Unlike Cannes’ industry-catered competition section, the festival’s independent sidebar Directors’ Fortnight defines itself around audience outreach.
Headquartered halfway down the Croisette, equidistant from the Palais des Festivals, where the official selection screens for an industry-only crowd, Fortnight embraces the sprawl. The 56th edition programs 21 features and another eight shorts from May 15-25 (starting with Sophie Fillières’ posthumous “This Life of Mine”) while bringing select titles to many theaters far from the main drag.
That same selection will also offer the easiest point of access for so many locals, for whom Fortnight is often synonymous with Cannes, and who can always count on a 30-minute Q&a after each screening. Further afield, however, that clarity of identity begins to fade.
For one thing, the showcase doesn’t have a recognizable pitchman. In the time since Thierry Frémaux took over the official selection in 2004, Directors’ Fortnight has seen four artistic directors come and go,...
Headquartered halfway down the Croisette, equidistant from the Palais des Festivals, where the official selection screens for an industry-only crowd, Fortnight embraces the sprawl. The 56th edition programs 21 features and another eight shorts from May 15-25 (starting with Sophie Fillières’ posthumous “This Life of Mine”) while bringing select titles to many theaters far from the main drag.
That same selection will also offer the easiest point of access for so many locals, for whom Fortnight is often synonymous with Cannes, and who can always count on a 30-minute Q&a after each screening. Further afield, however, that clarity of identity begins to fade.
For one thing, the showcase doesn’t have a recognizable pitchman. In the time since Thierry Frémaux took over the official selection in 2004, Directors’ Fortnight has seen four artistic directors come and go,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Indiewire
Another of Kitano's masterpiece is also his most commercially successful film, taking $23.7 million in the Japanese box office and $31.1 million worldwide, mainly because of its wide release in the US that reached 55 theaters. Furthermore, Kitano won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival and yet again, plenty of awards from all over the world, and finally some from the Japanese Academy, although he was solely mentioned in the editing one, along Yoshinori Ohta.
on Imprint Asia by clicking on the image below
The story behind the production is, once again, one of extreme interest. Shortly after Shintaro Katsu's death, who played the main character throughout the Zatoichi franchise, Kitano was approached by the very powerful madam and ex-dancer Saito. She was a close friend of Katsu's, and owned the rights to everything pertaining to Zatoichi. An extremely wealthy woman, the owner of dozens of strip clubs,...
on Imprint Asia by clicking on the image below
The story behind the production is, once again, one of extreme interest. Shortly after Shintaro Katsu's death, who played the main character throughout the Zatoichi franchise, Kitano was approached by the very powerful madam and ex-dancer Saito. She was a close friend of Katsu's, and owned the rights to everything pertaining to Zatoichi. An extremely wealthy woman, the owner of dozens of strip clubs,...
- 5/11/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 2000s saw the action genre in a state of flux. The Matrix revolutionized everything at the end of the previous decade, The Bourne Supremacy would make shaky cameras standard practice in 2004, and the MCU would take flight with Iron Man in 2008. At the same time, Michael Bay reached his ultimate form with Bad Boys II, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill made kung fu classy, and Oldboy changed the way we look at hallways.
Within those changes came a host of greats that didn’t get the same attention. Some of these movies represent the first steps in the development of those who would define the genre, such as Scott Adkins and Gareth Evans. Some find stars at the height of the powers, such as Donny Yen and Michael Jai White. And some are just cool, because that’s really all an action movie needs.
If you’ve...
Within those changes came a host of greats that didn’t get the same attention. Some of these movies represent the first steps in the development of those who would define the genre, such as Scott Adkins and Gareth Evans. Some find stars at the height of the powers, such as Donny Yen and Michael Jai White. And some are just cool, because that’s really all an action movie needs.
If you’ve...
- 5/9/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
By the time you’ve inched toward the halfway point of the first episode of Shōgun, the epic new limited series that revisits James Clavell’s 1975 doorstopper of a historical novel about early 1600s Japan, you’ve already seen an eyeful: massive schooners, flashing swords, military processions, political power plays, a father and his infant son sentenced to death, a half-dozen English prisoners awaiting their fate in a pit. And then, out of nowhere, a character rides in on horseback. He’s shot from behind, but there’s something about the way he holds himself,...
- 4/27/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Clockwise left to right: Get Out (Universal Pictures), This Is Spinal Tap (MGM Home Entertainment), That Thing You Do! (20th Century Studios), Lady Bird (A24)Graphic: The A.V. Club
It’s always neat when someone you’ve admired shows off a hidden talent that makes you see them in a different light.
It’s always neat when someone you’ve admired shows off a hidden talent that makes you see them in a different light.
- 4/12/2024
- by Mary Kate Carr, Saloni Gajjar, Drew Gillis, William Hughes, Matthew Jackson, Jarrod Jones, Emma Keates, Jacob Oller, Matt Schimkowitz, and Cindy White
- avclub.com
Veteran Japanese character actor Tadanobu Asano is having a very overdue breakthrough moment. The chameleonic film star has been a mainstay of Japanese cinema for nearly three decades, while also regularly appearing in prominent supporting parts in big Hollywood productions. But his irresistible performance in FX’s period series Shōgun is giving him an all-new level of global recognition.
Asano co-stars in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige, the scheming lord of Izu, a rugged region of feudal Japan where much of the series takes place. Playing the character with lived-in swagger and a fatalistic sense of humor, Asano has become one of the show’s clear fan favorites, with Reddit and Twitter threads popping up to revel in his character’s antics. Asano announced himself early in Shōgun‘s run: As many have marveled, Yabushige makes his entrance to the show by boiling a man alive but then wins the audience...
Asano co-stars in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige, the scheming lord of Izu, a rugged region of feudal Japan where much of the series takes place. Playing the character with lived-in swagger and a fatalistic sense of humor, Asano has become one of the show’s clear fan favorites, with Reddit and Twitter threads popping up to revel in his character’s antics. Asano announced himself early in Shōgun‘s run: As many have marveled, Yabushige makes his entrance to the show by boiling a man alive but then wins the audience...
- 4/10/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Soon it's that time of year again! Just a few weeks left until the 24th Nippon Connection Film Festival once again envelops Frankfurt am Main (Germany) in bright pink. From May 28 to June 2, 2024, the world's largest festival of Japanese cinema will showcase around 100 short and feature films at eight venues. The country's culture will also be explored through the extensive culture program, reflecting Japan's musical, culinary, and artistic diversity.
The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...
The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...
