s a rarity in Japan’s studio-dominated, cookie-cutter entertainment industry, which explains its liberating, inexhaustible energy.
Based on the adult-skewing manga “Gunjo” (Ultramarine) by Ching Nakamura, the film stars actor-model Kiko Mizuhara (“Norwegian Wood”) and actor-musician Honami Sato. The two celebs’ graphic sex scenes and full-frontal nudity are bound to be a talking point in Japan, where managers usually exert such tight control over their actors’ public image they forbid anything risqué. Given such a system, the audacity and ardor Mizuhara and Sato generated on screen prove their commitment.
Based on the adult-skewing manga “Gunjo” (Ultramarine) by Ching Nakamura, the film stars actor-model Kiko Mizuhara (“Norwegian Wood”) and actor-musician Honami Sato. The two celebs’ graphic sex scenes and full-frontal nudity are bound to be a talking point in Japan, where managers usually exert such tight control over their actors’ public image they forbid anything risqué. Given such a system, the audacity and ardor Mizuhara and Sato generated on screen prove their commitment.
- 4/15/2021
- by Maggie Lee
- Variety Film + TV
"Either my husband dies or I die." Netflix has released an official trailer for a Japanese indie drama titled Ride or Die, the latest from prolific filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki. If you love me, destroy everything. A road movie about two women on the run with nowhere to go, depicting what it means to love someone, and to protect the one you love. Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) helps the woman she's been in love with for years escape her abusive husband. And while on the run, their feelings for each other begin to catch fire. As they turn to each other for love, Rei and Nanae soon find themselves struggling with incompatible emotions. This intimate romantic road thriller stars Kiko Mizuhara as Rei, and Honami Sato as Nanae. The film hasn't opened anywhere else yet and is getting a simultaneous release in Japan and USA starting this April on Netflix. This looks very good,...
- 3/30/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Hiroyuki Tanaka, better known under the pseudonym Sabu, was born in 1964 and originally wanted to become a musician before he eventually decided to pursue a career as an actor. Over the course of his career he has worked with director such as Takashi Miike and Ryuichi Hiroki. In 1996 he directed his first film “Dangan Runner” and has been a regular in international festivals like Berlin Film Festival or New York Asian Film Festival.
While his last film “Jam” awaits its cinematic release in Germany at the end of December, we sat down with the director to talk about the themes in his work, the characters in his films and the importance of running for his movies.
You said previously that the way your main actors looked was one of the main inspirations for the film. Can you elaborate on that?
Even though the main characters may have a different personality than you,...
While his last film “Jam” awaits its cinematic release in Germany at the end of December, we sat down with the director to talk about the themes in his work, the characters in his films and the importance of running for his movies.
You said previously that the way your main actors looked was one of the main inspirations for the film. Can you elaborate on that?
Even though the main characters may have a different personality than you,...
- 12/10/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Winners in the International Competition also included Atlantis, Just 6.5, Only The Animals and Chaogtu With Sarula.
Danish filmmaker Frelle Petersen’s Uncle won the Tokyo Grand Prix Award at the close of the Tokyo International Film Festival (November 5), while Summer Knight, directed by China’s You Xing, took best film in the Asian Future section.
Set in rural Denmark, Uncle follows a girl caring for her disabled uncle who dreams of becoming a veterinarian and faces a heart-breaking choice. Summer Knight is also a coming-of-age story, set in China in the summer of 1997, about two boys attempting to recover a stolen bicycle.
Danish filmmaker Frelle Petersen’s Uncle won the Tokyo Grand Prix Award at the close of the Tokyo International Film Festival (November 5), while Summer Knight, directed by China’s You Xing, took best film in the Asian Future section.
Set in rural Denmark, Uncle follows a girl caring for her disabled uncle who dreams of becoming a veterinarian and faces a heart-breaking choice. Summer Knight is also a coming-of-age story, set in China in the summer of 1997, about two boys attempting to recover a stolen bicycle.
- 11/5/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Competition to screen 14 titles including the world premieres of Japanese films Tezuka’s Barbara and A Beloved Wife.
Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) has announced the full line-up for its 32nd edition, including the 14 titles selected for its International Competition.
In addition to previously announced Japanese titles Tezuka’s Barbara from Macoto Tezka and Shin Adachi’s A Beloved Wife, the competition will screen five other world premieres including Chinese director Wang Rui’s Chaogtu With Sarula, Food For A Funeral from Turkey’s Reis Celik and Uncle from Danish director Frelle Petersen.
Asia premieres in this section include Jayro...
Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) has announced the full line-up for its 32nd edition, including the 14 titles selected for its International Competition.
In addition to previously announced Japanese titles Tezuka’s Barbara from Macoto Tezka and Shin Adachi’s A Beloved Wife, the competition will screen five other world premieres including Chinese director Wang Rui’s Chaogtu With Sarula, Food For A Funeral from Turkey’s Reis Celik and Uncle from Danish director Frelle Petersen.
