A brief update to the announcement I posted last Friday about new pink film musical Underwater Love (Onna no Kappa,『おんなの河童』) directed by Imaoka Shinji and shot by legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle.
I received the first set of press notes yesterday after visiting the set in Ibaraki Prefecture. I thought Twitch Film would be the best place to get details out, so you can read all about it in its baffling glory here.
Despite a low budget (though higher than the usual pinku eiga production!), Underwater Love has some very special locations and sequences in store. Yesterday took me two hours outside of Tokyo to a small rural factory situated next to Kasumigaura Lake, complete with quaint old fishing boats and a log pier.
As I tweeted yesterday, Underwater Love is the most surreal set I've ever been on. Watching Chris Doyle work under the blazing hot sun was inspiring, and only added to the strange beauty of what transpired.
Imagine, if you will: Doyle and his crack pink film crew capture three kappa (including a female one), a buxom vixen, a Rastafarian-inspired "God of Death" and a group of rubber-aproned female fish factory workers as they do a goofy para para dance routine to music by Stereo Total playing on a cheap boom box on the grass in front of expansive green lotus fields.
I'll be writing more impressions of my set visit along with some great photos, which again will be posted on Twitch first.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Japan Cuts / Shinsedai Cinema Festival / Japan Film Festival Singapore
With Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a multitude of other self-promotion tools I don't highlight a lot of J-film events on the blog anymore, but here's a brief roundup of a few exciting looking festivals.
The following trailer for JAPAN CUTS Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema (July 1-16) impressed me, as did this year's 24-title lineup.
With the New York Asian Film Festival kicking off tomorrow (June 25-July 8) it'll be a three week J-film moriawase in NYC. Also check out NYAFF's own kaiju-inspired trailer.
In my old stomping grounds of Toronto, literally walking distance from where I grew up, the second edition of the Shinsedai Cinema Festival (July 22-25) kicks off in just under a month. The films are programmed by my old cohort Jasper Sharp and Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow blogmaster Chris Magee. Tickets are on sale now.
For those based in Asia, the Japanese Film Festival Singapore takes place from August 19-29. The lineup should be announced very soon, after which I'll update this entry.
The following trailer for JAPAN CUTS Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema (July 1-16) impressed me, as did this year's 24-title lineup.
With the New York Asian Film Festival kicking off tomorrow (June 25-July 8) it'll be a three week J-film moriawase in NYC. Also check out NYAFF's own kaiju-inspired trailer.
In my old stomping grounds of Toronto, literally walking distance from where I grew up, the second edition of the Shinsedai Cinema Festival (July 22-25) kicks off in just under a month. The films are programmed by my old cohort Jasper Sharp and Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow blogmaster Chris Magee. Tickets are on sale now.
For those based in Asia, the Japanese Film Festival Singapore takes place from August 19-29. The lineup should be announced very soon, after which I'll update this entry.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Christopher Doyle to shoot pink film musical
Over the past couple of years I've heard bits and pieces about a pink film musical to be directed by Imaoka Shinji, co-funded by Kokuei and German film distribution company Rapid Eye Movies as their first venture into production (R.E. is run by one of the nicest guys in the film industry, Stephan Holl).
Last year Alex Zahlten of Nippon Connection let it slip that legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle was well up for the job and just waiting for everything to be sorted out. After many revisions of the screenplay (more like page-one rewrites), many of them translated by Dr. Alex, things are now settled and the shoot will go ahead later this month in Tokyo. Additionally, good friend Tom Mes of Midnight Eye had a hand in the draft that eventually became the shooting script.
Congratulations to everyone for getting this cinematic craziness off the ground!
Here's the mini-press release from Rapid Eye Movies:
Dear friends,
I am proud to announce that principal photography of
Kokuei/Rapideyemovies coproduction
UNDERWATER LOVE(working title)
starts June 25th till July 1st
in and nearby Tokyo.
The film marks rapideyemovies first venture into production
and Kokuei's more then 500th feature film in its 50(!) anniversary year.
Directed by Imaoka Shinji, shot by Christopher Doyle, Music by Stereo Total,
The film will be completed winter 2010.
