July 10–21, 2024 · Japan Society · New York, NY
North America's largest Japanese film festival presents two weeks of contemporary premieres, including new films from Kei Chika-ura, Takeshi Kitano, Gakuryu Ishii, Shunji Iwai, Sho Miyake and Shinya Tsukamoto
31 films including 5 International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 2 East Coast Premieres and 7 New York Premieres
Includes the International Premiere of Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic
Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic © 2016,2023 Toho Co., Ltd
New York, NY—Japan Society announces the full lineup of the 17th annual Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film, the largest festival of its kind in North America. Set for July 10–August 21 in New York City, this year's edition will present over 30 films spanning 12 days across Feature Slate, Next Generation, Classics and Short Film sections. Among the festival's lineup are five International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, four U.S. Premieres, two East Coast Premieres and seven New York Premieres. Additionally, Japan...
North America's largest Japanese film festival presents two weeks of contemporary premieres, including new films from Kei Chika-ura, Takeshi Kitano, Gakuryu Ishii, Shunji Iwai, Sho Miyake and Shinya Tsukamoto
31 films including 5 International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 2 East Coast Premieres and 7 New York Premieres
Includes the International Premiere of Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic
Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic © 2016,2023 Toho Co., Ltd
New York, NY—Japan Society announces the full lineup of the 17th annual Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film, the largest festival of its kind in North America. Set for July 10–August 21 in New York City, this year's edition will present over 30 films spanning 12 days across Feature Slate, Next Generation, Classics and Short Film sections. Among the festival's lineup are five International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, four U.S. Premieres, two East Coast Premieres and seven New York Premieres. Additionally, Japan...
- 6/6/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Comprising international premieres, short programs, and some of the country’s finest-ever films in new restorations, 2024’s Japan Cuts––running July 10-21 at New York’s Japan Society––has been unveiled. It’s in the festival’s nature that numerous works and directors are lesser-known on American shores, though a cursory search has one regularly stopping: new films by Takeshi Kitano (Kubi), Shunji Iwai (Kyrie), Shinya Tsukamoto (Shadow of Fire), and Gakuryu Ishii (The Box Man) populate the selection. Meanwhile, Hideaki Anno’s modern classic Shin Godzilla debuts in a new, black-and-white cut Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic.
Its classics section is three-for-three: Ishii’s August in the Water, Shinji Somai’s Moving, and Toshiharu Ikeda Mermaid Legend, which is more or less one of the greatest films ever made. One can anticipate at least a couple of Japan Cuts’ current unknowns are tomorrow’s figureheads.
See the full lineup below:...
Its classics section is three-for-three: Ishii’s August in the Water, Shinji Somai’s Moving, and Toshiharu Ikeda Mermaid Legend, which is more or less one of the greatest films ever made. One can anticipate at least a couple of Japan Cuts’ current unknowns are tomorrow’s figureheads.
See the full lineup below:...
- 6/4/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
In the wake of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest Oscar win for “The Boy and the Heron” and the VOD dominance of “Godzilla Minus One,” Japanese cinema continues to be as vital as ever to American audiences. That should make the upcoming edition of Japan Cuts, the annual film festival celebrating Japanese cinema co-produced by Japan Society, one of the most exciting events on New York cinephiles’ summer calendars.
The lineup, which IndieWire can exclusively reveal, contains a mix of American and New York premieres alongside a curated selection of newly restored classics. Notable titles include “Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic,” a new black-and-white version of Hideaki Anno’s 2016 kaiju blockbuster; and “Shadow of Fire,” the war drama from “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” director Shinya Tsukamoto that premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.
“We couldn’t be more amazed by this year’s festival,” Peter Tatara, director of film at Japan Society, who...
The lineup, which IndieWire can exclusively reveal, contains a mix of American and New York premieres alongside a curated selection of newly restored classics. Notable titles include “Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic,” a new black-and-white version of Hideaki Anno’s 2016 kaiju blockbuster; and “Shadow of Fire,” the war drama from “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” director Shinya Tsukamoto that premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.
“We couldn’t be more amazed by this year’s festival,” Peter Tatara, director of film at Japan Society, who...
- 6/4/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Ghost Cat Anzu is an intriguing conceptualization for an animated film, existing in a realm similar to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away yet also standing as its antithesis.
This French-Japanese co-production from Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro is one of the most eccentric pieces of animation I’ve encountered in a long time — in both good and bad ways. It’s good because of the innovative techniques and methods employed by directors Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, who take bold experimental leaps. However, it’s also bad because Shinji Imaoka’s script meanders for nearly an hour before reaching the film’s true core, demanding a lot of patience from the viewer without providing much substance in return.
The story begins with Karin (voiced by Noa Goto) and her father Tetsuya (Munetaka Aoki) arriving at the Sousei-Ji temple, where her widowed grandfather resides.
This French-Japanese co-production from Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro is one of the most eccentric pieces of animation I’ve encountered in a long time — in both good and bad ways. It’s good because of the innovative techniques and methods employed by directors Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, who take bold experimental leaps. However, it’s also bad because Shinji Imaoka’s script meanders for nearly an hour before reaching the film’s true core, demanding a lot of patience from the viewer without providing much substance in return.
The story begins with Karin (voiced by Noa Goto) and her father Tetsuya (Munetaka Aoki) arriving at the Sousei-Ji temple, where her widowed grandfather resides.
- 5/21/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Ghost Cat Anzu (known in Japan as Bakeneko Anzu-chan ), an upcoming Japanese and French theatrical anime film co-production, released a new trailer today alongside information on new cast, the official movie poster, and the official theme song performer. The film releases in Japanese theaters on July 19, 2024. Gkids, who executive produced the film, will also distribute the film in North America this year. The film will also host its world premiere at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival this month. The new cast members for Ghost Cat Anzu include: Tetsuya, Karin's Father voiced / motion-captured by Munetaka Aoki Yuzuki, Karin's Mother voiced / motion-captured by Miwako Ichikawa Osho-san, Anzu's Foster Parent voiced / motion-captured by Keiichi Suzuki (of Moonriders) The God of Poverty voiced / motion-captured by Shingo Mizusawa Tanuki voiced / motion-captured by Wataru Sawabe (of Skirt) Actors Mutsuo Yoshioka and Shohei Uno also appear in the film. Actor and musician Chiaki Sato...
- 5/7/2024
- by Paul Chapman
- Crunchyroll
The official website for the upcoming anime feature film adaptation of Takashi Imashiro's Ghost Cat Anzu ( Bakeneko Anzu-chan in Japan) manga confirmed today that the film will screen at the Directors’ Fortnight program in the 77th Cannes International Film Festival , set to be held from May 14 to 25, 2024. The "Directors' Fortnight" is a high-profile competition in which films that emphasize auteurism are selected, and is known as a gateway to success for world-class filmmakers, and it will be the film's world premiere screening ahead of its theatrical release in Japan on July 19, 2024. The film is co-produced by Japanese animation studio Shin-Ei Animation ( Doraemon ) and French studio Miyu Production, and is co-directed by Atsuhiro Yamashita — whose recent work is a live-action film adaptation of Yama Wayama's Karaoke Iko! comedy manga — and Yoko Kuno — who worked on the 2015 film The Case of Hana & Alice as rotoscope director. Yamashita posted his...