Asia premieres in this section include Jayro...
- 9/26/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo International Film Festival will this year give over most of its competition section to films from outside East Asia. This contrasts to previous editions with a strong presence from the region.
The festival, which will hold its 32nd edition next month, announced its lineup Thursday. Of the 14 announced films for competition, only two – Wang Rui’s “Chaogtu With Sarula” (China) and Paul Soriano’s ”Mananita” (Philippines) – are from East Asia.
Korean films are noticeably absent this year, a situation that may reflect the acute political tensions between Tokyo and Seoul.
Others in the competition are Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Atlantis” and Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco,” which both screened at Toronto. The competition also includes Saeid Rustai’s “Just 6.5,” Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona,” Nunzia De Stefano’s “Nevia” and Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals,” which were all pickups from Venice.
The two Japanese films in the competition...
The festival, which will hold its 32nd edition next month, announced its lineup Thursday. Of the 14 announced films for competition, only two – Wang Rui’s “Chaogtu With Sarula” (China) and Paul Soriano’s ”Mananita” (Philippines) – are from East Asia.
Korean films are noticeably absent this year, a situation that may reflect the acute political tensions between Tokyo and Seoul.
Others in the competition are Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Atlantis” and Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco,” which both screened at Toronto. The competition also includes Saeid Rustai’s “Just 6.5,” Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona,” Nunzia De Stefano’s “Nevia” and Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals,” which were all pickups from Venice.
The two Japanese films in the competition...
- 9/26/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese director Ryuichi Hiroki’s career spans over many decades as well as genres, from pink film to serious drama. Ever since his feature debut “Seigyaku!” his films have been regularly featured in many international festivals such as Nippon Connection.
We sat down with the director to discuss his film “It’s Boring Here Pick Me Up”, its portrayal of youth and village life as well as his opinion to themes like being young or the meaning of family.
“It’s Boring Here Pick Me Up” is screening at Nippon Connection
As you know, this year’s Nippon Connection features the topic of outsiders and outlaws in Japanese society. Do you consider yourself an outlaw or, more specifically, an outlaw filmmaker?
What do you think?
Well, I would not say outlaw. But you most certainly show characters who are outsiders or who feel as outsiders at least.
That might be true,...
We sat down with the director to discuss his film “It’s Boring Here Pick Me Up”, its portrayal of youth and village life as well as his opinion to themes like being young or the meaning of family.
“It’s Boring Here Pick Me Up” is screening at Nippon Connection
As you know, this year’s Nippon Connection features the topic of outsiders and outlaws in Japanese society. Do you consider yourself an outlaw or, more specifically, an outlaw filmmaker?
What do you think?
Well, I would not say outlaw. But you most certainly show characters who are outsiders or who feel as outsiders at least.
That might be true,...
- 6/4/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
After he had attended Tokyo Film School Japanese director Sho Miyake went on to make numerous feature films as well as documentaries. Praised for their portrayal of friendship, youth and coming of age films like “Wild Tour”, “Playback” and “The Cockpit” have received international attention as well as various awards, such as the Nippons Visions Jury Award in 2015 or the “Best New Director Award at the 22nd Japan Film Professional Awards.
We sat down with the director on the occasion of his film “And Your Bird Can Sing”(2018) being screened at Nippon Connection 2019 and talked with him about his film, his inspirations for the project as well as the shooting of “And Your Bird Can Sing”.
“And Your Bird Can Sing” is screening at Nippon Connection
Mr Miyake, as you know the overall topic of this year’s Nippon Connection is outlaws and outsiders within the Japanese society. Would you...
We sat down with the director on the occasion of his film “And Your Bird Can Sing”(2018) being screened at Nippon Connection 2019 and talked with him about his film, his inspirations for the project as well as the shooting of “And Your Bird Can Sing”.
“And Your Bird Can Sing” is screening at Nippon Connection
Mr Miyake, as you know the overall topic of this year’s Nippon Connection is outlaws and outsiders within the Japanese society. Would you...
- 6/2/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
From May 28 to June 2, 2019 the nineteenth edition of the Nippon Connection Film Festival will take place in Frankfurt am Main. As the biggest festival for Japanese cinema worldwide, it offers an exciting insight into the current state of the Japanese film scene with more than 100 short and feature length films from all genres. Numerous filmmakers and artists from Japan will be present to introduce their works and establish a lively exchange with the German audience. A diverse cultural program including workshops, lectures, and concerts gives visitors the chance to explore the multifaceted culture of Japan. The main venues are at the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and the Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle.
Still from “And Your Bird Can Sing
Film Highlights
At the Nippon Connection Film Festival, numerous outstanding productions from Japan will be screened, most of them having their German premieres. Shinsuke Sato is considered a specialist for successful manga adaptations.
Still from “And Your Bird Can Sing
Film Highlights
At the Nippon Connection Film Festival, numerous outstanding productions from Japan will be screened, most of them having their German premieres. Shinsuke Sato is considered a specialist for successful manga adaptations.