- 4/6/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The question of who will continue the legacy of the 4Ks and particularly their successes on the international movie scene is one of the most dominant in the discussions among critics and scholars of Japanese cinema. Following the 2016 Un Certain Regard Jury Prize for “Harmonium”, one of the names that provides an answer to the aforementioned question is that of Koji Fukada. In the following text, we will take a closer and more thorough look at all the elements that make the 1980 born filmmaker a worthy successor of the aforementioned masters, starting from the very beginning of his life.
Born in Tokyo in Tokyo on January 5, 1980, Koji Fukada had a father who was a film buff, which resulted in him growing up in an environment surrounded with hundreds of VHS tapes, and subsequently, to become a cineaste, just like his old man. He watched the movies that inspired him to...
Born in Tokyo in Tokyo on January 5, 1980, Koji Fukada had a father who was a film buff, which resulted in him growing up in an environment surrounded with hundreds of VHS tapes, and subsequently, to become a cineaste, just like his old man. He watched the movies that inspired him to...
- 3/30/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In their inaugural edition and first mandate, Artistic Director Julien Rejl oversaw a significant transformation of the Directors’ Fortnight, not only altering its name but also reshaping its curation philosophy. The programming team embraced films that were not submitted to the other sections along the Croisette. Whether this approach persists remains uncertain, it adds an element of unpredictability to this section. We’ve so far learned of the visual identity of the festival was designed by Takeshi Kitano and just today, the section will have its first-ever public award in the Le Choix du Public de la Quinzaine. As the second-year edition is about to be unveiled, we figure that there are several former participants of the Quinzaine hold hopes of securing a second chance, third or sixth chance at cracking this line-up — that possibility remains uncertain.…...
- 3/27/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Japanese director Takeshi Kitano has provided the artwork for the poster of the 2024 edition of Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight, running alongside the main festival from May 15 to 26.
Directors’ Fortnight, which unveiled the poster on Tuesday, said the cult director, actor, writer, comedian, and painter had given it free rein on which of his works to select and use.
“The director of almost 20 films let us into his studio and gave us the opportunity to choose one of his works,” said Directors’ Fortnight.
The section alluded to Kitano’s 1984 autobiographical story Takeshikun, hai depicting his daily life as a child and that of his family in the slums of Tokyo.
“‘I’d like to preserve my childlike sensibility indefinitely”: Kitano’s art has remained true to the promise on which his autobiographical story Takeshikun, hai! (1984) ends. Naive, playful and clownish, his work invites us to marvel, and not take ourselves too seriously,...
Directors’ Fortnight, which unveiled the poster on Tuesday, said the cult director, actor, writer, comedian, and painter had given it free rein on which of his works to select and use.
“The director of almost 20 films let us into his studio and gave us the opportunity to choose one of his works,” said Directors’ Fortnight.
The section alluded to Kitano’s 1984 autobiographical story Takeshikun, hai depicting his daily life as a child and that of his family in the slums of Tokyo.
“‘I’d like to preserve my childlike sensibility indefinitely”: Kitano’s art has remained true to the promise on which his autobiographical story Takeshikun, hai! (1984) ends. Naive, playful and clownish, his work invites us to marvel, and not take ourselves too seriously,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 47th edition of its awards ceremony on March 8, 2024. The nominees are selected by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2023 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
- 3/12/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Mubi has unveiled next’s streaming lineup, featuring notable new releases, including Felipe Gálvez’s The Settlers, Éric Gravel’s Full Time, C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata, and Benjamin Mullinkosson’s The Last Year of Darkness.
This March also brings Elaine May’s Ishtar, four features by Mia Hansen-Løve, and a collection of films shot by women cinematographers, with Claire Denis’ Bastards, shot by Agnès Godard, and more. Next month’s collection also features retrospectives of radical German director Margarethe Von Trotta, experimental animator Suzan Pitt, and additions to their continuing retrospective of Takeshi Kitano.
Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.
March 1st
The German Sisters, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Promise, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three...
This March also brings Elaine May’s Ishtar, four features by Mia Hansen-Løve, and a collection of films shot by women cinematographers, with Claire Denis’ Bastards, shot by Agnès Godard, and more. Next month’s collection also features retrospectives of radical German director Margarethe Von Trotta, experimental animator Suzan Pitt, and additions to their continuing retrospective of Takeshi Kitano.
Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.
March 1st
The German Sisters, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Promise, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three...
- 2/22/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
It takes a lot for a cinematic creative to do multiple jobs on one production. Many directors work closely with their actors over many years, building a rapport, maybe even a second language that allows them to develop and improve with each new work. It's tough to get closer than an actor and director being the same person, however, and a rare case across Asian cinema. Nevertheless, there are directors out there who have proven to be a cut above the rest by turning the camera on themselves and expanding their range in the process. Here are ten of the most striking self-directed performances Asian cinema has to offer.
1. Bruce Lee
Action stars don't get much more iconic than Bruce Lee, the Hong Kong superstar taken far too soon at the age of 32 and the height of his powers. His sole directorial effort is “The Way of the Dragon”, a...
1. Bruce Lee
Action stars don't get much more iconic than Bruce Lee, the Hong Kong superstar taken far too soon at the age of 32 and the height of his powers. His sole directorial effort is “The Way of the Dragon”, a...
- 1/26/2024
- by Simon Ramshaw
- AsianMoviePulse
Mubi’s retrospective Takeshi Kitano: Destroy All Yakuza—featuring Violent Cop, Boiling Point, and Outrage Coda—is now showing in the United States, Canada, and select countries.Kubi.The presidential suite of the Grand Hotel Yerevan sits at the end of an amber-lit, carpeted corridor. The door comes fitted with its own CCTV camera, the concierge proudly gloats as an elevator slingshots us several floors above the ground, “so guests can feel safer.” Not that the current occupant has much to worry about. Guarding the suite on this exceptionally hot July afternoon is a small platoon of suit-clad Japanese men, looking equally stern and jet-lagged. The lucky few who get to pad in and out of the room do so in reverential silence, and even those outside speak in hushed voices, lest he should be disturbed. "He" is somewhere in the suite right now, and his name is Takeshi Kitano.
