by Sophia Ng
“You sound like one of those guys,” he spits, “Men who get girls pregnant then say ‘Oh, I understand', and sign the form like it's none of their business.” Aki says nothing to that, silently taking a gulp of water. “But I'm the one who bears the risk whether it's childbirth or an abortion.”
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
In a literal reversal of roles, the 2022 comedy-drama “He's Expecting (Hiyama Kentaro ō Ninshin)”, directed by Yuko Hakota and Takeo Kikuchi, sees Hiyama Kentaro, a 33 year old cisgender man having an emotional outburst, lashing out at his female partner's apparent failure to empathize with his predicament—being pregnant and the eventual trauma his body would be put through regardless of whether or not they keep the child. Currently on Netflix, this limited series based loosely on Eri Sakai's manga 2012 series, “Hiyama Kentaro no Ninshin...
“You sound like one of those guys,” he spits, “Men who get girls pregnant then say ‘Oh, I understand', and sign the form like it's none of their business.” Aki says nothing to that, silently taking a gulp of water. “But I'm the one who bears the risk whether it's childbirth or an abortion.”
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
In a literal reversal of roles, the 2022 comedy-drama “He's Expecting (Hiyama Kentaro ō Ninshin)”, directed by Yuko Hakota and Takeo Kikuchi, sees Hiyama Kentaro, a 33 year old cisgender man having an emotional outburst, lashing out at his female partner's apparent failure to empathize with his predicament—being pregnant and the eventual trauma his body would be put through regardless of whether or not they keep the child. Currently on Netflix, this limited series based loosely on Eri Sakai's manga 2012 series, “Hiyama Kentaro no Ninshin...
- 1/6/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: The second Aca Cinema Project series, “Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors,” has set its lineup for a hybrid program that will run from December 3-23. Presented by the New York-based non-profit Japan Society and the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with the Visual Industry Promotion Organization, the event will be comprised of 18 films streaming in North America on Japan Society’s Virtual Cinema hub, along with two in-person screenings on December 11 and 17.
Highlighting the early efforts of now-established contemporary filmmakers, the program takes a look at six of Japan’s well-known directors: Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Shuichi Okita, Junji Sakamoto, Akihiko Shiota and Masayuki Suo. Pairing each of their debuts with a recent work, the series presents two facets of their careers. (Scroll down for the full list.) Panel discussions will also be held with some of the filmmakers and available to stream worldwide.
Highlighting the early efforts of now-established contemporary filmmakers, the program takes a look at six of Japan’s well-known directors: Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Shuichi Okita, Junji Sakamoto, Akihiko Shiota and Masayuki Suo. Pairing each of their debuts with a recent work, the series presents two facets of their careers. (Scroll down for the full list.) Panel discussions will also be held with some of the filmmakers and available to stream worldwide.
- 11/4/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
International premiere of “Flowers of Evil”, Hong Kong “Fagara” as the opening film, and Japanese “Bone Born Bone” at the closure of Five Flavours 13th edition!
This year, as always, the festival will provide an opportunity to discover original voices of young and recognized directors from South Korea, Bhutan, Thailand or Vietnam. We will explore the charms and ills of Japanese peripheries: its harbour cities, outskirts and marginal territories. We will watch films highly appreciated by festival juries. Special consideration will be given to Hong Kong which today is experiencing a serious political crisis: our guest will be Fruit Chan, a star of its independent cinema. However, the Programme has also a place for juicy genre cinema: horror, action, perverse comedies are an ideal remedy for the November weather in Warsaw.
Here is the Programme in its strands:
New Asian Cinema
Like every year the competition section presents challenging, daring films,...
This year, as always, the festival will provide an opportunity to discover original voices of young and recognized directors from South Korea, Bhutan, Thailand or Vietnam. We will explore the charms and ills of Japanese peripheries: its harbour cities, outskirts and marginal territories. We will watch films highly appreciated by festival juries. Special consideration will be given to Hong Kong which today is experiencing a serious political crisis: our guest will be Fruit Chan, a star of its independent cinema. However, the Programme has also a place for juicy genre cinema: horror, action, perverse comedies are an ideal remedy for the November weather in Warsaw.
Here is the Programme in its strands:
New Asian Cinema
Like every year the competition section presents challenging, daring films,...
