Below is a still-wet press release outlining some of the exciting films and events scheduled to happen at this year's
Nippon Connection. At least two films on my Best of 2009
list are set to unspool. If you're anywhere near Europe, or even if you're not, you owe it to yourself to check out this fantastic festival.
Nippon Connection – Preview on the Festival Program10th Japanese Film Festival in Frankfurt/Main
April 14-18, 2010
The preparations for the 10th anniversary of Nippon Connection Film Festival are moving into high gear. From April 14-18, 2010, more than 150 new short and feature films from Japan accompanied by a wide cultural program will again find their way to Frankfurt. Once more, the biggest festival for Japanese cinema worldwide will show what has recently moved the screens in Japan. We can already announce the first highlights of this year’s film and cultural programs.
With THE BLOOD OF REBIRTH, directing talent Toshiaki TOYODA (BLUE SPRING, 9 SOULS) has delivered a restless film filled with power of expression. His latest work takes on several elements from his earlier films and not only demonstrates the wide repertoire of styles but also the special sense for music that this impressing director is endowed with. Dynamic as usual we find Takashi MIIKE (ICHI THE KILLER, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO), whose remarkably high artistic output still does not ebb down. In his manga adaptation CROWS II, school gangs clash continually in wild fights and leave the audience no rest. Miwa NISHIKAWA’s (WILD BERRIES, SWAY) DEAR DOCTOR is an unpretentious, intelligently narrated portrait of an impostor, caring for the old as a doctor in the countryside, but disappearing suddenly. In OH, MY BUDDHA, a coming of age-story set in the Japan of the seventies, star actor Tomorowo TAGUCHI (TETSUO, GOHATTO) not only acts in front of the camera, but has also taken a seat on the director’s chair for the second time. In the same way, Koji YAKUSHO, likewise ranked among Japan’s top actors after various roles in prize-winning films such as THE EEL, SHALL WE DANCE? or BABEL, has brilliantly mastered the task of working in front and behind the camera in his directing debut TOAD’S OIL. In his film, he combines elements of tragedy and comedy and presents an unusual approach to the sensitive topic of dying. With ZERO FOCUS, a suspense drama set in post-war Japan, Isshin INUDOU (LA MAISON DE HIMIKO), winner of the Nippon Cinema Award 2007, again participates in the contest for our audience award. The latest production from Michael Arias (TEKKON KONKREET), HEAVEN’S DOOR, is a Japanese remake of the Til Schweiger film KNOCKIN‘ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR. The genre of Japanese animation film will also be present again at Nippon Connection. In CHOCOLATE UNDERGROUND by Takayuki HAMANA, a group of children sided with underground fighters rebels against a fascist military regime that causes despair by prohibiting the consumption of chocolate. For the sixth time, all premiere films in the Nippon Cinema program are eligible for the Nippon Cinema Award, endowed with 2,000 Euros and sponsored by Bankhaus Metzler.
As every year, the supporting program of Nippon Culture will offer a variety of impressions and have numerous special guests. Artists from Japan will give proof of the vitality of Japanese culture by their creative use of traditional art forms. Among others, one particularly fine style of artisanry – the woodcut art of mokuhanga – will be shown in an exclusive presentation. A number of woodcuts can be seen in a complementary exhibition. Kodan, the Japanese art of narration, also constitutes an old tradition. It will be presented in a live performance as well as in a workshop, opening the chance for active participation.
In cooperation with JVTA (Japanese Visual Media Translation Academy), Nippon Culture gives an introduction to the dubbing and sub-titling of Japanese films and series. In the various settings of a lecture, a workshop and a live performance, internationally renowned voice actor Crispin Freeman (GHOST IN THE SHELL, HELLSING) will show his skills and answer questions.
The 10th Nippon Connection Film Festival will again be topped off with many events such as interviews with film-makers, lectures and panel discussions, where the audience can amend impressions from the films. Festival classics such as a karaoke bar, a ramen stand, a Japanese tea lounge, shiatsu massage, a video game hall, parties and concerts will offer a variety of options to relax after a long festival day.
For its 10th anniversary, the festival program will also contain some special surprises. In cooperation with Luminale Frankfurt, a video installation combined with an illumination of the festival center and its adjacent buildings will create a highly aesthetic atmosphere. Nippon Retro will bring back selected film highlights of former festivals, taking a look at an exciting time. An exhibition, organized in cooperation with Galerie Station at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, will present a cross section of Nippon Connection’s graphic designs, which have received many awards, ranging from posters, program brochures and t-shirts to trailers and post cards.
This year, we are again expecting more than 16,000 visitors. Even with its continuous growth, Nippon Connection is still organized on a voluntary basis by the Nippon Connection registered association.
The complete program of the 10th Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival will be announced at the beginning of March.
Locations: Students’ House/Bockenheim Campus (festival center), Orfeos Erben Cinema, Mal Seh‘n Cinema, Galerie Station/Künstlerhaus Mousonturm.