- 4/17/2024
- by Mikikazu Komatsu
- Crunchyroll
Nippon powerhouse Toho has thrown its weight behind directors Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s “Ghost Cat Anzu,” overseeing the Japanese release and marking the occasion with a brand-new teaser.
As previously announced, specialty distributor Gkids has already picked up the film for North America, while Charades continues to roll out international sales.
Bringing together Japan’s Shin-Ei Animation and France’s Miyu Productions, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.
‘Ghost Cat Anzu’
Adapted from Takashi Imashiro’s manga, the animated title will feature the voice talents of Mirai Moriyama as the phantom feline, and Noa Goto as his young charge. The project will hit Japanese screens in July with a North American opening to follow.
Best known his critically acclaimed features,...
As previously announced, specialty distributor Gkids has already picked up the film for North America, while Charades continues to roll out international sales.
Bringing together Japan’s Shin-Ei Animation and France’s Miyu Productions, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.
‘Ghost Cat Anzu’
Adapted from Takashi Imashiro’s manga, the animated title will feature the voice talents of Mirai Moriyama as the phantom feline, and Noa Goto as his young charge. The project will hit Japanese screens in July with a North American opening to follow.
Best known his critically acclaimed features,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
"A once-in-a-lifetime summer." GKids has revealed the first look teaser trailer for a Japanese animated film titled Ghost Cat Anzu, arriving to watch later in 2024. This originally premiered at the 2023 Annecy Film Festival last year as a work-in-progress project. It's now finished and ready to debut in Japan this summer. It's a rotoscoped 2D animation film that's co-directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, who often makes live-action films. The Japanese cinema master Nobuhiro Yamashita x rising star of anime world Yôko Kuno x world-renowned artist Mirai Moriyama create a "monster cat"! The anime is about an amusing friendship shared between Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian. Mirai Moriyama voices the titular Anzu, and Noa Gotō voices Karin. Both played their characters live-action that became the reference for the animators, with both...
- 2/25/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
An anime feature film adaptation of Takashi Imashiro's Ghost Cat Anzu ( Bakeneko Anzu-chan in Japan) manga is set to release in Japan in July 2024. Japanese animation studio Shin-Ei Animation ( Doraemon ) and French studio Miyu Production co-work on anime production. The film's Japanese official website has opened, releasing a 30-second teaser trailer and two teaser visuals featuring its two main characters — 11-year-old human girl, Karin, and 37-year-old ghost cat, Anzu. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's children manga magazine Comic BomBom from its August 2006 to November 2007 issues, then compiled in one tankobon volume. The film's official website describes its story as: During a thunderous downpour. A monk at a temple finds a kitten mewling in a cardboard box. The kitten was named Anzu and was carefully brought up. Strangely, however, it did not die even after 10 or 20 years. After 30 years, it somehow became a 'ghost cat' that speaks human language and lives like a human.
- 2/22/2024
- by Mikikazu Komatsu
- Crunchyroll
As one of the few (I don't want to say one of the last) Japanese filmmakers who can still produce movies with tension, pointed comments and a no-punches-pulled cinematic approach, every new movie Shinya Tsukamoto comes up with is a must-watch. In “Shadow of Fire”, he continues his anti-war message that also appeared in “Fires on the Plain” and “Killing”, this time focusing on the chaos that ensued in Japan just after the ending of World War 2.
Shadow of Fire is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
In an area adjacent to a black market, a young woman whose family was lost during the war is selling her body to make a living in a Japanese pub diner that barely survived the bombings. One day, a young soldier appears as a customer, and the woman asks him to stay the night, kickstarting a series of his visits, every night,...
Shadow of Fire is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
In an area adjacent to a black market, a young woman whose family was lost during the war is selling her body to make a living in a Japanese pub diner that barely survived the bombings. One day, a young soldier appears as a customer, and the woman asks him to stay the night, kickstarting a series of his visits, every night,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The American Film Market kicks off Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 5 in its new headquarters at the Le Meridien Delfina in Santa Monica. Industry screenings are set at theaters throughout the city and AFM’s conference series, the AFM Sessions, will take place at the Hilton Santa Monica Hotel. More than 245 companies and organizations are exhibiting at this year’s AFM, with national pavilions from China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Thailand and the U.K. In all, buyers from more than 65 countries are registered at the film market.
Here are some of the buzziest titles at AFM 2023:
Alphas
Director: Liam O’Donnell
Producers: Pierre Morel, Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin, Matthew Chausse, Drew Bailey
Key cast: Martin Henderson
Story is set in a quiet surfing community where killer whales are enlisted to fend off great white sharks after a series of attacks. When the alpha great white shark proves too powerful to stop,...
Here are some of the buzziest titles at AFM 2023:
Alphas
Director: Liam O’Donnell
Producers: Pierre Morel, Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin, Matthew Chausse, Drew Bailey
Key cast: Martin Henderson
Story is set in a quiet surfing community where killer whales are enlisted to fend off great white sharks after a series of attacks. When the alpha great white shark proves too powerful to stop,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
The belief that the dead live on in our memories is often the only comfort anyone can think to offer the bereaved, or those in the process of losing a loved one. But for Takashi (Mirai Moriyama), the introspective adult son at the heart of Kei Chika-ura’s quietly tectonic heartbreaker, that comfort is unavailable on multiple levels. Not only has he been long estranged from his father, Yohji (a shattering San Sebastian Best Performance-winning Tatsuya Fuji), but Yohji’s own precipitous descent into the fog of dementia means that whatever Takashi can now learn of him, at this late stage, is jumbled and fragmentary and possibly false. How can we adequately remember someone who cannot remember himself?
Like so much of “Great Absence,” that question is posed as a kind of mystery, made all the eerier by the ordinariness of the clues that tease its solution — an uncanceled meal delivery,...
Like so much of “Great Absence,” that question is posed as a kind of mystery, made all the eerier by the ordinariness of the clues that tease its solution — an uncanceled meal delivery,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Tatsuya Fuji, Mirai Moriyama star.
Gaga Corporation has acquired international sales rights excluding Japan on Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Platform entry Great Absence ahead of its European premiere in San Sebastian later this month.
Tatsuya Fuji and dance artist Mirai Moriyama star in the recent TIFF world premiere, which marks director Kei Chika-ura’s second feature after Complicity premiered at 2018 TIFF.
Great Absence is inspired by Chika-ura’s own experiences and centres on Takashi, a man who has been estranged from his father Yohji for 20 years and returns home with his wife after receiving a call from the police...
Gaga Corporation has acquired international sales rights excluding Japan on Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Platform entry Great Absence ahead of its European premiere in San Sebastian later this month.
Tatsuya Fuji and dance artist Mirai Moriyama star in the recent TIFF world premiere, which marks director Kei Chika-ura’s second feature after Complicity premiered at 2018 TIFF.
Great Absence is inspired by Chika-ura’s own experiences and centres on Takashi, a man who has been estranged from his father Yohji for 20 years and returns home with his wife after receiving a call from the police...