- 4/2/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Oahunov Nov 8-18, 2018
Kauainov Nov 15-18, 2018
Big Island & Maui Nov 29 -Dec 2, 2018
The 38th Hawaii International Film Festival is about to start and to continue the festival’s proud tradition of showcasing content and creatives from the Pacific, Asia and North America.
The festival this year features over 180 films, talks and events from 37 countries, with 47 Us, International and World Premieres across 32 sections. 2018 continues the tradition of programming a selection of critically-acclaimed and highly-anticipated films from Asia and around the world, while also giving a platform from emerging creative talents from across the Hawaii-Pacific region.
Outstanding films are accompanied by stars and filmmakers from around the world, connecting East and West through a dedication to discussion, diversity and creativity.
We have picked the Asian titles in the Programme and they are a lot!
Let’s have a look:
Shadow – Opening Night Film
China 2018 – Director: Zhang Yimou
50 First Kisses
Spotlight On Japan – Japan...
Kauainov Nov 15-18, 2018
Big Island & Maui Nov 29 -Dec 2, 2018
The 38th Hawaii International Film Festival is about to start and to continue the festival’s proud tradition of showcasing content and creatives from the Pacific, Asia and North America.
The festival this year features over 180 films, talks and events from 37 countries, with 47 Us, International and World Premieres across 32 sections. 2018 continues the tradition of programming a selection of critically-acclaimed and highly-anticipated films from Asia and around the world, while also giving a platform from emerging creative talents from across the Hawaii-Pacific region.
Outstanding films are accompanied by stars and filmmakers from around the world, connecting East and West through a dedication to discussion, diversity and creativity.
We have picked the Asian titles in the Programme and they are a lot!
Let’s have a look:
Shadow – Opening Night Film
China 2018 – Director: Zhang Yimou
50 First Kisses
Spotlight On Japan – Japan...
- 10/18/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
It devastated a nation and left billions across the world speechless. Swallowing whole regions deep into the sea, the merciless waters claimed the lives of almost sixteen-thousand men, women, and children and some two-and-a-half thousand souls remain missing to this day. Livelihoods and relationships levelled, lost, and left to ruin. Adding insult to misery came the nuclear fallout, rendering farmlands, villages and whole towns uninhabitable, like the ending of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ghostly “Pulse”; a haunting playground of homes, shops, offices, arcades. These scars are still felt to this day, etched into the faces of those survivors forced to carry on living, trying to find some sense of normality, of happiness. For the characters in Ryuichi Hiroki’s torturous odyssey “Side Job” (‘Kanojo no Jinsei wa Machigai Janai / Her Life Is Not At Fault’), trapped in-situ within their self-loathing, within their numb forlorn shells, the thought of moving on, or going back to before,...
- 7/23/2018
- by Jamie Cansdale
- AsianMoviePulse
Shinobu Terajima, one of the most renowned Japanese actresses, will receive the Nippon Honor Award at the 18th Nippon Connection Film Festival in Frankfurt am Main. The award will be given out for the fourth time and honors personalities who have made outstanding contributions to Japanese film. The award ceremony will take place during the closing event of the Nippon Connection Festival on June 3, 7:45 p.m. at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm. Actress Shinobu Terajima will receive the Nippon Honor Award in person, giving the festival a glamorous finale with the screening of the romantic drama The City of Betrayal by Daisuke Miura. With Oh Lucy! by Atsuko Hirayanagi, Dear Etranger by Yukiko Mishima, and Vibrator by Ryuichi Hiroki, the Nippon Connection Film Festival presents further milestones of her impressive career. The Nippon Honor Award is kindly supported by Japan Airlines.
About Shinobu Terajima
Shinobu Terajima was born in Kyoto in...
About Shinobu Terajima
Shinobu Terajima was born in Kyoto in...
- 5/16/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The knock on remakes, particularly ones that come mere months apart, is that there’s little in the way of context to justify them, even when a property crosses cultures. Such is the case with Namiya, Han Jie’s Chinese retelling of Keigo Higashino’s The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, whose Japanese adaptation by Ryuichi Hiroki came roughly four months before. The nostalgia-heavy book was a decent seller in China, and superstar Jackie Chan’s appearance as the title character could help draw in curious comparison viewers in other parts of Asia, but what regional alterations there are don’t add much to...
- 1/25/2018
- by Elizabeth Kerr
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kabukicho Love HotelSTORY75%DIRECTION72%ACTING80%VISUALS71%POSITIVESVery entertaining, including drama, comedy and sexDisillusioned depiction of the love hotel concept and the sex industry in generalGreat acting by all the actorsNEGATIVESThe minor promotion stunt with Atsuko Maeda2016-07-0175%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (1 Vote)90%
Ryuichi Hiroki combines his pinku past with his social film present to portray a plethora of stories that occur during a 24-hour period and interweave through a love hotel in Tokyo’s Red Light district.