I will keep you posted
With warm regards,
Stephan Holl
Last year Alex Zahlten of Nippon Connection let it slip that legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle was well up for the job and just waiting for everything to be sorted out. After many revisions of the screenplay (more like page-one rewrites), many of them translated by Dr. Alex, things are now settled and the shoot will go ahead later this month in Tokyo. Additionally, good friend Tom Mes of Midnight Eye had a hand in the draft that eventually became the shooting script.
Congratulations to everyone for getting this cinematic craziness off the ground!
Here's the mini-press release from Rapid Eye Movies:
Dear friends,
I am proud to announce that principal photography of
Kokuei/Rapideyemovies coproduction
UNDERWATER LOVE(working title)
starts June 25th till July 1st
in and nearby Tokyo.
The film marks rapideyemovies first venture into production
and Kokuei's more then 500th feature film in its 50(!) anniversary year.
Directed by Imaoka Shinji, shot by Christopher Doyle, Music by Stereo Total,
The film will be completed winter 2010.
I will keep you posted
With warm regards,
Stephan Holl
Friday, June 11, 2010
Debate on suppression of The Cove finally begins in earnest
I was going to add a second update to my June 3rd entry on the cancellation of The Cove's Tokyo screenings but the developments of the past few days really deserve their own post.
Finally, the controversy over The Cove has moved away, or rather graduated from, being about dolphin hunts and other specifics of the film to a larger debate on censorship and suppression. This happened in large part due to Shinoda Hiroyuki, chief editor of a media-centric monthly publication entitled Tsukuru (月刊 『創』). Shinoda organized a June 9 screening in Nakano of The Cove which was seen by some 600 attendees. The event was summarized in this AP article. Despite a police presence, there were no protests to be heard, just some peaceful pamphleteering. I spend a fair amount of time in Nakano but can't ever recall seeing gaisensha roll down Nakano-dôri.
Prior to the screening, a list of prominent journalists, scholars, artists and filmmakers signed a petition against the suppression of the film -- an issue altogether separate from whatever each signee may have thought of the The Cove personally. The list (Japanese only) was reproduced on the blog of talented documentary filmmaker Sôda Kazuhiro (Campaign, Mental), whose own name is included.
Earlier today, The Japan Times reported in more depth about the views expressed after the screening including those of well-known rightist Suzuki Kunio of Issui-kai, an org you may remember from the hooplah over Yasukuni (see my April 19 2008 entry). I have to give Suzuki credit for the common sense he displayed:
This will probably be the last entry I write about The Cove as the issue is being tracked by the international media now. I look forward to tweeting positive announcements about upcoming screenings and would like to say a big otsukaresama deshita to friend Miyuki Takamatsu at Unplugged for sticking with this effort from the very beginning.
Finally, the controversy over The Cove has moved away, or rather graduated from, being about dolphin hunts and other specifics of the film to a larger debate on censorship and suppression. This happened in large part due to Shinoda Hiroyuki, chief editor of a media-centric monthly publication entitled Tsukuru (月刊 『創』). Shinoda organized a June 9 screening in Nakano of The Cove which was seen by some 600 attendees. The event was summarized in this AP article. Despite a police presence, there were no protests to be heard, just some peaceful pamphleteering. I spend a fair amount of time in Nakano but can't ever recall seeing gaisensha roll down Nakano-dôri.
Prior to the screening, a list of prominent journalists, scholars, artists and filmmakers signed a petition against the suppression of the film -- an issue altogether separate from whatever each signee may have thought of the The Cove personally. The list (Japanese only) was reproduced on the blog of talented documentary filmmaker Sôda Kazuhiro (Campaign, Mental), whose own name is included.
Earlier today, The Japan Times reported in more depth about the views expressed after the screening including those of well-known rightist Suzuki Kunio of Issui-kai, an org you may remember from the hooplah over Yasukuni (see my April 19 2008 entry). I have to give Suzuki credit for the common sense he displayed:
If [rightists] can't forgive the movie (for disgracing Japan,) they should let everybody see the movie and say 'See, this movie is horrible.' Not letting people watch the movie is anti-Japanese."