- 10/25/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The third edition of the Japannual Film Festival takes place from 1st to 6th of October in Vienna. This year, the festival celebrates the 150th anniversary of Austrian-Japanese diplomatic relations with an excellent selection of films, showing the highlights of the bygone year. Besides the modern cinema, Japannual features two movies of the infamous director Koji Wakamatsu accompanied by the short films of video artist Yuri Muraoka.
The opening film “Blue Hour” (2019), a multi-layered comedy about a sudden family visit, is the first feature by female director Yuko Hakota and was already celebrated at the Nippon Connection Festival for its portrayal of strong female characters.
Strong female characters can also be seen in Kosai Sekine’s “Love at Least” (2018) and Momoko Fukuda’s “My Father, My Bride” (2019). Both directors will be present at the festival and so it the actress Shuri, who gives an intriguing performance of a mentally ill...
The opening film “Blue Hour” (2019), a multi-layered comedy about a sudden family visit, is the first feature by female director Yuko Hakota and was already celebrated at the Nippon Connection Festival for its portrayal of strong female characters.
Strong female characters can also be seen in Kosai Sekine’s “Love at Least” (2018) and Momoko Fukuda’s “My Father, My Bride” (2019). Both directors will be present at the festival and so it the actress Shuri, who gives an intriguing performance of a mentally ill...
- 9/28/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Born in South Korea in 1994, Shim debuted as a child actress in multiple South Korean and Japanese dramas and films between 2004-06. After beginning her acting career and entering high school in Seoul, Shim moved to the States and finished high school in New York’s Professional Children’s School in 2013. Shim won eight awards for her role as a 74-year-old in the body of a 20-year-old in the festival circuit break-out hit “Miss Granny” (2014).
On the occasion of her film, “Blue Hour“, screening at Japan Cuts, we speak with her about the role of Kiyura, her chemistry with Kaho, her co-protagonist, her collaboration with Yuko Hakota and Denden, and many other topics.
What drew you in this particular role?
There are many things that drew me to this role. First of all, I think stories about women are quite rare and the story about two women going on a...
On the occasion of her film, “Blue Hour“, screening at Japan Cuts, we speak with her about the role of Kiyura, her chemistry with Kaho, her co-protagonist, her collaboration with Yuko Hakota and Denden, and many other topics.
What drew you in this particular role?
There are many things that drew me to this role. First of all, I think stories about women are quite rare and the story about two women going on a...
- 7/30/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
And Your Bird Can SingNorth America’s premier program of contemporary Japanese cinema returns this week as the Japan Society’s thirteenth annual Japan Cuts series comes to New York City. This year’s program includes 26 feature films, almost entirely by young filmmakers and/or directors largely unfamiliar in the West. I caught about a third of the series this year: dramas about alienated urban youth And Your Bird Can Sing, Blue Hour, and Demolition Girl; Francophile comedy Jeux de plage; a pair of social problem films in the throwback comedy The Kamagasaki Caudron War and the tastefully bland The Journalist; an unclassifiable avant-garde musical relic of the 1980s, Legend of the Stardust Brothers; and a pair of films by this year’s Cut Above award winner Shinya Tsukamoto, Killing and Bullet Ballet. The urban youth film is always reliable festival territory, and some of the best films to come...
- 7/17/2019
- MUBI
North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema presents a diverse slate of 42 films, with over 20 guest filmmakers and talent in person for daily post-screening Q&As, including Cut Above awardee Shinya Tsukamoto.
Premiering 26 features and 16 short films, the summer festival offers a deep dive into one of the world’s most vital film cultures with a diverse selection across its Feature Slate, Classics: Rediscoveries and Restorations, Documentary Focus, Experimental Spotlight and Shorts Showcase sections. This year’s lineup features 19 first-time filmmakers and 14 female directors (the most in the festival’s history), including 10 International Premieres, 16 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 4 East Coast Premieres and 6 New York Premieres. In addition, over 20 guest filmmakers and talent from Japan will join the festival to participate in post-screening Q&As and parties.
“This 13th edition of Japan Cuts provides testament to the continued vitality of contemporary Japanese cinema with a wide array...
Premiering 26 features and 16 short films, the summer festival offers a deep dive into one of the world’s most vital film cultures with a diverse selection across its Feature Slate, Classics: Rediscoveries and Restorations, Documentary Focus, Experimental Spotlight and Shorts Showcase sections. This year’s lineup features 19 first-time filmmakers and 14 female directors (the most in the festival’s history), including 10 International Premieres, 16 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 4 East Coast Premieres and 6 New York Premieres. In addition, over 20 guest filmmakers and talent from Japan will join the festival to participate in post-screening Q&As and parties.