Saya is a singer-songwriter who tries to take the next step in her career. She lives with Toru, and although the two of them are in love, the sex has stopped. Toru supposedly works for a five star hotel, but actually is a front desk attendant in a love hotel called Atlas. Mena is a Korean call girl that meets her clients in Atlas. This is her last day in the job, since...
Ryuichi Hiroki combines his pinku past with his social film present to portray a plethora of stories that occur during a 24-hour period and interweave through a love hotel in Tokyo’s Red Light district.
Saya is a singer-songwriter who tries to take the next step in her career. She lives with Toru, and although the two of them are in love, the sex has stopped. Toru supposedly works for a five star hotel, but actually is a front desk attendant in a love hotel called Atlas. Mena is a Korean call girl that meets her clients in Atlas. This is her last day in the job, since...
- 7/1/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The award ceremony was held on February 7th in the Yokohama Kannai Hall and the winners were:
Best Film: Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Koreeda)
Best Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (Our Little Sister) Ryosuke Hashiguchi (Three stories of Love)
Yoshimitsu Morita Memorial Best New Director: Daishi Matsunaga(Pieta in the Toilet)
Best Screenplay: Shin Adachi (100 Yen Love, Obon Brothers)
Best Cinematographer: Mikiya Takemoto (Our Little Sister)
Best Actor: Masatoshi Nagase (Sweet Red Bean Paste) Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Obon Brothers, Areno)
Best Actress: Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister)
Best Supporting Actor: Ken Mitsuishi (Obon Brothers, Three stories of Love)
Best Supporting Actress: Aoba Kawai (Obon Brothers, Kabukicho Love Hotel)
Best New Talent:Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) Hana Sugisaki (Pieta in the Toilet, The Pearls of the Stone Man) Ryoko Fujino (Solomon’s Perjury)
Special Jury Prize: The cast and staff of Bakuman
Special Grand Prize: Kirin Kiki
Top Ten Movies:
1. Our Little Sister...
Best Film: Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Koreeda)
Best Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (Our Little Sister) Ryosuke Hashiguchi (Three stories of Love)
Yoshimitsu Morita Memorial Best New Director: Daishi Matsunaga(Pieta in the Toilet)
Best Screenplay: Shin Adachi (100 Yen Love, Obon Brothers)
Best Cinematographer: Mikiya Takemoto (Our Little Sister)
Best Actor: Masatoshi Nagase (Sweet Red Bean Paste) Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Obon Brothers, Areno)
Best Actress: Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister)
Best Supporting Actor: Ken Mitsuishi (Obon Brothers, Three stories of Love)
Best Supporting Actress: Aoba Kawai (Obon Brothers, Kabukicho Love Hotel)
Best New Talent:Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) Hana Sugisaki (Pieta in the Toilet, The Pearls of the Stone Man) Ryoko Fujino (Solomon’s Perjury)
Special Jury Prize: The cast and staff of Bakuman
Special Grand Prize: Kirin Kiki
Top Ten Movies:
1. Our Little Sister...
- 2/8/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 14th New York Asian Film Festival in partnership with Screen International will honour the Japanese youngster with the International Rising Star Award on July 4.
Sometani will attend the event and the New York premiere of Kabukicho Love Hotel with director director Ryuichi Hiroki.
The 22-year-old actor Sometani has made a name for himself in his home country with lead roles in the likes of Himizu, for which he shared the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new young actor in Venice with Fumi Nikaido.
The latter was the subject of the International Rising Star Award in 2014.
The festival, set to run from June 26-July 11, will showcase more than 50 films, most of which will receive their Us and North American premieres.
Port Of Call, will receive its North American premiere and Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will receive the Star Asia Award.
Kwok earned back-to-back Golden Horse best actor awards in 2005 and 2006 for Divergence and After This Our Exile.
Other...
Sometani will attend the event and the New York premiere of Kabukicho Love Hotel with director director Ryuichi Hiroki.
The 22-year-old actor Sometani has made a name for himself in his home country with lead roles in the likes of Himizu, for which he shared the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new young actor in Venice with Fumi Nikaido.
The latter was the subject of the International Rising Star Award in 2014.
The festival, set to run from June 26-July 11, will showcase more than 50 films, most of which will receive their Us and North American premieres.
Port Of Call, will receive its North American premiere and Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will receive the Star Asia Award.
Kwok earned back-to-back Golden Horse best actor awards in 2005 and 2006 for Divergence and After This Our Exile.
Other...
- 5/19/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Retrospective will focus on Japanese independent cinema from the past 15 years and includes Cannes favourite Naomi Kawase.
The San Sebastian Film Festival is to programme a retrospective for its 63rd edition (Sept 18-26) titles New Japanese independent cinema 2000-2015.
Among the titles making up the retrospective from known directors are:
H Story (2001) by Nobuhiro Suwa;A Snake of June (Rokugatsu no hebi, 2002) by Shin’ya Tsukamoto;Bright Future (Akarui mirai, 2003) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa;Vibrator (2003) by Ryuichi Hiroki;Bashing (2005) by Masahiro Kobayashi;Birth/Mother (Tarachime, 2006) by Naomi Kawase;Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008) by Shion Sono.