- 1/11/2024
- MUBI
Another of Kitano's masterpiece is also his most commercially successful film, taking $23.7 million in the Japanese box office and $31.1 million worldwide, mainly because of its wide release in the US that reached 55 theaters. Furthermore, Kitano won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival and yet again, plenty of awards from all over the world, and finally some from the Japanese Academy, although he was solely mentioned in the editing one, along Yoshinori Ohta.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The story behind the production is, once again, one of extreme interest. Shortly after Shintaro Katsu's death, who played the main character throughout the Zatoichi franchise, Kitano was approached by the very powerful madam and ex-dancer Saito. She was a close friend of Katsu's, and owned the rights to everything pertaining to Zatoichi. An extremely wealthy woman, the owner of dozens of strip clubs,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The story behind the production is, once again, one of extreme interest. Shortly after Shintaro Katsu's death, who played the main character throughout the Zatoichi franchise, Kitano was approached by the very powerful madam and ex-dancer Saito. She was a close friend of Katsu's, and owned the rights to everything pertaining to Zatoichi. An extremely wealthy woman, the owner of dozens of strip clubs,...
- 1/7/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In the 1960s, director Kinji Fukasaku created what would be the ultimate yakuza-sage for years to come with his “Battles Without Honor and Humanity”-series. While the various features of the series can be regarded as great entertainment on the one hand, they gain much more value when considered as a reflection on human greed, power and manipulation. Over the course of his career, director Takeshi Kitano has made quite a number of features, such as “Sonatine” or “Brother”, which would blend these themes with a certain poetic or philosophical approach, depending on your point of view. However, with the “Outrage”-series, he attempted to create his own version of Fukasaku's epic, albeit with a much more cynical undertone.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The second entry into the “Outrage”-series, “Beyond Outrage”, takes place five years after the incidents of “Outrage”, with the...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The second entry into the “Outrage”-series, “Beyond Outrage”, takes place five years after the incidents of “Outrage”, with the...
- 1/5/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Mubi has unveiled their December 2023 lineup, featuring notable new releases such as Rodrigo Moreno’s The Delinquents, Argentina’s Oscar this year; the Lily Gladstone-led drama The Unknown Country; Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts; and the José González documentary A Tiger in Paradise. Additional highlights include films from Olivier Assayas, Takeshi Kitano, Jean-Luc Godard, Kelly Reichardt, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, the Shaw Browers, Lars von Trier, Arnaud Desplechin, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
December 1st
The House that Jack Built, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
Breaking the Waves, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
The Element of Crime, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
Europa, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
Epidemic, directed...
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
December 1st
The House that Jack Built, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
Breaking the Waves, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
The Element of Crime, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
Europa, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier
Epidemic, directed...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Taiwanese family drama ‘Old Fox’ won the most awards on the night.
China-set drama Stonewalling, directed by husband-and-wife team Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, won best narrative feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan on Saturday (November 25).
Taiwanese family drama Old Fox won the most awards on the night, including best director for Hsiao Ya-chuan, best supporting actor for veteran Akio Chen, makeup and costume design, and best film score.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Mainland Chinese director Huang and Japan’s Otsuka were in attendance at Taipei’s National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to...
China-set drama Stonewalling, directed by husband-and-wife team Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, won best narrative feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan on Saturday (November 25).
Taiwanese family drama Old Fox won the most awards on the night, including best director for Hsiao Ya-chuan, best supporting actor for veteran Akio Chen, makeup and costume design, and best film score.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Mainland Chinese director Huang and Japan’s Otsuka were in attendance at Taipei’s National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to...
- 11/26/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
China-set drama Stonewalling, co-directed by husband-and-wife team Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji, won best narrative feature at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, which is celebrating its 60th edition this year.
The film, which premiered in Venice and won best film at Hong Kong film festival’s Young Cinema Competition, follows a young woman in mainland China grappling with issues around career, relationships, health and fertility. It also won best editing, which was shared by Otsuka and Taiwan’s Liao Ching-sung, with the latter winning his first Golden Horse award after 12 nominations stretching back four decades.
The awards were evenly spread among the nominated films. Taiwan’s Wu Kang-ren won best leading actor for his role as a deaf-mute in Malaysian drama Abang Adik. Best actress went to 12-year-old Audrey Lin for her role in Trouble Girl, making her the youngest ever best actress winner at the Golden Horse awards.
Best...
The film, which premiered in Venice and won best film at Hong Kong film festival’s Young Cinema Competition, follows a young woman in mainland China grappling with issues around career, relationships, health and fertility. It also won best editing, which was shared by Otsuka and Taiwan’s Liao Ching-sung, with the latter winning his first Golden Horse award after 12 nominations stretching back four decades.
The awards were evenly spread among the nominated films. Taiwan’s Wu Kang-ren won best leading actor for his role as a deaf-mute in Malaysian drama Abang Adik. Best actress went to 12-year-old Audrey Lin for her role in Trouble Girl, making her the youngest ever best actress winner at the Golden Horse awards.
Best...
- 11/25/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Starting his career with an uncredited role in Akira Kurosawa's “Ran” in 1985, the first role anybody would have noticed Susumu Terajima would have been in Takeshi Kitano's 1989 debut “Violent Cop”, as a drug addict henchman. Since then, he has been a notable face in many a cops vs. thugs film, among others, now with over 200 credits to his name.
Having been a regular with some of Japan's leading directors, notably Kitano, Takashi Miike, Hirokazu Koreeda and Sabu, to name but a few, he is typically always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Terajima's career has been one of support roles, not often taking the lead, but his face is a reliable one, with many top directors turning to him, and any Japanese cinema connoisseur will need more than 2 hands to count the number of roles of his they've seen.
Here are some standouts from his career that has seen him play: a likeable,...
Having been a regular with some of Japan's leading directors, notably Kitano, Takashi Miike, Hirokazu Koreeda and Sabu, to name but a few, he is typically always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Terajima's career has been one of support roles, not often taking the lead, but his face is a reliable one, with many top directors turning to him, and any Japanese cinema connoisseur will need more than 2 hands to count the number of roles of his they've seen.
Here are some standouts from his career that has seen him play: a likeable,...
- 11/24/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
The pioneering French-Iranian producer and sales agent leaves behind a long-lasting legacy
Pioneering producer and celebrated Celluloid Dreams founder Hengameh Panahi died on November 5 following a long illness, sending shockwaves of sadness throughout the international film community and leaving a long-lasting legacy of both championing auteur cinema and shaking up the status quo in her wake.
The revered French-Iranian industry executive was known for finding and following emerging directors and accompanying their films to festival glory and international acclaim. Her career spanned four decades and more than 800 films.
She worked alongside iconic directors from across the globe including Jacques Audiard,...
Pioneering producer and celebrated Celluloid Dreams founder Hengameh Panahi died on November 5 following a long illness, sending shockwaves of sadness throughout the international film community and leaving a long-lasting legacy of both championing auteur cinema and shaking up the status quo in her wake.
The revered French-Iranian industry executive was known for finding and following emerging directors and accompanying their films to festival glory and international acclaim. Her career spanned four decades and more than 800 films.