“This 13th edition of Japan Cuts provides testament to the continued vitality of contemporary Japanese cinema with a wide array...
- 6/14/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The Shanghai International Film Festival unveiled a competition lineup Tuesday that features entries from countries ranging from Indonesia to Estonia – but not the U.S., which is engaged in an increasingly bitter trade war with China.
The government-affiliated festival, which runs June 15-24, will open with the premieres of two Chinese films: Huayi Bros.’ patriotic World War II epic “The Eight Hundred,” directed by Guan Hu, and “Chuanyue Shikong de Huhuan” by Zhang Jiarui, according to Chinese website Mtime. Actor Wu Jing – whose “Wolf Warrior II” and “Wandering Earth” are the top two earning films in Chinese film history – will be the festival’s ambassador.
Fifteen films from around the world will vie for the Golden Goblet Award in the main competition. Notable among them are “Many Happy Returns,” a new title directed by Germany-based Uruguayan filmmaker Carlos Morelli and produced by Germany’s Weydemann Brothers, and “Chicuarotes,” Gael Garcia...
The government-affiliated festival, which runs June 15-24, will open with the premieres of two Chinese films: Huayi Bros.’ patriotic World War II epic “The Eight Hundred,” directed by Guan Hu, and “Chuanyue Shikong de Huhuan” by Zhang Jiarui, according to Chinese website Mtime. Actor Wu Jing – whose “Wolf Warrior II” and “Wandering Earth” are the top two earning films in Chinese film history – will be the festival’s ambassador.
Fifteen films from around the world will vie for the Golden Goblet Award in the main competition. Notable among them are “Many Happy Returns,” a new title directed by Germany-based Uruguayan filmmaker Carlos Morelli and produced by Germany’s Weydemann Brothers, and “Chicuarotes,” Gael Garcia...
- 6/4/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“I don’t know what it’s like to be close.”
Independently of the times, the changes we go through the division of our lives into certain stages is undeniable. In this case, we are not talking about the transitions from teenager to adult, for example, but rather certain goals assigned to a distinct age. While most of us are expected to be finished with school once we have turned 19 or 20, perhaps the biggest hurdle is when a person turns 30. Naturally, there are cultural and perhaps even national distinctions, but the fact remains that a person in their thirties should have a steady job attached to a steady income, and also should be on their way to starting a family of their own.
Of course, we can shrug off these expectations. Drinking beers with your buddies while you are at university, you may express your ironical distance towards these stages...
Independently of the times, the changes we go through the division of our lives into certain stages is undeniable. In this case, we are not talking about the transitions from teenager to adult, for example, but rather certain goals assigned to a distinct age. While most of us are expected to be finished with school once we have turned 19 or 20, perhaps the biggest hurdle is when a person turns 30. Naturally, there are cultural and perhaps even national distinctions, but the fact remains that a person in their thirties should have a steady job attached to a steady income, and also should be on their way to starting a family of their own.
Of course, we can shrug off these expectations. Drinking beers with your buddies while you are at university, you may express your ironical distance towards these stages...
- 6/2/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Line-up includes the world premieres of two Taiwanese films: Hsieh Pei-ju’s Heavy Craving and Shih Li’s Wild Sparrow.
The 21st Taipei Film Festival has unveiled a line-up of 12 films from 15 countries for its international new talent competition, including the world premiere of two Taiwanese films Hsieh Pei-ju’s first feature Heavy Craving and Shih Li’s second feature Wild Sparrow.
The former, which was selected for Berlinale Talents’ Script Station and Produire au Sud Taipei Workshop, is about an overweight woman who is in love with a bright young courier, while the latter is about grandparenting, life and...
The 21st Taipei Film Festival has unveiled a line-up of 12 films from 15 countries for its international new talent competition, including the world premiere of two Taiwanese films Hsieh Pei-ju’s first feature Heavy Craving and Shih Li’s second feature Wild Sparrow.
The former, which was selected for Berlinale Talents’ Script Station and Produire au Sud Taipei Workshop, is about an overweight woman who is in love with a bright young courier, while the latter is about grandparenting, life and...
- 5/17/2019
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
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