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Mr. Zhang Believes

Zhang Xianchi is a man thrown into the Cultural Revolution and its afterimage, plunged into the ideological deadlocks of the era and suffering its consequences beyond it. Born into a family that supports the nationalist Kuomintang, Zhang eventually became a leftist and joined the Communist Party. But his family’s background eventually catches up with him, and in a series of bureaucratic measures, he is labelled as a Rightist, leading to a slew of irrational yet life-affecting consequences. His story is told through an exhilarating hybrid of forms, blending documentary-styled interviews and spectral theatrical displays within an ever-mutating studio-space. Hypnagogic in its imagery and ironic in attitude, Mr. Zhang Believes is a tour-de-force treatise of a man caught within dogmatic political maneuverings, which it critiques indirectly with creative and stoic fervour.

Mr. Zhang Believes

8.2 2015
Through Nobu’s Eyes: A First-Person Account of the Great Kantō Earthquake

The Great Kantō Earthquake is said to be the worst natural disaster in the history of Japan. When disaster struck on September 1st, 1923, a woman called Nobu managed to survive by fleeing desperately all while caring for her two small children. What did she see? What actions did she take? Her decision making during her evacuation is still relevant in present day and can help shed light on what actions to take to save your life should a large disaster strike without warning.

Through Nobu’s Eyes: A First-Person Account of the Great Kantō Earthquake

7.0 2023
Wind. 1′40″

Impressionistic silent short film (also known as ‘Kaze. Ippun yonjûbyô’) created by 17-year-old high school student Shinozuka Tsutomu. The animation, which won the Debut Prize at the inaugural Hiroshima International Animation Festival in 1985, shows a group of samurai racing at breathtaking speed across golden meadows. The film stands out for its visceral sense of motion and extraordinary dynamism, as has been confirmed by jury member Kawamoto Kihachirō, who noted that you can almost feel the force of the wind. The focus on ‘wind’, speed and warriors elegantly evokes a famous military maxim by Sun Tzu: ‘Your swiftness shall resemble the wind’. It is the first of four tenets of Fūrinkazan (風林火山, lit. ‘Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain’), a legendary Japanese battle standard drawn from Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’. Warriors should also be ‘as calm and orderly as forests, as fierce as fire, and as steadfast as mountains’.

Wind. 1′40″

NR 1985
Prince of Roses -The Man Led by the Crown-

The War of the Roses (1455-1485), a turning point in the history of England, where the Lancasters and the House of York divided the domestic princes and knights between them in a power struggle. Henry Tudor (later Henry VII), a Lancaster through his mother's line, finally wins. This begins the Tudor dynasty and lays the foundation for modern England. Henry VII, who lived between the times of Richard III and Henry VIII, has been regarded as a mysterious person. As a member of the Lancaster family (the red roses), he was drawn into conflict with Edward IV and Richard III of the York family (the white roses). This work depicts a man thinking of his mother and the expectations of his friends throughout his life, as he aimed for peace in England and the throne.

Prince of Roses -The Man Led by the Crown-

NR 2021
Zun Yi Conference

The film recounts a pivotal chapter in Chinese revolutionary history: the Zunyi Conference held from January 15 to 17, 1935, in Zunyi, Guizhou. During this meeting, the Chinese Communist Party corrected the military errors of Wang Ming’s “leftist” leadership and began establishing Mao Zedong’s Marxist line as the guiding force within the Party. This turning point helped save the Party, the Red Army, and the revolution itself. The film is structured into five key segments: The Great Retreat from the Soviet Base, The Bloody Battle at the Xiang River, Zunyi at Dawn, Crossing the Dadu River, and The Triumphant Meeting in Northern Shaanxi. In the dramatic Dadu River crossing scene, 17 Red Army soldiers brave the treacherous current, with two tragically falling into the river—highlighting the courage and sacrifice that defined this historic journey.

Zun Yi Conference

NR 2016
Ooku 3 Special ~ Women of the Bakumatsu Era ~

In the grand ballroom of Edo Castle. The 13th shogun, Tokugawa Iesada (Kitamura Kazuki), and Atsuko (Kanno Miho) are about to hold a wedding ceremony. Behind the seemingly luxurious and lavish party, there is a complicated political situation between the shogunate and the Satsuma clan. A secret engagement with Katsuaki Togo (Ryuji Harada),a marriage acceptance on the orders of Shimazu Nariakira (Hirotaro Honda), the feudal lord of the clan. An onlooker of this farce from the sidelines with mixed feelings Takiyama (Asano Yuko). The mistreatment by the palace ladies Kuzuoka (Machiko Washio), Yoshino (Kaori Yamaguchi) and Urao (Maki Kubota), Hatsushima (Tae Kimura).The retainers Yukie (Hoshino Mari) and Matsunosuke (Kaneko Takatoshi). The poisoning of Keifuku (Kamiki Ryunosuke). Was it really the handiwork of the Hitotsubashi faction, which wanted to prevent Keifuku from succeeding as Shogun? Or...! Then a surprising fact is revealed.

Ooku 3 Special ~ Women of the Bakumatsu Era ~

9.0 2004
Falsely Accused

An Original Video Animation (OVA) released in 2 Parts based on the PC game of the same name. The protagonist is Guys, a young boy from a poor family, who gets caught for stealing candy from a Paris store. However, after being railroaded by a city detective named Guildias, Guys finds himself accused, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man he never met. From that point on, most Enzai takes place inside a dark, claustrophobic, dirty prison, in there, Guys experiences humiliation and torture of various kinds, much of it involving sexual acts such as rape and forcible sodomy.