The works of several new talents to have made their debut since 2000 include:
Hole in the Sky (Sora no ana, 2001) by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri,Border Line (2002) by Sang-il Lee,No One’s Ark (Baka no hakobune, 2003) by Nobuhiro Yamashita, The Soup, One Morning (Aru asa, soup wa, 2005) by Izumi Takahashi,Fourteen (Ju-yon-sai, 2007) by Hiromasa Hirosue,Sex Is Not Laughing Matter (Hito no sekkuso...
The San Sebastian Film Festival is to programme a retrospective for its 63rd edition (Sept 18-26) titles New Japanese independent cinema 2000-2015.
Among the titles making up the retrospective from known directors are:
H Story (2001) by Nobuhiro Suwa;A Snake of June (Rokugatsu no hebi, 2002) by Shin’ya Tsukamoto;Bright Future (Akarui mirai, 2003) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa;Vibrator (2003) by Ryuichi Hiroki;Bashing (2005) by Masahiro Kobayashi;Birth/Mother (Tarachime, 2006) by Naomi Kawase;Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008) by Shion Sono.
The works of several new talents to have made their debut since 2000 include:
Hole in the Sky (Sora no ana, 2001) by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri,Border Line (2002) by Sang-il Lee,No One’s Ark (Baka no hakobune, 2003) by Nobuhiro Yamashita, The Soup, One Morning (Aru asa, soup wa, 2005) by Izumi Takahashi,Fourteen (Ju-yon-sai, 2007) by Hiromasa Hirosue,Sex Is Not Laughing Matter (Hito no sekkuso...
- 5/7/2015
- ScreenDaily
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Today's roundup of news and views opens with entries on new books about Kira Muratova, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert De Niro and Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Plus: a computer program Chris Marker wrote in the 80s; a rave for the new film by Ryuichi Hiroki; an appreciation of Julianne Moore; Jafar Panahi's statement on why he makes films despite Iran's ban; good news and bad news for Martin Scorsese; J. Hoberman on Aleksei German; Ruben Östlund and Peter Greenaway on their next projects; a Maggie Smith season in London—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 1/26/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Today's roundup of news and views opens with entries on new books about Kira Muratova, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert De Niro and Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Plus: a computer program Chris Marker wrote in the 80s; a rave for the new film by Ryuichi Hiroki; an appreciation of Julianne Moore; Jafar Panahi's statement on why he makes films despite Iran's ban; good news and bad news for Martin Scorsese; J. Hoberman on Aleksei German; Ruben Östlund and Peter Greenaway on their next projects; a Maggie Smith season in London—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 1/26/2015
- Keyframe
Japan’s Toho is launching sales on Vibrator director Ryuichi Hiroki’s Strobe Edge, a live-action adaptation of the hit manga love story.
Currently in production, the film is set for a spring 2015 local release.
Starring Sota Fukushi and Kasumi Arimura, Strobe Edge is based on a 10-volume manga series that, according to Toho, has sold over 4.4 million copies as of June 2014. It tells the love story of two high school students, their romance and drama and their circle of friends.
Toho also has sci-fi action thriller Attack On Titan, a live-action feature also based on a highly popular manga series, which recently wrapped shooting.
Directed by Shinji Higuchi (The Sinking Of Japan), the film stars Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara and Satomi Ishihara in a story about humans fighting mysterious humanoid creatures that eat people.
Currently in post-production, the film is due out in two parts next summer.
Toho’s autumn slate also includes films such as...
Currently in production, the film is set for a spring 2015 local release.
Starring Sota Fukushi and Kasumi Arimura, Strobe Edge is based on a 10-volume manga series that, according to Toho, has sold over 4.4 million copies as of June 2014. It tells the love story of two high school students, their romance and drama and their circle of friends.
Toho also has sci-fi action thriller Attack On Titan, a live-action feature also based on a highly popular manga series, which recently wrapped shooting.
Directed by Shinji Higuchi (The Sinking Of Japan), the film stars Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara and Satomi Ishihara in a story about humans fighting mysterious humanoid creatures that eat people.
Currently in post-production, the film is due out in two parts next summer.
Toho’s autumn slate also includes films such as...
- 10/5/2014
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
If you wanted a snapshot of worldly issues then Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema programme would certainly serve as a whirlwind passport. Loaded in Cannes Film Festival preemed items receiving their North American Premiere debuts (Jessica Hausner’s Amour Fou, Mélanie Laurent’s Breathe , Bruno Dumont’s P’tit Quinquin and Pascale Ferran’s Bird People are are just the tip of the iceberg) Tiff programmers have landed world premiere items from the likes of Cristián Jiménez, Ole Christian Madsen, Alex Holdridge & Linnea Saasen (we pic above) and Baran bo Odar. Along with the Canadian items mentioned last week, Here is the largest section’s offerings for 2014.