- 9/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Great Absence, the second feature film from Japanese director Kei Chika-ura, is receiving its world premiere in Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section.
Inspired by Kei’s real-life experiences, the film tells the story of an actor living in Tokyo who is forced to travel home when the police call to say his father is suffering from dementia and has lost touch with reality. Making matters worse, his father’s second wife appears to be missing.
The actor makes the trip home with his own wife, full of conflicted emotions over a man who left the family when he was still a child, and starts an exploration into the mysteries of his father’s life. Along the way, the film touches on themes including time and memory, familial obligation and the role that women play in male-dominated Japanese society.
Veteran actor Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses) plays the father,...
Inspired by Kei’s real-life experiences, the film tells the story of an actor living in Tokyo who is forced to travel home when the police call to say his father is suffering from dementia and has lost touch with reality. Making matters worse, his father’s second wife appears to be missing.
The actor makes the trip home with his own wife, full of conflicted emotions over a man who left the family when he was still a child, and starts an exploration into the mysteries of his father’s life. Along the way, the film touches on themes including time and memory, familial obligation and the role that women play in male-dominated Japanese society.
Veteran actor Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses) plays the father,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Stars: Sôsuke Ikematsu, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Minami Hamabe, Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino | Written and Directed by Hideaki Anno
The third entry in the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, Shin Kamen Rider, steps away from the kaiju-oriented plots of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman to let writer/director Hideaki Anno, the driving force behind the Shin project, reboot a character that dates back to 1971 and who has, over the years appeared in various incarnations spanning live action, anime, and manga forms.
Takeshi Hongo was a socially inept college student who only cared about his motorcycle until he was kidnapped by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, and experimented on by Professor Midorikawa, played appropriately enough by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequels.
He fused Hongo’s DNA with that of a grasshopper giving him incredible strength,...
The third entry in the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, Shin Kamen Rider, steps away from the kaiju-oriented plots of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman to let writer/director Hideaki Anno, the driving force behind the Shin project, reboot a character that dates back to 1971 and who has, over the years appeared in various incarnations spanning live action, anime, and manga forms.
Takeshi Hongo was a socially inept college student who only cared about his motorcycle until he was kidnapped by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, and experimented on by Professor Midorikawa, played appropriately enough by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequels.
He fused Hongo’s DNA with that of a grasshopper giving him incredible strength,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Takeshi Fukunaga has proven himself to be one of Japan's most exciting directors in recent years, receiving accolades for both “Out of My Hand” (2015) and “Ainu Mosir” (2020). His latest project, “Mountain Woman”, marks the director's first-period piece, as he takes us back to 18th-century Tohoku. A tale of famine, strife, and survival, the film is a sensitive and uncompromising meditation on finding oneness and liberation.
Mountain Woman is screening at Nippon Connection
In a rural village in feudal Japan, a poor harvest has yielded a dire famine. Rin (Anna Yamada) and her family are at the bottom of the food chain, outcast by their fellow villagers on account of a past crime. When tensions come to a head, and Rin's father, Ihei (Masatoshi Nagase), finds himself in trouble, she is driven away from the village and into the nearby Mount Hayachine, a place to which the spirits of the dead are said to ascend.
Mountain Woman is screening at Nippon Connection
In a rural village in feudal Japan, a poor harvest has yielded a dire famine. Rin (Anna Yamada) and her family are at the bottom of the food chain, outcast by their fellow villagers on account of a past crime. When tensions come to a head, and Rin's father, Ihei (Masatoshi Nagase), finds himself in trouble, she is driven away from the village and into the nearby Mount Hayachine, a place to which the spirits of the dead are said to ascend.
- 6/10/2023
- by Tom Wilmot
- AsianMoviePulse
Late 18th century, Tohoku. An outcast girl, Rin lives in a village suffering from famine. She draws strength from Mt. Hayachine, where the spirits of humans ascend after passing. (Source: Tokyo International Film Festival)
Directed by Takeshi Fukunaga (Out of My Hand), this movie premiered on October 25, 2022 at the Tokyo International Film Festival. It stars Anna Yamada, Mirai Moriyama and Masatoshi Nagase. Theatrical release in Japan is scheduled for June 30, 2023.
Directed by Takeshi Fukunaga (Out of My Hand), this movie premiered on October 25, 2022 at the Tokyo International Film Festival. It stars Anna Yamada, Mirai Moriyama and Masatoshi Nagase. Theatrical release in Japan is scheduled for June 30, 2023.
- 5/27/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Delivering one of the best monster movies of the past decade, Hideaki Anno’s 2016 Shin Godzilla outpaced any of Hollywood’s output with the creature as of late. After jumping back into animation with Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, he’s returned to live-action, writing and producing Shin Ultraman, which got a brief U.S. release earlier this year. Now, he’s back in the director’s chair with Shin Kamen Rider.
First emerging as a television show 50 years ago this year, created by Shotaro Ishinomori, the series follows a superhuman, motorcycle-riding hero who battles villains. Recently released in Japan, while we await news of a U.S. release, a pair of thrilling new trailers have now arrived for the film starring Sosuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino, Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka, Suzuki Matsuo, and Mirai Moriyama.
See the new trailers and poster below via First Showing.
The...
First emerging as a television show 50 years ago this year, created by Shotaro Ishinomori, the series follows a superhuman, motorcycle-riding hero who battles villains. Recently released in Japan, while we await news of a U.S. release, a pair of thrilling new trailers have now arrived for the film starring Sosuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino, Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka, Suzuki Matsuo, and Mirai Moriyama.
See the new trailers and poster below via First Showing.
The...
- 3/24/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
For Inu-Oh, director Masaaki Yuasa’s main goal was not to accurately depict the past as it is written, but to depict what could have happened. Based on the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by Hideo Furukawa, the film follows two outcasts in 14th-century Japan: Tomona (Mirai Moriyama), a blind Biwa player, and Inu-Oh (Avu-chan), a deformed Noh dancer born with a curse. The two discover they have the ability to hear the spirits of the Heike, a clan of warriors whose stories are lost to time, and the pair begin to perform their stories in a new style resembling modern hair metal, which starts to cure Inu-Oh of his curse. The idea of a curse being cured resulting in the main character becoming human again is popular in Japanese folklore, but Yuasa wanted to have a more modern take. Rather than seeking revenge against his father for cursing him,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
Using the awe-inspiring visuals and vocals of Taiyo Matsumoto, Avu-chan, and Mirai Moriyama, director Masaaki Yuasa gives audiences an ode to the power of music in “Inu-oh,” a film retelling the Muromachi period in Japan in a beautiful mix of history and fantasy.
Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023
“Inu-oh,” tells the story of Inu-oh, a child born to an esteemed family but born with an ancient curse that leaves him ostracised.
Continue reading ‘Inu-oh’ Clip: A Beautiful Mix Of History & Fantasy [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023
“Inu-oh,” tells the story of Inu-oh, a child born to an esteemed family but born with an ancient curse that leaves him ostracised.