Falsely Accused

8.0 2004
The Absent Stranger

At the funeral of her husband, grandma Xiu-ying looks not sad and even hangs out with her childhood sweetheart Chi happily like a girl. Astonished by her behavior, her grandson Yu-chen and his pregnant wife Jie-ru worry about her and brings her back to Taipei. After living together, they find Xiu-ying’s memory and behavior even more strange and diagnosed with Dementia. The doctor explains Xiu-ying may fall into memory at any time, so if they want to understand how to comfort Xiu-ying’s fear and aggression, they need to know more about her relationship with her husband or other close males. However, just when Yu-chen and Jie-ru are still busy building their new life and trying to understand more about grandma, Xiu-ying not only attacks her caretaker and insists accompany Chi only.

The Absent Stranger

NR N/A
The Lord of Ayuthaya

In the mid-18th century, Thailand's King Textron was defending his Ayuthaya Kingdom as he fought against the Myanmar invasion. At the same time, his wife Queen Taya was having a secret affair with the swordsman Chai, who may actually be a Myanmar traitor intending on toppling the Ayuthayans from within the palace. Filled with dazzling swordplay action and epic battle scenes, THE LORD OF AYUTHAYA is a stirring account of one of Thailand's most famous battle in history

The Lord of Ayuthaya

6.5 2004
The Shadowless Pagoda

On the eighth of April of King Gyoeng-deok's 10th year of the reign of the Unified Silla Period, Guseulagi, a daughter of Yu Jong, joins the king's parade to Bulguksa Temple, where she meets a stonemason named Asadal from Buyeo. Having a crush on him, she visits Sakyamuni Pagoda, a masonic site; only to find that Asadal had broken down from exhaustion. While she takes care of him, her love for him grows. But Asadal misses his wife who is waiting for him in Buyeo. Meanwhile, Geum Seong who has a crush on Guseulagi, asks his father, Geum Ji, to propose on behalf of him. But Yu Jong is so dissatisfied with Geum Ji because he is a treacherous subject, that he turns down the proposal, instead of hurrying up his daughter's marriage with Gyeongsin, a faithful subject. Asanyeo who has been waiting for her husband Asadal in Buyeo goes to Bulguksa Temple after her father-in-law had died.

The Shadowless Pagoda

6.3 1957
Raiders of the Jade Empire

China, as we know it today, would not exist without the Han Dynasty. About two millenniums ago, its emperors ruled for over 400 years, and yet, few visible remains of this period exist above ground. Underground, however, it's a different story. Join a team of archaeologists as they enter the royal tombs of three emperors spanning the reign of the Han Dynasty. By excavating these sites, they hope to further our knowledge of their wealth, their beliefs, their quest for immortality, and how their culture and philosophy shaped modern China.

Raiders of the Jade Empire

NR 2015
The Poem of Love and Revolution ~Andrea Chénier~

This is the story of a poet who lived at the time of the French Revolution. The poet's name was Andrea Chénier. He lived and died amongst love and bloodshed. The numerous words of truth spun by this revolutionary poet became poems for eternity. Even today, they continue to shine light on the hopes that rest in people's hearts. The tidal wave of the times, when everyone believes that the ideal kind of society has arrived, will in time move in the wrong direction. Ironically, Andrea and Maddalena will be joined together by a thing called love. Idealism, which has been pushed to the forefront of reality, is toying with Gérard's life. Before long, a raging torrent that provides an omen of the tragedy to come will overwhelm all three of them.

The Poem of Love and Revolution ~Andrea Chénier~

10.0 2013
The 12th Tokyo May Day

On May 1st, unions all over Japan celebrate May Day, the international day for workers. Workers gather together at parks and hold demonstrations and parades. May Day has its origins in a strike that occurred in the United States on May 1, 1886, a strike that called for an eight-hour workday. Prokino recorded the May Day every year from 1927 to 1932. Among these films, this work is the only one that has survived. However, only its first part has survived. The original film depicts the march to the Ueno Park where the rally was dismissed. Iwasaki Akira coordinated the entire Tokyo Prokino organization as it photographed the 1931 May Day celebrations. They shot in both 16mm and 35mm (other 35mm productions were planned, but this is the only one that achieved completion). A 16mm print was circulated around the countryside by mobile projection units, and a 35mm print was shown at Soviet film nights in Tokyo and Osaka.

The 12th Tokyo May Day

NR 1931
Man in Hanbok

Jang Yeong-sil, a genius scientist, rises from slavery to the rank of jong sam pum (Senior Third Rank) thanks to King Sejong's favor, but after the palanquin incident of 1442, he disappears completely from historical records. Where did he go? In 20th-century London, a painting by Rubens titled "Man in Hanbok" appears in an auction at Christie's. The identity of this unknown Asian figure painted by Rubens traces back to the era of King Sejong in the 15th century. Though born a slave, Jang Yeong-sil possessed exceptional brilliance. However, he receives an order from Ming China demanding that he be executed or handed over to them. With King Sejong's help, he escapes by joining the Ming explorer Admiral Zheng He on a voyage to Europe and even meets the Pope in Italy. But Jang's belief that the world is round is deemed heretical, and the Pope orders his execution. Fleeing for his life, Jang reaches Florence alone, where he encounters a seven-year-old Leonardo da Vinci.

Man in Hanbok

NR 2026