“Aire Libre,” Anahí Berneri, Argentina / International Premiere
“Amour Fou,” Jessica Hausner, Austria/Luxembourg/Germany / North American Premiere
“Behavior” (“Conducta”), Ernesto Daranas, Cuba / Canadian Premiere
“Bird People,” Pascale Ferran, France / North American Premiere
“Black Souls” (“Anime Nere”), Francesco Munzi, Italy / International Premiere
“Breathe” (“Respire”), Mélanie Laurent,...
“Aire Libre,” Anahí Berneri, Argentina / International Premiere
“Amour Fou,” Jessica Hausner, Austria/Luxembourg/Germany / North American Premiere
“Behavior” (“Conducta”), Ernesto Daranas, Cuba / Canadian Premiere
“Bird People,” Pascale Ferran, France / North American Premiere
“Black Souls” (“Anime Nere”), Francesco Munzi, Italy / International Premiere
“Breathe” (“Respire”), Mélanie Laurent,...
- 8/12/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
This morning the Toronto Film Festival added several more films to their lineup including the world premiere of Thomas McCarthy's The Cobbler which stars Adam Sandler as a New York City cobbler who, disenchanted with the grind of daily life, stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. The film co-stars Method Man, Ellen Barkin, Melonie Diaz, Dan Stevens, Steve Buscemi and Dustin Hoffman. Additionally, Sundance standouts Infinity Polar Bear and Laggies starring Keira Knightley and Chloe Grace Moretz were added to the Gala selection. Joining The Cobbler as new additions to the Special Presentations field include Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria starring Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche and Two Days, One Night from Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne and starring Marion Cotillard. Both films made a splash at Cannes earlier this year,...
- 8/12/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Toronto film festival organisers have programmed features from 42 countries in the Contemporary World Cinema (Cwc) programme and unveiled eight South Korean selections in the City To City.
Cwc features latest work by Jessica Hausner, Rolf de Heer, Christian Zübert and Ryuichi Hiroki, among others.
For the third year, Tiff (Sept 4-14) has partnered with the University of Toronto’s Munk School Of Global Affairs on the Contemporary World Speakers series, pairing five films in selection with expert scholars.
The Contemporary World Speakers series is programmed in conjunction with the Tiff Adult Learning department.
Contemporary World Cinema
Wp = World premiere / Nap = North American premiere / IP = International premiere / Cp = Canadian premiere.
Aire Libre (Argentina), Anahí Berneri IP
Amour Fou (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany), Jessica Hausner Nap
Behavior (Conducta) (Cuba), Ernesto Daranas Cp
Bird People (France), Pascale Ferran Nap
Black Souls (Anime Nere) (Italy), Francesco Munzi IP
Breathe (Respire) (France), Mélanie Laurent Nap
Charlie’s Country (Australia), Rolf de Heer Nap
*John Stackhouse...
Cwc features latest work by Jessica Hausner, Rolf de Heer, Christian Zübert and Ryuichi Hiroki, among others.
For the third year, Tiff (Sept 4-14) has partnered with the University of Toronto’s Munk School Of Global Affairs on the Contemporary World Speakers series, pairing five films in selection with expert scholars.
The Contemporary World Speakers series is programmed in conjunction with the Tiff Adult Learning department.
Contemporary World Cinema
Wp = World premiere / Nap = North American premiere / IP = International premiere / Cp = Canadian premiere.
Aire Libre (Argentina), Anahí Berneri IP
Amour Fou (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany), Jessica Hausner Nap
Behavior (Conducta) (Cuba), Ernesto Daranas Cp
Bird People (France), Pascale Ferran Nap
Black Souls (Anime Nere) (Italy), Francesco Munzi IP
Breathe (Respire) (France), Mélanie Laurent Nap
Charlie’s Country (Australia), Rolf de Heer Nap
*John Stackhouse...
- 8/12/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Hiroki fans rejoice, because the Gods of Cinema just blessed us with an English-friendly DVD release of one of Ryuichi Hiroki's latest gems. Keibetsu (or The Egoists if you prefer the English title) is once again quality output, highlighting Hiroki's strengths but also challenging his own clichés. The result is familiar territory (especially for those who've seen a couple of Hiroki's films) with some subtle yet smart touches to keep things interesting. Ryuichi Hiroki (Love On Sunday, Kimi no Tomodachi, New Type, Girlfriend: Please Stop The World) is known featuring strong yet often troubled female leads in his films. He is one of the few male directors who can portray a women with life-like depth. Keibetsu deviates a little from this fixed structure as Hiroki...
- 8/27/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Today it was announced that Osamu Mukai and Aoi Miyazaki will be co-starring for the first time as husband and wife in a new film by Ryuichi Hiroki called Kiiroi Zou (literally Yellow Elephant).