She worked alongside iconic directors from across the globe including Jacques Audiard,...
- 11/10/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
News of the death of Celluloid Dreams CEO Hengameh Panahi has sparked an outpouring of admiration and tributes from the independent film community.
Panahi, a pivotal figure in the global art house scene, died Nov. 5, aged 67. In her decades in the business — as a producer, co-financier and sales agent — Panahi introduced the world to international auteurs from Iran (Jafar Panahi, Marjane Satrapi), Europe (Jacques Audiard, François Ozon, Gaspar Noé, Marco Bellocchio, Aleksandr Sokurov, the Dardenne brothers) and across Asia (Takeshi Kitano, Naomi Kawase, Jia Zanghke, Hirokazu Kore-eda).
“She took films that were challenging, that were difficult to make, to sell, to promote, and she fought for them,” says Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) who knew and worked with Panahi for more than 30 years. “She was a unique part of the film ecosystem. She was really inspirational, with the films that she enabled to be made, and seen.”
Celluloid Dreams,...
Panahi, a pivotal figure in the global art house scene, died Nov. 5, aged 67. In her decades in the business — as a producer, co-financier and sales agent — Panahi introduced the world to international auteurs from Iran (Jafar Panahi, Marjane Satrapi), Europe (Jacques Audiard, François Ozon, Gaspar Noé, Marco Bellocchio, Aleksandr Sokurov, the Dardenne brothers) and across Asia (Takeshi Kitano, Naomi Kawase, Jia Zanghke, Hirokazu Kore-eda).
“She took films that were challenging, that were difficult to make, to sell, to promote, and she fought for them,” says Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) who knew and worked with Panahi for more than 30 years. “She was a unique part of the film ecosystem. She was really inspirational, with the films that she enabled to be made, and seen.”
Celluloid Dreams,...
- 11/10/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ryuhei Matsuda was born on the 9th of May, 1983, in Tokyo, to actress and producer Miyuki Matsuda and actor Yûsaku Matsuda, and only six years later he loses his father to cancer at the premature age of 40. At only 15, Ryuhei is approached by Nagisa Oshima with the life changing offer of a prominent role in his film Gohatto. Since then, Matsuda's magnetic charisma and remarkable versatility have allowed him to portray a wide range of characters, from brooding antiheroes to quirky and endearing figures, captivating audiences both in Japan and internationally.
With a unique ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, he has left an indelible mark on Japanese cinema and continues to be a beloved and influential figure in the world of acting. However, Matsuda's congenital air of disdain for the whole world, his glacial aloofness mixed with his innate handsomeness make him the prototype of effortless coolness,...
With a unique ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, he has left an indelible mark on Japanese cinema and continues to be a beloved and influential figure in the world of acting. However, Matsuda's congenital air of disdain for the whole world, his glacial aloofness mixed with his innate handsomeness make him the prototype of effortless coolness,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Hengameh Panahi, the French-Iranian producer and sales agent who founded Celluloid Dreams and was a pivotal figure in bringing works from such auteurs as Jacques Audiard, Jafar Panahi (no relation), François Ozon, Marjane Satrapi and Todd Haynes to the world, has died. She was 67.
Viviana Andriani, a press attaché who had worked with Panahi for many years, confirmed Thursday that Panahi died on November 5 after battling a long illness.
Celluloid Dreams, which Panahi launched in 1985, was a groundbreaking sales and production company that helped build the global market for international arthouse films. Over the course of three decades, Paris-based Celluloid helped package and sell more than 800 films, including the first works from François Ozon (See The Sea), Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone), Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) and Bruno Dumont (The Life of Jesus), among many others.
Alongside many European talents, Panahi, who was born in Iran but moved to Europe aged...
Viviana Andriani, a press attaché who had worked with Panahi for many years, confirmed Thursday that Panahi died on November 5 after battling a long illness.
Celluloid Dreams, which Panahi launched in 1985, was a groundbreaking sales and production company that helped build the global market for international arthouse films. Over the course of three decades, Paris-based Celluloid helped package and sell more than 800 films, including the first works from François Ozon (See The Sea), Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone), Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) and Bruno Dumont (The Life of Jesus), among many others.
Alongside many European talents, Panahi, who was born in Iran but moved to Europe aged...
- 11/9/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Panahi founded international sales company Celluloid Dreams in 1993.
Hengameh Panahi, a leading light of the international film sales industry over the past three decades, has died aged 67.
French-Iranian Panahi died on November 5 after a long illness, according to press agent Viviana Andriani, who handled campaigns for several films sold by Panahi.
Iranian-born executive Panahi attended the Jeanne D’Arc French School in Tehran prior to the 1979 revolution. She moved to Belgium aged 12, where she studied journalism, and founded Celluloid Dealers in 1985.
The company was relaunched as Celluloid Dreams upon Panahi’s move to Paris in 1993. Over the following three decades...
Hengameh Panahi, a leading light of the international film sales industry over the past three decades, has died aged 67.
French-Iranian Panahi died on November 5 after a long illness, according to press agent Viviana Andriani, who handled campaigns for several films sold by Panahi.
Iranian-born executive Panahi attended the Jeanne D’Arc French School in Tehran prior to the 1979 revolution. She moved to Belgium aged 12, where she studied journalism, and founded Celluloid Dealers in 1985.
The company was relaunched as Celluloid Dreams upon Panahi’s move to Paris in 1993. Over the following three decades...
- 11/9/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Groundbreaking French-Iranian sales agent and producer Hengameh Panahi, who represented a myriad of renowned Cannes and Venice prize-winning auteur directors, has died at the age of 67.
Paris-based press attaché Viviana Andriani, who handled press campaigns for a number of Panahi’s films, announced the news in a short communiqué.
She said Panahi had died on November 5 after bravely battling a long illness.
Panahi was a force to be reckoned with on the international film industry circuit, who launched dozens of renowned arthouse directors at the beginning of their careers and accompanied them as they won awards and fame.
Born in Iran, Panahi was sent to Belgium to complete her education as teenager.
She got her first big break in the film industry as head of international at Brussels-based animation studio Graphoui.
In an early sign of her flare for scouting promising talent, Panahi connected with John Lasseter and Tim Burton...
Paris-based press attaché Viviana Andriani, who handled press campaigns for a number of Panahi’s films, announced the news in a short communiqué.
She said Panahi had died on November 5 after bravely battling a long illness.
Panahi was a force to be reckoned with on the international film industry circuit, who launched dozens of renowned arthouse directors at the beginning of their careers and accompanied them as they won awards and fame.