Continue reading ‘Inu-oh’ Clip: A Beautiful Mix Of History & Fantasy [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
- 1/5/2023
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
How do you be an artist in these trying times? Some of the year's best animated TV shows and movies asked this question, and it's not hard to figure out why. In 2022, animators continued fighting for respect from an industry that doesn't often love them back. Animation helped keep the entertainment industry afloat during the worst of the pandemic, and the people who bring these creations to life deserve more than seeing their projects canceled prematurely, having their work scrubbed from streaming services, and inadequate wages.
After all, while it can be crass, bloody, or just too intense for younger viewers, animation can also provide a break from a stressful world — sometimes simply by reflecting back exaggerated versions of our adult concerns. Some of the best animated productions of 2022 explored identity crises, the difficulty of letting go, the struggle to make art, and the absurdities of everyday living. Here are our favorites.
After all, while it can be crass, bloody, or just too intense for younger viewers, animation can also provide a break from a stressful world — sometimes simply by reflecting back exaggerated versions of our adult concerns. Some of the best animated productions of 2022 explored identity crises, the difficulty of letting go, the struggle to make art, and the absurdities of everyday living. Here are our favorites.
- 12/23/2022
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
In the early days of the Academy’s animated feature Oscar, there were questions as to whether enough films would qualify each year for the award to be given. Not anymore! This year sees a record number of contenders across a wide variety of genres, styles and audiences, from serious, adult-targeted films (like “Charlotte” and “Eternal Spring”) to boffo offerings from Hollywood’s top toon studios — and that doesn’t even count such anime franchise sensations as “One Piece Film: Red” and “Jujutsu Kaisen 0,” which didn’t submit but further illustrate the vitality of the form.
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
Director: Richard Linklater
Voices: Glen Powell, Zachary Levi, Jack Black
Studios: Minnow Mountain, Submarine, Detour Filmproduction
Distributor: Netflix
A time capsule made possible through a sophisticated blend of 2D, 3D and rotoscope techniques, allows the “Boyhood” director to revive the style of “Waking Life” and his own 1960s Texas boyhood.
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
Director: Richard Linklater
Voices: Glen Powell, Zachary Levi, Jack Black
Studios: Minnow Mountain, Submarine, Detour Filmproduction
Distributor: Netflix
A time capsule made possible through a sophisticated blend of 2D, 3D and rotoscope techniques, allows the “Boyhood” director to revive the style of “Waking Life” and his own 1960s Texas boyhood.
- 12/6/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
At the close of the 18th century, a long and devastating famine swept across the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. The cause was a volcano eruption, followed by several years of catastrophically bad weather. The result was close to a million deaths from starvation.
Such is the setting for Mountain Woman, a bleak period drama from writer-director Takeshi Fukunaga that uses the famine as a backdrop to depict one young woman’s harrowing quest for survival. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Daniel Satinoff (who worked on the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice), the film has its moments of haunting visual poetry, but tends to get weighed down by a lumbering plot and a fair amount of pathos.
Fukunaga broke through in the U.S. in 2015 with his debut, Out of My Hand, which was nominated for an Independent Spirit award and was released by Ava DuVernay’s Array label.
At the close of the 18th century, a long and devastating famine swept across the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. The cause was a volcano eruption, followed by several years of catastrophically bad weather. The result was close to a million deaths from starvation.
Such is the setting for Mountain Woman, a bleak period drama from writer-director Takeshi Fukunaga that uses the famine as a backdrop to depict one young woman’s harrowing quest for survival. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Daniel Satinoff (who worked on the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice), the film has its moments of haunting visual poetry, but tends to get weighed down by a lumbering plot and a fair amount of pathos.
Fukunaga broke through in the U.S. in 2015 with his debut, Out of My Hand, which was nominated for an Independent Spirit award and was released by Ava DuVernay’s Array label.
- 10/25/2022
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Masaaki Yuasa’s showstopping animation reframes the classical performance style as a world of rock gods and cavorting dancers
Anime maverick Masaaki Yuasa’s 14th-century rock opera gets off to the most traditional start possible with some stark Noh-style declaiming. But things quickly get pretty wild: Hendrix-ish behind-the-head lute shredding, phantom samurai breakdancing, giant whale lightshows. Retrofitting medieval Noh as a world of guitar gods and cavorting dancers, Inu-oh has its two disabled lead characters make a psychedelic plea in favour of slipping loose from dominant narratives, told in a fecund patchwork of styles by Yuasa that asserts its own outsider credentials.
Tomona (Mirai Moriyama) and Inu-oh (trans musician Avu-chan) are the Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of Muromachi-era Kyoto. The first is a biwa player who, in the film’s opening section, is blinded by a mystical sword lost in a battle between two clans wrestling over the shogunate two centuries earlier.
Anime maverick Masaaki Yuasa’s 14th-century rock opera gets off to the most traditional start possible with some stark Noh-style declaiming. But things quickly get pretty wild: Hendrix-ish behind-the-head lute shredding, phantom samurai breakdancing, giant whale lightshows. Retrofitting medieval Noh as a world of guitar gods and cavorting dancers, Inu-oh has its two disabled lead characters make a psychedelic plea in favour of slipping loose from dominant narratives, told in a fecund patchwork of styles by Yuasa that asserts its own outsider credentials.
Tomona (Mirai Moriyama) and Inu-oh (trans musician Avu-chan) are the Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of Muromachi-era Kyoto. The first is a biwa player who, in the film’s opening section, is blinded by a mystical sword lost in a battle between two clans wrestling over the shogunate two centuries earlier.
- 9/27/2022
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
I do not think there is any other movie industry in the world that produces so many movies about toxic individuals as the Japanese one, with the independent sector in particular dealing with this type of personas quite frequently, as filmmakers like Shinya Tsukamoro. Tetsuya Mariko and Toshiaki Toyoda extensively focus on this type of loser. Nobuhiro Yamashita attempts to do the same, adapting the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel “Kueki Ressha” by Kenta Nishimura, adding though, a very significant element, the presence of female character Yasuko, who did not exist in the original.
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The character in focus is named Kanta Kitamachi, and he is the epitome of the term ‘loser’. Coming from a family that fell apart when his father was convicted as a sex offender, the 19-year-old has been living alone in a tiny apartment, spending all the money...
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The character in focus is named Kanta Kitamachi, and he is the epitome of the term ‘loser’. Coming from a family that fell apart when his father was convicted as a sex offender, the 19-year-old has been living alone in a tiny apartment, spending all the money...
- 9/7/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
What Westerners don’t know about Noh — the classical Japanese theater form in which masked dancers gracefully interpret supernatural tales — could easily fill a 12-hour PBS documentary. But who wants to watch that? Certainly not the audience renegade anime director Masaaki Yuasa is after with “Inu-oh,” a rowdy punk alternative focusing on two social rejects whose defiantly original performance style broke all the rules and elevated them to rock-star status, only to be (all but) forgotten by history.
Among the most unpredictable artists of his medium, Yuasa specializes in trippy, off-the-wall anime features such as “Mind Game” and “Night Is Short, Walk On Girl” that recall the work of psychedelic toonsmith Ralph Bakshi at his anti-establishment extreme. Of all the filmmakers now working in Japan, Yuasa is the last one fans would expect to show an interest in the rigorously rule-based world of Noh — until it clicks that his...