The movie is based on a popular 2006 novel by Kanako Nishi. In fact, when the book was first introduced in the literary magazine “Da Vinci”, Miyazaki was quoted as saying, “Someday, I want to play ‘Tsuma’ from this novel.” Mukai also reportedly shared her fondness of the original work.
The two protagonists of the story are a married couple who refer to one another simply as “Muko-san” and “Tsuma” (also the word for “wife”). Specifically, Miyazaki plays Aiko Tsumari, the loving, somewhat unworldly wife of an unsuccessful novelist named Ayumi Muko (Mukai). The couple share a peaceful, close relationship together, but they begin to grow apart little by little after a certain letter arrives addressed to Muko.
The movie is based on a popular 2006 novel by Kanako Nishi. In fact, when the book was first introduced in the literary magazine “Da Vinci”, Miyazaki was quoted as saying, “Someday, I want to play ‘Tsuma’ from this novel.” Mukai also reportedly shared her fondness of the original work.
The two protagonists of the story are a married couple who refer to one another simply as “Muko-san” and “Tsuma” (also the word for “wife”). Specifically, Miyazaki plays Aiko Tsumari, the loving, somewhat unworldly wife of an unsuccessful novelist named Ayumi Muko (Mukai). The couple share a peaceful, close relationship together, but they begin to grow apart little by little after a certain letter arrives addressed to Muko.
- 5/18/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Film production and sales company T.O Entertainment has posted a trailer for Ryuichi Hiroki’s Bokura wa Aruku, Tada Soredake on YouTube in preparation for its upcoming R2-j DVD release on May 25, 2012.
The movie itself is actually a few years old, but hasn’t gotten much attention aside from a few smaller festival screenings including the 35th Yufuin Film Festival in 2010 and the Okuradashi Film Festival in October 2011. Okuradashi is a festival reserved strictly for unreleased movies.
Hiroki was reportedly inspired to write and direct this when he saw the band Spank Page perform their single “ame~rainsong~” at a live show in 2009.
Sakura Ando (Love Exposure) stars as a young woman named Miyuki who returns to her hometown, camera in hand, after a difficult breakup. As she walks and takes photographs, she meets a variety of people and begins to realize she doesn’t have to go...
The movie itself is actually a few years old, but hasn’t gotten much attention aside from a few smaller festival screenings including the 35th Yufuin Film Festival in 2010 and the Okuradashi Film Festival in October 2011. Okuradashi is a festival reserved strictly for unreleased movies.
Hiroki was reportedly inspired to write and direct this when he saw the band Spank Page perform their single “ame~rainsong~” at a live show in 2009.
Sakura Ando (Love Exposure) stars as a young woman named Miyuki who returns to her hometown, camera in hand, after a difficult breakup. As she walks and takes photographs, she meets a variety of people and begins to realize she doesn’t have to go...
- 3/15/2012
- Nippon Cinema
By now the name Ryuichi Hiroki (Virbrator, Love On Sunday - Last Words, Kimi no Tomodachi, New Type, Girlfriend: Please Stop The World) should ring a bell. This past year no other director has received this much coverage from me. Time to extend the current list of review entries with M, a somewhat atypical Hiroki film that might leave many scratching their heads, even though the film still features many of his trademark elements. An interesting film indeed. Hiroki started his career as a pinku director, a typical Japanese genre where directors are pretty much given carte blanche as long as they meet the required amount of nudity on screen. It's a weird mixture of erotica and experimental filmmaking that gives birth to rare talents...
- 3/14/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Above: From left to right, Tokyo FilmEx festival directors Kanako Hayashi and Shozo Ichiyama; and Nobuteru Uchida's prize-winning film, Love Addition.
Last November, I had a conversation with Tokyo FilmEx Festival directors Shozo Ichiyama and Kanako Hayashi. For more than a decade, this duo has helmed Japan’s most serious festival, one dedicated to independent cinema from Asia. Office Kitano, Takeshi Kitano’s production company, has remained its key partner over the years, and helped Japan’s support of Iranian directors as well as groundbreaking figures from China, most notably Jia Zhangke, a regular at FilmEx from the beginning. The festival also revealed the fragile state of art cinema in and from Japan and how a very small, centralized community that has been determining what fits into this category, and what is not allowed in; a community that’s aged while being unable to neither find nor form new heirs.
Last November, I had a conversation with Tokyo FilmEx Festival directors Shozo Ichiyama and Kanako Hayashi. For more than a decade, this duo has helmed Japan’s most serious festival, one dedicated to independent cinema from Asia. Office Kitano, Takeshi Kitano’s production company, has remained its key partner over the years, and helped Japan’s support of Iranian directors as well as groundbreaking figures from China, most notably Jia Zhangke, a regular at FilmEx from the beginning. The festival also revealed the fragile state of art cinema in and from Japan and how a very small, centralized community that has been determining what fits into this category, and what is not allowed in; a community that’s aged while being unable to neither find nor form new heirs.
- 3/9/2011
- MUBI
The Japanese film site Cinema Today has posted a link to the new 2-minute trailer for Ryuichi Hiroki’s upcoming film Keibetsu on their YouTube channel.