Born in Iran, Panahi was sent to Belgium to complete her education as teenager.
She got her first big break in the film industry as head of international at Brussels-based animation studio Graphoui.
In an early sign of her flare for scouting promising talent, Panahi connected with John Lasseter and Tim Burton...
- 11/9/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To celebrate the release of Mark Cousins’ new documentary The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, a portrait of the Oscar-winning producer responsible for bringing to life films by David Cronenberg, Jonathan Glazer, Jim Jarmusch, Bernardo Bertolucci, Nagisa Ôshima, Jerzy Skolimowski, and many more, NYC’s Quad Cinema is fittingly paying tribute to his career with a fantastic retrospective.
“Jeremy Thomas Presents” kicks off today and runs through September 28 at Quad Cinema, with The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opening this Friday, September 22. As the retrospective commences, we’re pleased to exclusively share the trailer along with comments directly from Thomas looking back at the making of these iconic films.
Sexy Beast
I was sent a script with a Jonathan Glazer attached, called “Sexy Beast”. It was on a Friday night, and I read it over the weekend. The screenplay was brilliant, and on the Monday I bought it before anyone else could.
“Jeremy Thomas Presents” kicks off today and runs through September 28 at Quad Cinema, with The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opening this Friday, September 22. As the retrospective commences, we’re pleased to exclusively share the trailer along with comments directly from Thomas looking back at the making of these iconic films.
Sexy Beast
I was sent a script with a Jonathan Glazer attached, called “Sexy Beast”. It was on a Friday night, and I read it over the weekend. The screenplay was brilliant, and on the Monday I bought it before anyone else could.
- 9/18/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Amazon Prime Video has announced the Indian reboot of the popular 80s Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle, with actor and content creator Bhuvan Bam taking on a new role of a commentator. Bhuvan Bam will be providing a uniquely Indian perspective and add elements of fun and laughter as one of his most-loved characters – Titu Mama – from Bb Ki Vines.
Takeshi’s Castle is a cult classic game show that aired between 1986 and 1990 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). It features the Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi) as a count who owns a castle and sets up difficult physical challenges for players (or a volunteer army) to get to him. The show became a hit around the world, inspiring a genre of game shows involving physical challenges and painful entertainment, as well as other media1
Takeshi’s Castle Trailer
The show premiered in India on the Pogo Channel...
Takeshi’s Castle is a cult classic game show that aired between 1986 and 1990 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). It features the Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi) as a count who owns a castle and sets up difficult physical challenges for players (or a volunteer army) to get to him. The show became a hit around the world, inspiring a genre of game shows involving physical challenges and painful entertainment, as well as other media1
Takeshi’s Castle Trailer
The show premiered in India on the Pogo Channel...
- 9/14/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
An investigation by the U.N. Human Rights Council has concluded that the late Johnny Kitagawa, for decades the most powerful man in Japanese show business, abused hundreds of boys, and that the agency he founded has still not taken responsibility for the crimes.
Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the U.N. working group which visited Japan, also criticized the inaction of the government and said it needed to act as “the primary duty bearer to ensure transparent investigations of perpetrators and that victims obtain effective remedies.”
The working group “observed deeply troubling issues” across the Japanese media and entertainment industry, according to Pichamon, who said that the absence of codes and rules around workplace behavior contributed to a culture of “impunity for sexual violence and harassment.”
Born John Hiromu Kitagawa in Los Angeles to a Buddhist priest in 1931, Kitagawa went back and forth between L.A. and Tokyo in...
Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the U.N. working group which visited Japan, also criticized the inaction of the government and said it needed to act as “the primary duty bearer to ensure transparent investigations of perpetrators and that victims obtain effective remedies.”
The working group “observed deeply troubling issues” across the Japanese media and entertainment industry, according to Pichamon, who said that the absence of codes and rules around workplace behavior contributed to a culture of “impunity for sexual violence and harassment.”
Born John Hiromu Kitagawa in Los Angeles to a Buddhist priest in 1931, Kitagawa went back and forth between L.A. and Tokyo in...
- 8/8/2023
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hitoshi Ozawa as Torada, in Bad City. Courtesy of WellGoUSA
The subtitled Japanese crime flick, Bad City, delivers the goods on two essential counts – an atypically complex plot with a handful of switches and double-crosses, building to an adrenaline-satisfying series of hard-nosed fight sequences. This is the second feature from director Kensuke Sonomora, after nearly 20 years of steady stunt work, including many gigs as stunt coordinator or action director. Experience shows, as this film seems more cohesive and focused than his first crime drama, Hydra, while still dishing out the mayhem that motivates most potential viewers.
Disgraced police captain Torada (Hitoshi Ozawa) is granted parole by an idealistic prosecutor to go after the city’s most powerful tycoon/criminal, Gojo (Lily Franky), who’d just been undeservedly acquitted on racketeering charges. Gojo’s tentacles reach high into every branch of government and law enforcement, making regular attempts to nail him futile.
The subtitled Japanese crime flick, Bad City, delivers the goods on two essential counts – an atypically complex plot with a handful of switches and double-crosses, building to an adrenaline-satisfying series of hard-nosed fight sequences. This is the second feature from director Kensuke Sonomora, after nearly 20 years of steady stunt work, including many gigs as stunt coordinator or action director. Experience shows, as this film seems more cohesive and focused than his first crime drama, Hydra, while still dishing out the mayhem that motivates most potential viewers.
Disgraced police captain Torada (Hitoshi Ozawa) is granted parole by an idealistic prosecutor to go after the city’s most powerful tycoon/criminal, Gojo (Lily Franky), who’d just been undeservedly acquitted on racketeering charges. Gojo’s tentacles reach high into every branch of government and law enforcement, making regular attempts to nail him futile.
- 8/1/2023
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Pom Klementieff took inspiration from Bruce Lee and Clint Eastwood for her villain in 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One'.The 37-year-old star plays assassin Paris in the new action blockbuster as she attempts to kill Tom Cruise's hero Ethan Hunt and was guided by legends of cinema for the part.Speaking to Variety, Pom explained: "I watched movies with Bruce Lee, with Jackie Chan and some French movies as well, because it was not just about the fight and the physicality – it was also the way the character walks."I was inspired by movies with Jean-Paul Belmondo to find a cockiness to the character. And movies with Clint Eastwood, Takeshi Kitano, all these beautiful characters that barely speak but convey so many emotions as well."Pom explained how she spent years training for the stunts performed in the action franchise and had "manifested" a role in the picture.