Among the most unpredictable artists of his medium, Yuasa specializes in trippy, off-the-wall anime features such as “Mind Game” and “Night Is Short, Walk On Girl” that recall the work of psychedelic toonsmith Ralph Bakshi at his anti-establishment extreme. Of all the filmmakers now working in Japan, Yuasa is the last one fans would expect to show an interest in the rigorously rule-based world of Noh — until it clicks that his...
- 8/12/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Music is transportive to the extremes in Masaaki Yuasa's works. In his 2008 anime "Kaiba," there's a heartbreaking organ scene that inspires a bitter old woman to reminisce on long-lost affection. In "Ride Your Wave," a cheesy love song summons the spirit of a deceased loved one, fleetingly, like an incantation. Yuasa and Science Saru's latest feature cocktail "Inu-Oh," steeped in the 14th century Muromachi period of the ruling shoguns, rolls out rock music that unleashes the restorative power to unlock revelations to mysteries, gives restless ghosts peace through lyrical storytelling, and allow two misfits to assert their place in the world.
Based on Hideo Furukawa's novel "The Tale of the Heike: The Inu-oh Chapters," Akiko Nogi's adapted screenplay kickstarts the film deceptively. At the behest of shady noblemen, young Tomona (Mirai Moriyama) opens an underwater cursed treasure that blinds him and kills his father (Yutaka Matsushige). The...
Based on Hideo Furukawa's novel "The Tale of the Heike: The Inu-oh Chapters," Akiko Nogi's adapted screenplay kickstarts the film deceptively. At the behest of shady noblemen, young Tomona (Mirai Moriyama) opens an underwater cursed treasure that blinds him and kills his father (Yutaka Matsushige). The...
- 8/12/2022
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
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“Inu-Oh” (screening theatrically from GKids) represents Masaaki Yuasa’s summary statement about animation, music, history, and rebellion. It’s the culmination of his wildly imaginative and deeply compassionate work about honoring marginalized people. He takes everything he’s explored in “Lu Over the Wall,” “Mind Game,” “Ride Your Wave,” and “The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl,” and explodes it in “Inu-Oh.”
The film’s an anime rock opera set in 14th century feudal Japan about the friendship between two cursed musical performers, who serve as historical versions of modern-day stars with theatrical fearlessness: the real-life, enigmatic Inu-Oh (Avu-chan from fashion punk Queen Bee), a Noh dancer who dramatizes the Heike’s slaughter at sea in the Battle of Dan-no-ura, and Tomona (Mirai Moriyama), a blind biwa player who chronicles the story in song. But the way Yuasa assaults us with dazzling imagery and musical performance, he comes off...
“Inu-Oh” (screening theatrically from GKids) represents Masaaki Yuasa’s summary statement about animation, music, history, and rebellion. It’s the culmination of his wildly imaginative and deeply compassionate work about honoring marginalized people. He takes everything he’s explored in “Lu Over the Wall,” “Mind Game,” “Ride Your Wave,” and “The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl,” and explodes it in “Inu-Oh.”
The film’s an anime rock opera set in 14th century feudal Japan about the friendship between two cursed musical performers, who serve as historical versions of modern-day stars with theatrical fearlessness: the real-life, enigmatic Inu-Oh (Avu-chan from fashion punk Queen Bee), a Noh dancer who dramatizes the Heike’s slaughter at sea in the Battle of Dan-no-ura, and Tomona (Mirai Moriyama), a blind biwa player who chronicles the story in song. But the way Yuasa assaults us with dazzling imagery and musical performance, he comes off...
- 8/12/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Inu-Oh” was reviewed by TheWrap out of the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
The competition may be fierce, but it’s probably safe to say that Masaaki Yuasa’s “Inu-Oh” is the best feudal-Japanese-hair-metal-demonic-curse-serial-killer-political-tragedy-rock-opera of the year. At least so far.
And if that sounds silly, that’s Masaaki Yuasa for you. The filmmaker is crafting an exhilarating career out of transforming oddball pitches into profound pop art, from the grotesquely beautiful “Devil Man Cry Baby” to the joyously earnest “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!” The stories he tells, like the intense and unhinged animation styles he employs, can barely be contained on the screen, and they have seemingly no interest in conforming to expectation.
So it’s fitting that “Inu-Oh” centers around art that inspires, that challenges, that defies. The film takes place in 14th century Japan, where a young blind boy named Tomona wanders away from his home in search of vengeance.
The competition may be fierce, but it’s probably safe to say that Masaaki Yuasa’s “Inu-Oh” is the best feudal-Japanese-hair-metal-demonic-curse-serial-killer-political-tragedy-rock-opera of the year. At least so far.
And if that sounds silly, that’s Masaaki Yuasa for you. The filmmaker is crafting an exhilarating career out of transforming oddball pitches into profound pop art, from the grotesquely beautiful “Devil Man Cry Baby” to the joyously earnest “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!” The stories he tells, like the intense and unhinged animation styles he employs, can barely be contained on the screen, and they have seemingly no interest in conforming to expectation.
So it’s fitting that “Inu-Oh” centers around art that inspires, that challenges, that defies. The film takes place in 14th century Japan, where a young blind boy named Tomona wanders away from his home in search of vengeance.
- 8/11/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Director Masaaki Yuasa and screenwriter Akiko Nogi’s adaptation of Hideo Furukawa’s novel The Tale of the Heike: The Inu-oh Chapters finishes with a couple screens of text describing its titular Noh performer’s final years of success, despite his name being all but forgotten in comparison to the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu’s personal favorite. It’s why these three have brought the story of Inu-oh to life—to ensure his name, and that of his friend Tomona from Dan-no-ura, a blind biwa-playing priest, won’t disappear again. What better way to do so than a 14th-century anachronistic rock opera set during Japan’s Muromachi period, courtesy two cursed men who dare give voice to the voiceless and subsequently free themselves from the chains that society uses to bind them?
Though the characters exist 600 years in the past, their story begins about 300 years earlier during a war between the Genji and Heike.
Though the characters exist 600 years in the past, their story begins about 300 years earlier during a war between the Genji and Heike.
- 7/31/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
"Let the world know your name!!" GKids has revealed the main US trailer for Inu-Oh, the latest totally wild new film from Japanese anime director Masaaki Yuasa, known for his vibrant animation The Night Is Short Walk on Girl, Lu Over the Wall, and Ride Your Wave. This premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival last year (watch the teaser trailer from then) as a special screening, and it's opening in the US in theaters this August. Based on a classic story about the life of Inu-Oh "King Dog", a 14th-century Japanese performer of music drama at the time of its transition from the folk art of sarugaku "monkey music" into the formalized traditions of Noh and kyôgen. The story is about the friendship between a blind musician named Tomona, and a physically deformed dancer named Inu-Oh, who achieve great success and fame working together. The film's original Japanese voice cast features Avu-Chan and Mirai Moriyama.