Based on a novel by the late Kenji Nakagami, the film stars Kengo Kora and Anne Suzuki as a troubled young couple.
Kora plays Kazu, the only son of a prominent family. In spite of his distinguished upbringing, he spends most of his time gambling all his money away in Tokyo. Suzuki plays Machiko, the number one pole dancer at a club in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. The two start a fling based on mutual attraction and attempt to begin a life together in Kazu’s home town. However, his family is unwilling to recognize the relationship.
Machiko returns to Tokyo and Kazu soon follows her there to profess his love for her once and for all. Meanwhile, the huge debt he’s racked up with...
Based on a novel by the late Kenji Nakagami, the film stars Kengo Kora and Anne Suzuki as a troubled young couple.
Kora plays Kazu, the only son of a prominent family. In spite of his distinguished upbringing, he spends most of his time gambling all his money away in Tokyo. Suzuki plays Machiko, the number one pole dancer at a club in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. The two start a fling based on mutual attraction and attempt to begin a life together in Kazu’s home town. However, his family is unwilling to recognize the relationship.
Machiko returns to Tokyo and Kazu soon follows her there to profess his love for her once and for all. Meanwhile, the huge debt he’s racked up with...
- 2/21/2011
- Nippon Cinema
Ryuichi Hiroki's winning streak continues. After seeing New Type, Girlfriend and Kimi no Tomodachi I am once again charmed by his tender sense of direction. Last Words is a very typical and somewhat "safe" Hiroki film when overseeing his oeuvre, but I'm sure most fans won't really mind. Both a good entry film for novices and a true crowd-pleaser for lifelong fans. That is, if you can actually speak of crowds when considering Hiroki's fanbase.
Last Words is an unrelated sequel to Love On Sunday, an earlier Hiroki film. While it doesn't bear immediate similarities in characters, setting or story, there are some strong parallels in themes and flow so fans of the original should do well to check it out. That said, it is perfectly watchable without having seen the first film as Last Words stands completely on its own.
The film revolves around death, acceptance and making...
Last Words is an unrelated sequel to Love On Sunday, an earlier Hiroki film. While it doesn't bear immediate similarities in characters, setting or story, there are some strong parallels in themes and flow so fans of the original should do well to check it out. That said, it is perfectly watchable without having seen the first film as Last Words stands completely on its own.
The film revolves around death, acceptance and making...
- 1/3/2011
- Screen Anarchy
After a little pause I recently rediscovered Ryuichi Hiroki. You've seen reviews of New Type and Girlfriend, Someone Please Save The World pass by not too long ago, Hiroki continues his winning streak with Kimi no Tomodachi. A pretty typical Hiroki film that will easily please his fans but also has the strengths to pull in a new audience. If you're up for a relaxing Japanese high school drama, here's your chance.
In Kimi no Tomodachi (Your Friends) Hiroki returns to familiar grounds. He has his female leads, his semi-realistic style of directing and a fair portion of Japanese drama to fill this two hour long film. If you didn't like his earlier films chances are you might not be immediately swayed by this one either, but it is a relatively accessible film and Hiroki-virgins could do little wrong if they started out with this particular film.
While all the...
In Kimi no Tomodachi (Your Friends) Hiroki returns to familiar grounds. He has his female leads, his semi-realistic style of directing and a fair portion of Japanese drama to fill this two hour long film. If you didn't like his earlier films chances are you might not be immediately swayed by this one either, but it is a relatively accessible film and Hiroki-virgins could do little wrong if they started out with this particular film.
While all the...
- 11/29/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Earlier this week, it was announced that the last full-length work of Akutagawa Prize-winning author Kenji Nakagami, Keibetsu (literally “scorn”), is being turned into a film starring Kengo Kora and Anne Suzuki. Ryuichi Hiroki (April Bride, The Lightning Tree) will direct.
Kora plays Kazu, the only son of a prominent family. In spite of his distinguished upbringing, he spends most of his time gambling all his money away in Tokyo. In a fairly drastic shift from her usually image, Suzuki plays Machiko, the number one pole dancer at a club in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. The two start a fling based on mutual attraction and attempt to begin a life together in Kazu’s home town. However, his family is unwilling to recognize the relationship.
Machiko soon returns to Tokyo and Kazu comes to the realization that he has no way to pay off the massive debt he’s racked up with...
Kora plays Kazu, the only son of a prominent family. In spite of his distinguished upbringing, he spends most of his time gambling all his money away in Tokyo. In a fairly drastic shift from her usually image, Suzuki plays Machiko, the number one pole dancer at a club in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. The two start a fling based on mutual attraction and attempt to begin a life together in Kazu’s home town. However, his family is unwilling to recognize the relationship.
Machiko soon returns to Tokyo and Kazu comes to the realization that he has no way to pay off the massive debt he’s racked up with...
- 11/3/2010
- Nippon Cinema
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