- 7/17/2023
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
The whole world lost its mind at the turn-of-the-millennium, and it could be argued that sanity never returned. The dawn of the new century was a dark time, with fears over the dominance of tech creating mass hysteria (that now doesn't seem so hysterical). Despite this real-world panic, the years surrounding 2000 also happened to see a golden age in Asian cinema. It may not be an even tradeoff all things considered, but at least we had auteurs like Johnnie To, Park Chan-Wook, Takashi Miike, and Takeshi Kitano setting the tone for what 21st Century filmmaking could look like. The cyberpunk obsession of the time, reflected most potently in the Hong-Kong-and-anime-inspired “The Matrix”, also led to surge of interest in Woo-style kinetics and Asian sci-fi classics like “Akira” and “Ghost in the Shell”.
Now, more than two decades removed from the era's insanity, Y2K nostalgia has reached a fever pitch.
Now, more than two decades removed from the era's insanity, Y2K nostalgia has reached a fever pitch.
- 7/9/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
At one point in “Dead Or Alive 2: Birds,” two childhood friends who have reunited after decades of separation put on a wacky school play for a classroom of young students. They do silly voices and dance around in animal costumes. The children laugh, even as the performers make obscene gestures and simulate sex acts. The inappropriateness of it all doesn't seem to bother anyone–they're all having too much fun. As this is happening, a Yakuza-Triad gang war is breaking out in the city. Gangsters shoot and slash and brutalize one another. Killers defile their dead victims and bleeding men cry out for mercy.
This montage, like so much of “Birds,” is an encapsulation of Takashi Miike's many modes. It runs the gamut from wacky and tender to perverse and vicious, and this melding of styles makes it maybe the best entry point into an infamously scattershot filmography.
This montage, like so much of “Birds,” is an encapsulation of Takashi Miike's many modes. It runs the gamut from wacky and tender to perverse and vicious, and this melding of styles makes it maybe the best entry point into an infamously scattershot filmography.
- 7/2/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
Kyoto, Japan’s Otoboke Beaver are a force of nature onstage — four larger-than-life hardcore punks, blazing through sets with idiosyncratic wrath and sarcasm. But when they pop in for a translator-guided Zoom interview, they’re resting at their apartments between dates on a Japanese tour. Accorinrin, the band’s howling frontwoman, reclines in a fluffy robe with a bunny tail. Hirochan, the bassist, keeps apologizing for her buff-colored cat sauntering across the screen. Yoyoyoshie — the band’s guitarist, who has gotten Otoboke Beaver inexplicably banned from Instagram three times for...
- 6/26/2023
- by Zhenzhen Yu
- Rollingstone.com
This year's edition of Cannes film festival offered a number of high quality titles from Asia, both in competiton(s) and side bar programmes. One of the most awaited films was Takeshi Kitano's “Kubi” screened in Premiere section, in director's presence. Back to the samurai genre, 20 years after the critically acclaimed “Zatoichi” and with a period piece based on his own historic novel published in 2019, Kitano struggled to bring his characters close to the audience, but stayed faithful to the title by making many heads roll. “Kubi” (which was also the title of his novel) means “neck”, a beloved target of the samurai sword. This is allegedly the last film by “Beat”, if we take his statement before the festival kicked off seriously.
A year after his drama “Broker” brought Palme D'Or for Best Actor to Song Kang-ho, and five after he was awarded Palme D'Or for “Shoplifters”, Hirokazu Koreeda...
A year after his drama “Broker” brought Palme D'Or for Best Actor to Song Kang-ho, and five after he was awarded Palme D'Or for “Shoplifters”, Hirokazu Koreeda...
- 6/18/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
With a focus on diversity, “Nippon Connection” once more cements its position as the biggest Japanese cinema festival in Europe. The selection is as interesting as always, although the current state of Japanese cinema and the fact that Cannes take place pretty close to the festival, did not allow to include some of the biggest latest titles, such as the ones from Takeshi Kitano and Hirokazu Koreeda. Nevertheless, a number of gems are here once more, the articles of which are included in the list below.
Click on the titles for the full articles.
1. Single8 (2023) by Kazuya Konaka
A coming-of-age story veiled as a love-letter to movie-making, ‘Single8′ wears it passions on its sleeve, following its cast as they mature from avid enthusiasts to storytellers in their own right. Director Kazuya Konaka, of whose teenage years the film is based on, captures their passions and determination with an inquisitive zeal,...
Click on the titles for the full articles.
1. Single8 (2023) by Kazuya Konaka
A coming-of-age story veiled as a love-letter to movie-making, ‘Single8′ wears it passions on its sleeve, following its cast as they mature from avid enthusiasts to storytellers in their own right. Director Kazuya Konaka, of whose teenage years the film is based on, captures their passions and determination with an inquisitive zeal,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Text written on June 6, 2023 by Jean-Marc Thérouanne
Asia in the juries :
Franco-Afghan writer and director Atiq Rahimi was the only Asian member of the prestigious jury at the 76th Cannes Film Festival
Fench-Cambodian director Davy Chou was the only Asia-related member of the Un Certain Regard jury
Davy Chou
Shlomi Elkabetz was the only member of the short film jury and the Cinef with a connection to geographical Asia.
Asia in the selections:
Asia, from the Near to the Far East, was present with 31 features and 13 shorts in all the official and parallel sections of the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
In compétition :
– China: Youth (Spring) by Wang Bing
– Japan: Monster by Kore-eda Hirokazu,
Kim Dong-ho, Hirokazu Koreeda
– Turkey: About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan,
and The Pot-au-feu by French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung and Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, set in Japan.
Out of compétition :
– Korea: Cobweb by Kim Jee-won,...
Asia in the juries :
Franco-Afghan writer and director Atiq Rahimi was the only Asian member of the prestigious jury at the 76th Cannes Film Festival
Fench-Cambodian director Davy Chou was the only Asia-related member of the Un Certain Regard jury
Davy Chou
Shlomi Elkabetz was the only member of the short film jury and the Cinef with a connection to geographical Asia.
Asia in the selections:
Asia, from the Near to the Far East, was present with 31 features and 13 shorts in all the official and parallel sections of the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
In compétition :
– China: Youth (Spring) by Wang Bing
– Japan: Monster by Kore-eda Hirokazu,
Kim Dong-ho, Hirokazu Koreeda
– Turkey: About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan,
and The Pot-au-feu by French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung and Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, set in Japan.
Out of compétition :
– Korea: Cobweb by Kim Jee-won,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has now concluded, with Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall taking home the top honors. While our coverage will continue with a few more reviews this week––and far beyond as we provide updates on the journey of these selections––we’ve asked our contributors on the ground to share favorites.