- 6/15/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Masaaki Yuasa‘s “Inu-Oh” is an original take on the life of the 14th century titular Japanese Noh dance performer who was extremely popular back in time, but whose legacy was unfortunately lost. Based on the graphic novel “Tales of the Heike: Inu-oh” by Hideo Furukawa published in 2016, the story of Yuasa’s animated musical unfolds against the backdrop of complicated political events, while at the same time embracing fantastic elements and Japanese mythology.
Inu-Oh screened at Udine Far East Film Festival
Although he rose to a Noh legend during his lifetime, all Inu-Oh’s songs were forgotten during the centuries that followed. In the graphic novel and the film alike, the performer was born with terrible deformities which slowly disappear through his connection with music, and even more through the friendship with a young biwa player Tomona (Mirai Moriyama), a musician blinded as a boy by the light of...
Inu-Oh screened at Udine Far East Film Festival
Although he rose to a Noh legend during his lifetime, all Inu-Oh’s songs were forgotten during the centuries that followed. In the graphic novel and the film alike, the performer was born with terrible deformities which slowly disappear through his connection with music, and even more through the friendship with a young biwa player Tomona (Mirai Moriyama), a musician blinded as a boy by the light of...
- 5/3/2022
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
An unusual partnership between Kazakhstan and Japan is behind the film “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” and it is not just a co-production. The film is in fact co-directed by Kazakh filmmaker Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Japanese Lisa Takeba – who allegedly met at a party in Cannes – and stars among others, Kazakh film actress Samal Yeslyamova, winner of best actress at Cannes for “Ayka” in 2018, and Japanese actor Mirai Moriyama. The film had its premiere at Busan International Film Festival on the 3rd of October and it is being screened in cinemas around Japan as I write. The odd English title may sound a bit arcane, while the Japanese one – which translates “Olzhas’ White Horse” – goes straight to the point; however, the simple explanation is that “Roads of Time” is the series of paintings by Kazakh artist Gali Myrzashev which are shown during the end credits.
“The Horse Thieves. Roads...
“The Horse Thieves. Roads...
- 2/6/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Our past and our memories are perhaps the most essential aspects in our lives which can give us the key for understanding our present, our faults and how to overcome them, which is ironically also the reason we sometimes tend to suppress thinking about them. This notion is the foundation for “We Couldn’t Become Adults”, a novel written by author Moegara, which was turned into a film by director Yoshihiro Mori (“Love and Fortune”) currently streaming on Netflix. Mori and screenwriter Ryo Okada, however, chose a very specific approach in their adaption of the source material, adding frequent flashbacks and fast forwards to the story, which is at times a bit too much, but makes for an interesting drama about growing up and facing the mistakes you have made in your life, and how they may have affected others.
In the life of graphics designer Sato (Mirai Moriyama), there are...
In the life of graphics designer Sato (Mirai Moriyama), there are...
- 1/6/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Another excellent sample of Japanese filmmaking, “A Chorus of Angels” implements all the distinct characteristics of the country’s cinema, while excelling at the technical department, with magnificent sound and cinematography, and the awards from the Japanese Academy for Best Music Score, Cinematography and Lighting being utterly justified.
Based on the short story “Ni-jyu Nian Go no Shyukudai” from the “Oufuku Shokan” collection by Kanae Minato, τhe film revolves around Haru Kawashima, a retired school teacher, who currently works as a librarian, the six students (3 boys and 3 girls) she had when she was teaching in a remote village in Hokkaido 20 years before, the chorus they have assembled, an accident that brought their relationship to demise, and a number of secrets that have been lurking since that time and poisoned their relationships. When she is informed that Nobuto Suzuki, one of her students who was slightly mentally incapacitated is accused of murder,...
Based on the short story “Ni-jyu Nian Go no Shyukudai” from the “Oufuku Shokan” collection by Kanae Minato, τhe film revolves around Haru Kawashima, a retired school teacher, who currently works as a librarian, the six students (3 boys and 3 girls) she had when she was teaching in a remote village in Hokkaido 20 years before, the chorus they have assembled, an accident that brought their relationship to demise, and a number of secrets that have been lurking since that time and poisoned their relationships. When she is informed that Nobuto Suzuki, one of her students who was slightly mentally incapacitated is accused of murder,...
- 7/31/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Meet Tomona & Inu-Oh. Asmik Ace has released the first teaser trailer for a new film from Japanese anime director Masaaki Yuasa, known for his vibrant animation The Night Is Short Walk on Girl, Lu Over the Wall, and Ride Your Wave. His latest work is a film called Inu-Oh, based on a classic story about the life of Inu-Oh "King Dog", a 14th-century Japanese performer of music drama at the time of its transition from the folk art of sarugaku "monkey music" into the formalized traditions of Noh and kyôgen. The story is about the friendship between a blind musician named Tomona, and a physically deformed dancer named Inu-Oh, who achieve great success and fame working together. The film's voice cast features Avu-Chan and Mirai Moriyama. This is premiering at the 2021 Venice Film Festival coming up in the next few months, playing in the Horizons sidebar section. There's plenty of...
- 7/27/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Tokyo International Film Festival has set boxing picture “Underdog,” directed by Take Masaharu, as the opening title for its 33rd edition. The festival will run Oct. 31 to Nov. 9, when it will close with Hajime Hashimoto’s “Hokusai.”
The festival plans to hold physical screenings in Tokyo theaters, but few overseas guests or filmmakers will be able to participate in person. The Tiffcom rights market will be held entirely online, it was announced in recent days.
“Underdog” stars Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji, and is Take’s first boxing-themed film in six years, since “100 Yen Love.” It depicts the lives of three desperate fighters as they square off in the ring, to attempt their comebacks.
“Hokusai” is the story of legendary Japanese artist Hokusai Katsushika and his unique talent, known as the “Secret of Three Waves.” The artist is best known for his “Thirty-six Views of Mount...
The festival plans to hold physical screenings in Tokyo theaters, but few overseas guests or filmmakers will be able to participate in person. The Tiffcom rights market will be held entirely online, it was announced in recent days.
“Underdog” stars Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji, and is Take’s first boxing-themed film in six years, since “100 Yen Love.” It depicts the lives of three desperate fighters as they square off in the ring, to attempt their comebacks.
“Hokusai” is the story of legendary Japanese artist Hokusai Katsushika and his unique talent, known as the “Secret of Three Waves.” The artist is best known for his “Thirty-six Views of Mount...
- 9/10/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Boxing drama Underdog is directed by Masaharu Take, while Hokusai is a biopic directed by Hajime Hashimoto.
This year’s Tokyo International Film Festival will open with Masaharu Take’s Underdog, and close with Hokusai, directed by Hajime Hashimoto and starring Yuya Yagira and Min Tanaka.
Underdog, which stars Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji, is Take’s first boxing-themed film since his award-winning 100 Yen Love (2014). It depicts the lives of three fighters who have been abandoned in life, as they cross fists in the ring to attempt their comebacks.
Hokusai is the story of legendary Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai Katsushika,...
This year’s Tokyo International Film Festival will open with Masaharu Take’s Underdog, and close with Hokusai, directed by Hajime Hashimoto and starring Yuya Yagira and Min Tanaka.