This will probably be the last entry I write about The Cove as the issue is being tracked by the international media now. I look forward to tweeting positive announcements about upcoming screenings and would like to say a big otsukaresama deshita to friend Miyuki Takamatsu at Unplugged for sticking with this effort from the very beginning.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Tokyo release of "The Cove" cancelled indefinitely
Just now I received a press release from the Japanese distributor of The Cove (『ザ・コーヴ』) stating that it has cancelled plans to launch the film's national run at Theater N Shibuya (シアターN渋谷) on June 26.
The reason for the last-minute cancellation was stated as follows:
「度重なる抗議の電話が劇場にあったこと」
"Repeated phone calls to the cinema protesting the film's release"
「抗議による街宣活動の予告が劇場及び本社・日本出版販売(株)宛てにされたこと」
"Advance notice of protests [upon the film's release] addressed to the cinema and its parent company Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan)"
If you hold an interest in modern Japanese culture you may know that one of the greatest fears of any business here is to cause meiwaku (bother, annoyance) to surrounding companies, merchants or residents, even if it's no "fault" of their own (quotation marks implying it cannot not be their fault).
As tiny as Theater N Shibuya is (two screens, one with 75 seats, the other 102), it was nonetheless the launch pad for the film's rollout release across the country. When a film has trouble securing a screen in Tokyo, where most of its web and print media will be generated, it's very difficult to carry on elsewhere.
Nonetheless, Unplugged president Takeshi Kato has vowed to continue working on getting the film out there to the public. He had endured gaisensha (right-wing propaganda trucks) roving outside his personal residence before a recent court order stopped them.
Ric O'Barry, a key figure behind the The Cove and in the film itself, is scheduled to visit Japan on June 8th, which will go ahead as planned.
On a personal note, I'm very disappointed about this development, particularly after the May 19 article I wrote for Screen (subscription only) about the film's release going ahead. Both because a friend has worked so hard to get The Cove into cinemas and secondly because I despise suppression of any kind of creative work. Flawed and arguably hypocritical as it is, The Cove could've sparked a very healthy debate among Japanese people. There was some good discussion in the comments section of my previous entry about the film on April 21.
Update: Just got word from the distributor that screenings have also been cancelled at Cinemart Roppongi and Cinemart Shinsaibashi (Osaka). It's looking as if the biggest mouth is winning in this case. Sad.
The reason for the last-minute cancellation was stated as follows:
「度重なる抗議の電話が劇場にあったこと」
"Repeated phone calls to the cinema protesting the film's release"
「抗議による街宣活動の予告が劇場及び本社・日本出版販売(株)宛てにされたこと」
"Advance notice of protests [upon the film's release] addressed to the cinema and its parent company Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan)"
If you hold an interest in modern Japanese culture you may know that one of the greatest fears of any business here is to cause meiwaku (bother, annoyance) to surrounding companies, merchants or residents, even if it's no "fault" of their own (quotation marks implying it cannot not be their fault).
As tiny as Theater N Shibuya is (two screens, one with 75 seats, the other 102), it was nonetheless the launch pad for the film's rollout release across the country. When a film has trouble securing a screen in Tokyo, where most of its web and print media will be generated, it's very difficult to carry on elsewhere.
Nonetheless, Unplugged president Takeshi Kato has vowed to continue working on getting the film out there to the public. He had endured gaisensha (right-wing propaganda trucks) roving outside his personal residence before a recent court order stopped them.
Ric O'Barry, a key figure behind the The Cove and in the film itself, is scheduled to visit Japan on June 8th, which will go ahead as planned.
On a personal note, I'm very disappointed about this development, particularly after the May 19 article I wrote for Screen (subscription only) about the film's release going ahead. Both because a friend has worked so hard to get The Cove into cinemas and secondly because I despise suppression of any kind of creative work. Flawed and arguably hypocritical as it is, The Cove could've sparked a very healthy debate among Japanese people. There was some good discussion in the comments section of my previous entry about the film on April 21.
Update: Just got word from the distributor that screenings have also been cancelled at Cinemart Roppongi and Cinemart Shinsaibashi (Osaka). It's looking as if the biggest mouth is winning in this case. Sad.
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