See their picks below, and explore all of our coverage here.
Leonardo Goi (@LeonardoGoi)
The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki) Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Pham Thien An) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese) The Sweet East (Sean Price Williams) Eureka (Lisandro Alonso) About Dry Grasses (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) Close Your Eyes (Víctor Erice) Un Prince (Pierre Creton) Kubi (Takeshi Kitano)
Luke Hicks (@lou_hicks)
The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) The Pot-au-Feu (Tran Anh Hung) Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet) Killers of the Flower Moon...
See their picks below, and explore all of our coverage here.
Leonardo Goi (@LeonardoGoi)
The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki) Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Pham Thien An) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese) The Sweet East (Sean Price Williams) Eureka (Lisandro Alonso) About Dry Grasses (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) Close Your Eyes (Víctor Erice) Un Prince (Pierre Creton) Kubi (Takeshi Kitano)
Luke Hicks (@lou_hicks)
The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) The Pot-au-Feu (Tran Anh Hung) Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet) Killers of the Flower Moon...
- 5/31/2023
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
A project that’s reportedly been in gestation for 30 years, so long that Akira Kurosawa once expressed huge hopes for its success before he died, Kubi is a labor of love.
Billed in its press materials as “the latest film by Takeshi Kitano” but hopefully not the veteran director’s last, it marks Kitano’s return to the samurai genre for the first time since 2003’s Zatoichi (a.k.a. The Blind Swordsman). The latter did modestly solid business in its day for an international film, and it will be interesting to see if Kitano, practically a national treasure in Japan, still has the same pull across Asian territories as he used to, let alone across the Pacific and beyond.
But regardless of any box-office performance, this challenging, extremely violent, ravishing-looking, intricately plotted adaptation by Kitano of his novel is of interest for its fresh take on a musty genre.
Billed in its press materials as “the latest film by Takeshi Kitano” but hopefully not the veteran director’s last, it marks Kitano’s return to the samurai genre for the first time since 2003’s Zatoichi (a.k.a. The Blind Swordsman). The latter did modestly solid business in its day for an international film, and it will be interesting to see if Kitano, practically a national treasure in Japan, still has the same pull across Asian territories as he used to, let alone across the Pacific and beyond.
But regardless of any box-office performance, this challenging, extremely violent, ravishing-looking, intricately plotted adaptation by Kitano of his novel is of interest for its fresh take on a musty genre.
- 5/25/2023
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Takeshi Kitano, arguably Japan’s most recognizable entertainer, has weighed in on the sexual abuse scandal that has shaken the country’s multibillion-dollar media landscape.
Since March, a long-delayed reckoning has been brewing in the country’s entertainment industry. For decades, rumors of rampant sexual abuse had swirled around Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates (locally known as just “Johnny’s”), Japan’s dominant talent agency for young male stars. But it wasn’t until the BBC aired an in-depth documentary examining the allegations — Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-pop — that Japanese media have begun to cautiously cover the scandal. In recent weeks, several other male idols have come forward with allegations that they were sexually assaulted by Kitagawa when they were boys, and the company’s current management has issued an unprecedented apology.
The Hollywood Reporter asked Kitano for his thoughts on the growing outcry during an...
Since March, a long-delayed reckoning has been brewing in the country’s entertainment industry. For decades, rumors of rampant sexual abuse had swirled around Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates (locally known as just “Johnny’s”), Japan’s dominant talent agency for young male stars. But it wasn’t until the BBC aired an in-depth documentary examining the allegations — Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-pop — that Japanese media have begun to cautiously cover the scandal. In recent weeks, several other male idols have come forward with allegations that they were sexually assaulted by Kitagawa when they were boys, and the company’s current management has issued an unprecedented apology.
The Hollywood Reporter asked Kitano for his thoughts on the growing outcry during an...
- 5/25/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For three decades, filmmaker Takeshi Kitano was fixated on a period of Japanese history, in which Lord Oda Nobunaga was inexplicably betrayed by one of his closest allies, Akechi Mitsuhide, in an ambush at Honno-ji Temple. The reasons behind Mitsuhide’s deception are unknown, but Kitano dedicated years to concocting his own theories, going so far as to pen a novel imagining the events that led to the incident.
Adapted from his own book, “Kubi” is an outrageously exhilarating update of the samurai epic, dialing up the blood and guts and sprinkling in the sick humor to match.
Continue reading ‘Kubi’ Review: Takeshi Kitano Stages A Blood-Soaked Samurai Epic [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Adapted from his own book, “Kubi” is an outrageously exhilarating update of the samurai epic, dialing up the blood and guts and sprinkling in the sick humor to match.
Continue reading ‘Kubi’ Review: Takeshi Kitano Stages A Blood-Soaked Samurai Epic [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2023
- by Iana Murray
- The Playlist
In the early ’90s, Japan’s Takeshi “Beat” Kitano was on a roll, with a superb string of nuanced crime movies that stood in stark contrast to the good-vs.-evil bullet operas that were coming out of Hong Kong at the time. Kitano’s darkly funny cynicism (who else could have made Violent Cop?) made him stand out by miles, but it soon became his weakness, as became evident in the lean period after the success of Zatoichi in 2013. The experimental, semi-autobiographical trilogy that followed — Takeshis’, Glory to the Filmmaker and Achilles and the Tortoise — seemed to offer little more than self-sabotage, the work of a frustrated artist trying to take a blowtorch to his populist image without much thought for the future.
The collateral damage was his international reputation, which took a hit to the extent that his next trilogy, the Outrage series, generally was received as the half-hearted work of a bored auteur.
The collateral damage was his international reputation, which took a hit to the extent that his next trilogy, the Outrage series, generally was received as the half-hearted work of a bored auteur.
- 5/24/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
For all their grisly mayhem, the earliest films by Takeshi Kitano all demonstrated a keen grasp of negation. Violence was an omnipresent fixture of his first crime capers––from Violent Cop (1989) to Fireworks (1997)––but it unfolded in hiccups. The director enjoyed trading in tantalizing elisions, and his most gruesome scenes would often leave the action offscreen, offering a set-up and aftermath while cutting the most dramatic moments––an approach that would become more frequent after A Scene at the Sea (1991), the first feature he’d edit himself. It was as if Kitano had realized the most visceral shots were those left on the cutting room floor and proceeded to fashion those early projects on an iceberg principle: prodding one to imagine the bloodletting without ever displaying it in full. It was a style predicated on absence; it made the violence all the more vivid, the films all the more original.