Underdog, which stars Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji, is Take’s first boxing-themed film since his award-winning 100 Yen Love (2014). It depicts the lives of three fighters who have been abandoned in life, as they cross fists in the ring to attempt their comebacks.
Hokusai is the story of legendary Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai Katsushika,...
- 9/10/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo International Film Festival unveiled on Thursday the opening and closing films for its upcoming 33rd annual edition.
The event, Japan’s largest cinema occasion, will kick off on Oct. 31 with the premiere of Masaharu Take’s boxing drama Underdog, starring Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji. Filmmaker Hajime Hashimoto will bring the festival to a close on Nov. 9 with the world debut of Hokusai, a biopic of the great Japanese ukiyo-e painter and printmaker.
The selection of two Japanese filmmakers to bookend the programming reflects the local form the festival is expected to take under the restrictive conditions ...
The event, Japan’s largest cinema occasion, will kick off on Oct. 31 with the premiere of Masaharu Take’s boxing drama Underdog, starring Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji. Filmmaker Hajime Hashimoto will bring the festival to a close on Nov. 9 with the world debut of Hokusai, a biopic of the great Japanese ukiyo-e painter and printmaker.
The selection of two Japanese filmmakers to bookend the programming reflects the local form the festival is expected to take under the restrictive conditions ...
- 9/10/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Tokyo International Film Festival unveiled on Thursday the opening and closing films for its upcoming 33rd annual edition.
The event, Japan’s largest cinema occasion, will kick off on Oct. 31 with the premiere of Masaharu Take’s boxing drama Underdog, starring Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji. Filmmaker Hajime Hashimoto will bring the festival to a close on Nov. 9 with the world debut of Hokusai, a biopic of the great Japanese ukiyo-e painter and printmaker.
The selection of two Japanese filmmakers to bookend the programming reflects the local form the festival is expected to take under the restrictive conditions ...
The event, Japan’s largest cinema occasion, will kick off on Oct. 31 with the premiere of Masaharu Take’s boxing drama Underdog, starring Mirai Moriyama, Takumi Kitamura and Ryo Katsuji. Filmmaker Hajime Hashimoto will bring the festival to a close on Nov. 9 with the world debut of Hokusai, a biopic of the great Japanese ukiyo-e painter and printmaker.
The selection of two Japanese filmmakers to bookend the programming reflects the local form the festival is expected to take under the restrictive conditions ...
- 9/10/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Yuliya Kim was born in 1986. After acquiring a Master in finance from Moscow State University, she worked from 2011 to 2016 at Kazakh Film. Between 2012 and 2015, she was a general manager at Eurasia Film Festival in Almaty. in charge of International guests and juries. Since 2012, she collaborated on many films from internationally acclaimed directors such as Darezhan Omirbayev, Yerlan Nurmukhambetov, Farkhat Sharipov, which won numerous prizes at most prestigious Film Festivals. Since 2019, she is in charge of Almaty Film Festival in Kazakhstan.
On the occasion of her presence in at Fica Vesoul as part of the International Jury, we speak with her about her work as a producer in Kazakhstan films, her cooperation with the directors, the current situation of the local film industry, Almaty Film Festival, and many other topics.
I saw that “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time“, a film that you produced, was picked up by Gaga International and was released in Japan.
On the occasion of her presence in at Fica Vesoul as part of the International Jury, we speak with her about her work as a producer in Kazakhstan films, her cooperation with the directors, the current situation of the local film industry, Almaty Film Festival, and many other topics.
I saw that “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time“, a film that you produced, was picked up by Gaga International and was released in Japan.
- 2/22/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
An unusual partnership between Kazakhstan and Japan is behind the film “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” and it is not just a co-production. The film is in fact co-directed by Kazakh filmmaker Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Japanese Lisa Takeba – who allegedly met at a party in Cannes – and stars among others, Kazakh film actress Samal Yeslyamova, winner of best actress at Cannes for “Ayka” in 2018, and Japanese actor Mirai Moriyama. The film had its premiere at Busan International Film Festival on the 3rd of October and it is being screened in cinemas around Japan as I write. The odd English title may sound a bit arcane, while the Japanese one – which translates “Olzhas’ White Horse” – goes straight to the point; however, the simple explanation is that “Roads of Time” is the series of paintings by Kazakh artist Gali Myrzashev which are shown during the end credits.
“The Horse Thieves. Roads...
“The Horse Thieves. Roads...
- 1/31/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
"Whoever wins this race... I shall grant them a wish." Signature Ent. UK has debuted an official trailer for the indie action thriller Samurai Marathon, also known as Samurai Marathon 1855. Inspired by a real-life race that is still held annually in Japan, Samurai Marathon is an epic thriller from the team behind 13 Assassins and The Last Emperor. It is actually directed by a British filmmaker named Bernard Rose, best known for directing Candyman and Immortal Beloved. Set in the late feudal era of Japan, a young ninja is operating undercover in the court of an aging Lord during a peaceful era of Japan. His loyalties are put to the test as he competes in the Samurai Marathon event. Starring Takeru Satoh, Nana Komatsu, Mirai Moriyama, Shôta Sometani, Munetaka Aoki, Ryu Kohata, Yuta Koseki, Motoki Fukami, Junko Abe, and Danny Huston. Featuring a Philip Glass score, which is also a...
- 11/26/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Inspired by the origin of the Japanese marathon “Samurai Marathon” tells a story set at the end of the Edo period when American troops have arrived on Japanese shore. Afraid of an attack, the shogun and many of the warlords from the other prefectures try to find responses to the potential threat. In the Annaka domain, the hanshu of the region feels the need to train his samurai who have become weak, as he tells them in a speech, and therefore a marathon will not only be the first step to bring them into shape, it will also show if they are fit for battle. The winner of the run will be granted a wish.
Alerted by what he considers first a plan for rebellion against the shogunate, Jinnai Karaswa (Takeruh Sato), who has been a spy for the shogun for many years, informs his superiors about the events by asking for military support.
Alerted by what he considers first a plan for rebellion against the shogunate, Jinnai Karaswa (Takeruh Sato), who has been a spy for the shogun for many years, informs his superiors about the events by asking for military support.
- 7/1/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Discouraged by the arrival of U.S. Commodore Perry (Danny Huston), aboard black ships laden with bourbon and gunpowder, feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira (Hiroki Hasegawa) of the Annaka clan views his own forces with little confidence. They have grown slow and idle after decades of peaceful isolation, and as such he challenges all men of fighting age to a marathon to prove their mettle — the prize for first place being the winner’s wish come true. When Edo spy Jinnai Karasawa (Takeru Satoh) mistakes his lord’s agitation for insurrection, however, an order is placed in error and the shogun’s ninjas duly dispatched.
While not as sensitive as Memoirs of a Geisha or Letters from Iwo Jima, Samurai Marathon is surprisingly a congruous and measured entry in the growing genre of internationally produced Japanese period dramas — all the more so given that it was directed by Candyman’s Bernard Rose.
While not as sensitive as Memoirs of a Geisha or Letters from Iwo Jima, Samurai Marathon is surprisingly a congruous and measured entry in the growing genre of internationally produced Japanese period dramas — all the more so given that it was directed by Candyman’s Bernard Rose.
- 6/25/2019
- by Steven Neish
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Lee Sang-il has always had a different, unique approach in his films, as the fact that he is Zainichi Korean allows him to combine elements from both Japanese and Korean cinema. This trait became obvious in “Villain”, but it is in “Rage” that it finds its apogee.
“Rage” was part of the program of the New York Asian Film Festival,
The intricate story is based on the homonymous novel by Shuchi Yoshida, (who also wrote the book that “Villain” was based upon), and uses a gruesome murder, that receives much publicity as it is investigated by the police, as its base, before it splits into three different settings.
The first one takes place in Chiba where Yohei Maki rescues his daughter Aiko, from a life as a sex worker. As both of them try to heal from the wounds of the past and to face public prejudice, Aiko starts having...
“Rage” was part of the program of the New York Asian Film Festival,
The intricate story is based on the homonymous novel by Shuchi Yoshida, (who also wrote the book that “Villain” was based upon), and uses a gruesome murder, that receives much publicity as it is investigated by the police, as its base, before it splits into three different settings.
The first one takes place in Chiba where Yohei Maki rescues his daughter Aiko, from a life as a sex worker. As both of them try to heal from the wounds of the past and to face public prejudice, Aiko starts having...
- 8/8/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
With the Toronto International Film Festival just around the corner, the debut trailer for Japanese superstar Ken Watanabe’s latest offering, Rage (Ikari), has landed with an almighty splash.
Directed by Lee Sang-il (Unforgiven, Hula Girls), Rage tells a the story of a single brutal murder whose complex and sinister threads reach deep into the lives of a number of different people across three different cities in Japan. The trailer below sets the tone of the film, with shots of cryptic messages painted in blood onto the wall effectively off-setting the colorful backdrops of Japan’s southern islands and vibrant nightclubs.
Joining Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai, Letters from Iwo Jima) are a number of up and coming Japanese acting talents, including Aoi Miyazaki (The Great Passage, Wolf Children), Satoshi Tsumabuki (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, The Assassin) and Mirai Moriyama (The Drudgery Train).
This will be...
Directed by Lee Sang-il (Unforgiven, Hula Girls), Rage tells a the story of a single brutal murder whose complex and sinister threads reach deep into the lives of a number of different people across three different cities in Japan. The trailer below sets the tone of the film, with shots of cryptic messages painted in blood onto the wall effectively off-setting the colorful backdrops of Japan’s southern islands and vibrant nightclubs.
Joining Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai, Letters from Iwo Jima) are a number of up and coming Japanese acting talents, including Aoi Miyazaki (The Great Passage, Wolf Children), Satoshi Tsumabuki (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, The Assassin) and Mirai Moriyama (The Drudgery Train).
This will be...
- 8/23/2016
- by Robert Hill
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Japanese suspense drama stars Ken Watanabe.
Japanese studio Toho is launching sales on Lee Sang-il’s [pictured] suspense drama Rage, which features a stellar cast including Ken Watanabe, at the Efm.
Based on a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, the film revolves around three couples who become suspicious of people they have recently befriended, following a brutal double murder in a Tokyo satellite city.
In addition to Watanabe (The Last Samurai), the strong ensemble cast also includes Kenichi Matsuyama (Norwegian Wood), Satoshi Tsumabuki (The Assassin), Mirai Moriyama (Love Strikes), Go Ayano (The Light Shines Only There), Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) and Aoi Miyazaki (Eureka).
Currently in post-production, the film is being lined up for a summer 2016 release in Japan. Lee Sang-il previously worked with Watanabe on the Japanese version of Unforgiven and his credits also include Hula Girls (2006) and Villain (2010).
Toho’s slate also includes its new reboot of the iconic Godzilla franchise, Shin [link=tt...
Japanese studio Toho is launching sales on Lee Sang-il’s [pictured] suspense drama Rage, which features a stellar cast including Ken Watanabe, at the Efm.
Based on a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, the film revolves around three couples who become suspicious of people they have recently befriended, following a brutal double murder in a Tokyo satellite city.
In addition to Watanabe (The Last Samurai), the strong ensemble cast also includes Kenichi Matsuyama (Norwegian Wood), Satoshi Tsumabuki (The Assassin), Mirai Moriyama (Love Strikes), Go Ayano (The Light Shines Only There), Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) and Aoi Miyazaki (Eureka).
Currently in post-production, the film is being lined up for a summer 2016 release in Japan. Lee Sang-il previously worked with Watanabe on the Japanese version of Unforgiven and his credits also include Hula Girls (2006) and Villain (2010).
Toho’s slate also includes its new reboot of the iconic Godzilla franchise, Shin [link=tt...
- 2/11/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
We recently profiled 15 Filmmakers At The Forefront Of The TV Revolution, and a filmmaker headed to the small screen before many of the directors on that list is Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Back in 2012, he brought the five-part "Penance" to Japanese television, and later it screened internationally at the Venice Film Festival, Tiff and more. It's taken a couple of years, but now you'll be able to experience the drama on the big screen, and today we have an exclusive clip from the series. Starring Kyoko Koizumi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi, Eiko Koike, Sakura Ando, Chizuru Ikewaki, Mirai Moriyama, Kenji Mizuhashi, Ryo Kase, Tomoharu Hasegawa, Ayumi Ito, Hirofumi Arai and Tetsushi Tanaka, and based on the novel by Kanae Minato, the story centers around the kidnapping and killing of a young girl named Emili. Her grief-stricken mother Asako, frustrated at the crime going unsolved, lays the burden on the four girls who...
- 11/10/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Till I Can Get My Satisfaction: Kurosawa’s Striking Psychosexual Marathon
Past traumas hopelessly infecting the present factor significantly in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s monolithic psychosexual thriller, Penance, a five part made-for-television miniseries that premiered back in 2012 for North American audiences at the Toronto Film Festival, now receiving a limited theatrical release. Like many of Kurosawa’s best known works, he explores the ripple effects of tragic circumstances and their continually endless warping effects, perhaps sometimes seen as a metaphor for cultural tendencies at large. His latest plays like a tangential murder mystery of crossed paths, finally looping back to a finale that leads to more complicated depths, not unlike something David Lynch would do in this similar format of impressively orchestrated subplots and characterizations that makes for viewing in one sitting a head spinning ordeal.
A young girl, Emili, is murdered at school, the killer leading her off in front...
Past traumas hopelessly infecting the present factor significantly in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s monolithic psychosexual thriller, Penance, a five part made-for-television miniseries that premiered back in 2012 for North American audiences at the Toronto Film Festival, now receiving a limited theatrical release. Like many of Kurosawa’s best known works, he explores the ripple effects of tragic circumstances and their continually endless warping effects, perhaps sometimes seen as a metaphor for cultural tendencies at large. His latest plays like a tangential murder mystery of crossed paths, finally looping back to a finale that leads to more complicated depths, not unlike something David Lynch would do in this similar format of impressively orchestrated subplots and characterizations that makes for viewing in one sitting a head spinning ordeal.
A young girl, Emili, is murdered at school, the killer leading her off in front...
- 11/7/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
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