- 5/23/2023
- by Leonardo Goi
- The Film Stage
“Kubi” has been on Kitano Takeshi’s (Aka Beat Takeshi) mind for so long that Kurosawa Akira was still alive to comment on it. In 1993, the legendary filmmaker predicted: “When Kitano directs this film, it will surely rival my own ‘Seven Samurai’.” Unfortunately, it’s one of the few times in his later life that Kurosawa was flat-out wrong, though Kitano’s long-in-the-works “Kubi” isn’t entirely without merit.
A re-imagining of real events in the late 16th century, the film’s eye-popping, blood-soaked vistas are a marvelous sight, as are a number of its era-specific details, and its handful of striking moments of queer samurai imagery. However, for the most part, Kitano’s tale of ambition and beheadings — many, many beheadings — loses nearly all momentum in its second half, before settling into a rote, repetitive rhythm.
Oda Nobunaga was considered the first “great unifier” of Japan, and he’s...
A re-imagining of real events in the late 16th century, the film’s eye-popping, blood-soaked vistas are a marvelous sight, as are a number of its era-specific details, and its handful of striking moments of queer samurai imagery. However, for the most part, Kitano’s tale of ambition and beheadings — many, many beheadings — loses nearly all momentum in its second half, before settling into a rote, repetitive rhythm.
Oda Nobunaga was considered the first “great unifier” of Japan, and he’s...
- 5/23/2023
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Indiewire
This could be the year African cinema conquers Cannes. The 76th festival has more Africa-set features in the official selection than ever, including two in competition — Four Daughters from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin) and Banel & Adama, the debut feature from Senegalese-French filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy. Then there’s Omar la Fraise, an Algeria-set Midnight Screening entry from Elias Belkeddar, starring Reda Kateb and Benoît Magimel, and four Un Certain Regard titles: Moroccan films Les Meutes from Kamal Lazraq and the documentary The Mother of All Lies from Asmae El Moudir; Omen, the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese hip-hop artist Baloji; and Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia, the first Sudanese film to screen on the Croisette.
The selection ranges across genres and cinematic styles. Omar la Fraise is a crime comedy that draws inspiration from the films of Sergio Leone and Takeshi Kitano in its story...
The selection ranges across genres and cinematic styles. Omar la Fraise is a crime comedy that draws inspiration from the films of Sergio Leone and Takeshi Kitano in its story...
- 5/17/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On paper, the 76th Cannes Film Festival looks like an embarrassment of riches, assembling no shortage of big guns in terms of major-name filmmakers.
Pretty much every list of hotly anticipated titles will be topped by Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, an epic Western crime drama based on David Grann’s nonfiction book about the murder of Indigenous Americans on tribal land in 1920s Oklahoma. Likewise, it seems redundant to include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, given the legions of fans already jostling to watch Harrison Ford crack the whip one last time in James Mangold’s conclusion of the beloved action-adventure franchise.
New works from celebrated filmmakers are simply too numerous to cram into a rundown of just ten titles, so their absence here should not be misinterpreted as lack of interest.
That includes Ken Loach’s story of tensions caused by the arrival...
Pretty much every list of hotly anticipated titles will be topped by Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, an epic Western crime drama based on David Grann’s nonfiction book about the murder of Indigenous Americans on tribal land in 1920s Oklahoma. Likewise, it seems redundant to include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, given the legions of fans already jostling to watch Harrison Ford crack the whip one last time in James Mangold’s conclusion of the beloved action-adventure franchise.
New works from celebrated filmmakers are simply too numerous to cram into a rundown of just ten titles, so their absence here should not be misinterpreted as lack of interest.
That includes Ken Loach’s story of tensions caused by the arrival...
- 5/16/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSThe Cannes Classics lineup was announced last week, and with it comes news of the premiere of Jean-Luc Godard’s posthumous, 20-minute-long short Phony Wars. Dubbed “a trailer of the film that will never exist,” the film has a short teaser courtesy of Saint Laurent Productions.Adèle Haenel (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) wrote a letter to the magazine Telerama about her decision to retire from acting. In an English-language excerpt, via the Guardian, she writes: “I decided to politicize my retirement from cinema to denounce the general complacency of the profession towards sexual aggressors and more generally the way in which this sphere collaborates with the mortal, ecocidal, racist order of the world such as it is.”Harmony Korine will receive the Pardo d’onore Manor,...
- 5/10/2023
- MUBI
Legendary Japanese actor-director Takeshi Kitano returns to the Croisette for the first time this year since 2010, when his film “Outrage” competed for the coveted Palme d’Or. And while “Kubi,” Kitano’s latest directorial effort, may premiere out of competition at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival this month, The Film Stage still think it’ll be a festival highlight.
Read More: Cannes Critics’ Week 2023 Lineup: New Films From Jason Yu, Amanda Nell Eu & More
Based on the director’s 2019 novel, “Kubi” tells the story of the real-life Honno-ji Incident and the assassination of Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto in 1582.
Continue reading ‘Kubi’ Teaser: Takeshi Kitano’s Epic War Film Premieres Out Of Competition At Cannes Later This Month at The Playlist.
Read More: Cannes Critics’ Week 2023 Lineup: New Films From Jason Yu, Amanda Nell Eu & More
Based on the director’s 2019 novel, “Kubi” tells the story of the real-life Honno-ji Incident and the assassination of Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto in 1582.
Continue reading ‘Kubi’ Teaser: Takeshi Kitano’s Epic War Film Premieres Out Of Competition At Cannes Later This Month at The Playlist.
- 5/5/2023
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
One of our most-anticipated films in the Cannes Film Festival 2023 lineup is the latest work from Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. “Kubi,” set to debut in the Cannes Premiere section and marking his first film since 2017’s “Outrage Coda,” has been on the filmmaker’s mind for the last thirty years, initially developing it around 1993’s “Sonatine.” The first trailer has now arrived ahead of the premiere and a subsequent Japanese release this fall.
Based on the director’s own novel, which was released in 2019, the period epic will follow the real-life Honno-ji Incident, in which famed warlord Oda Nobunaga was assassinated at a temple in Kyoto in 1582. Starring Asano Tadanobu, Nishijima Hidetoshi, and Kase Ryo, the film was originally reported to be the 76-year-old director’s final feature, but that sounds like it won’t be the case.
Based on the director’s own novel, which was released in 2019, the period epic will follow the real-life Honno-ji Incident, in which famed warlord Oda Nobunaga was assassinated at a temple in Kyoto in 1582. Starring Asano Tadanobu, Nishijima Hidetoshi, and Kase Ryo, the film was originally reported to be the 76-year-old director’s final feature, but that sounds like it won’t be the case.
- 5/4/2023
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.