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Hotel Aporia

Ho Tzu Nyen's Hotel Aporia features a cast of historical figures from Japan's interwar period, including World War Two kamikaze pilots, philosophers of the Kyoto School, filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu, and animator Ryuichi Yokoyama. They were all caught up in the heady mix of Japan's militant nationalism, anti-modernism, and cultural propaganda. Letters and correspondence between the artist and his Japanese collaborators, the writers Tomoyuki Arai and Yoko Nose, form the narrative basis of the work. Experimenting with the epistemological and affective capacities of animation, Ho superimposes animation images of featureless faces onto found footage clips from Ozu's fiction films and Ryuichi Yokoyama's animation propaganda films. This is a single-screen cinematic presentation of Hotel Aporia. Its original form, first presented at the Aichi Trienanle, is a video installation projecting layers of animation and hybrid-animation images onto multiple screens within a heritage building.

Hotel Aporia

NR 2019
Turep ~Looking for "Children of the Sea"~

Labelled with the titles "Marine Mammal", "Ocean", "Life", "Myth", "Dialogue", and "Universe", six tapes containing video recordings of interviews with renown experts have been left behind by a man who has disappeared. The man's younger sister ascertains the man has gone to Micronesia. This is a hybrid documentary and drama combining real interviews and a fictional framing narrative, produced by STUDIO4°C as a tie-in with their animated movie of the comic "Children of the Sea" by Igarashi Daisuke.

Turep ~Looking for "Children of the Sea"~

NR 2019
Koi

There's no definitive separation as long as there is memory'. Since the Tsunami hit the northern part of Japan's coast in 2011, more than 20 thousand people lost their lives, and many others are still missing. As time went by the families of the victims abandoned all hope and stopped looking for their loved ones. However, this is the story of two men that are still fully committed to their respective searching activities. Even though their backgrounds are extremely different, both share a strong force of will and firmly wish to keep alive the memories of the ones that went missing. Perseverance is what pushed an ex-convict to look for redemption by helping the victims' families to find the remains of their loved ones, and perseverance is what brought a bus driver to start to dive in order to search for his wife.

Koi

7.8 2019
Kiki Kirin's Life

This documentary follows the last days of actress KIKI Kirin, who passed away on September 15, 2018. The documentary is the first long-term, in-depth coverage of Ki-kin, and is a re-edited version of the NHK documentary of the same title that was broadcast on September 26, 2006, adding previously unseen footage. She was loved all over Japan for her blunt remarks, her attentive concern for those around her, and her overflowing sense of humor. Despite her busy schedule, she valued her daily life and had her own unique style, even though she talked about life as it came. This film captures the last days of her life and gives us hints for living from her "life as it comes" and her many inspiring words.

Kiki Kirin's Life

NR 2019
Sleeping Village

In 1961, a spectacular criminal case shocks Japan: at what became known as the “Nabari Poison Wine” incident, five people lose their lives at a village social gathering. One of the attendants, Masaru OKUNISHI, is made out as the main suspect. Rumor has it that he wanted to kill his wife and his lover in order to end his extra-marital affair. After being questioned by the police for days, he signs a confession, only to withdraw it soon afterwards. Nonetheless, he is sentenced to death and all pleas for a retrial are denied.

Sleeping Village

6.7 2019
Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams

Baseball is life for the die-hard competitors in Koshien, Japan’s national high school baseball championship, whose alumni include US baseball stars Shohei Ohtani and former Yankee Hideki Matsui. As popular as America’s World Series, the stakes are beyond high in this single-elimination tournament. For Coach Mizutani, cleaning the grounds and greeting guests are equally important as honing baseball skills, however, demonstrating discipline, sacrifice and unwavering dedication. Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki follows Mizutani and his team on their quest to win the 100th annual Koshien, and, in the process, goes beyond baseball to reveal the heart of the Japanese national character.

Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams

6.0 2019
Living in a Corner: Director Sunao Katabuchi's Work

On October 28, 2019, director Sunao Katabuchi walks the red carpet of the Tokyo International Film Festival with the lead actress of "In This Corner of the World". About three years have passed since the release of the movie "In This Corner of the World" which started in November 2016. There were many stage greetings held all over Japan, participation in overseas film festivals, and animation production with thorough research and overwhelming commitment to the completion of "and Other Corners".

Living in a Corner: Director Sunao Katabuchi's Work

NR 2019
The Songs of Studio Ghibli

This program will give you an up-close look at some of the studio’s most famous films along with the music of STUDIO GHIBLI that continues to have multi-generational appeal. Songs are performed by popular J-pop stars and artists who have worked with STUDIO GHIBLI over the years. Treat yourself to fun and moving performances that pay homage to your favorite STUDIO GHIBLI films, hear rare stories about Hayao Miyazaki, and learn about the history of Isao Takahata and how he became one of Japan’s greatest treasures. Filmed at Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum’s Ghibli Expo -From Nausicaä to Marnie- exhibition, this 45-minute program is jam-packed with the magic of STUDIO GHIBLI, including famous scenes from your favorite STUDIO GHIBLI works.

The Songs of Studio Ghibli

NR 2019
Yuriy Norshteyn: Making the Overcoat

Yuriy Norshteyn, Russia’s most renowned animator, has crafted many brilliant works, including his award-winning Tale of Tales and Hedgehog in the Fog. He is revered by animation creators across the globe, most notably Japanese masters Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Forty years ago, Norshteyn began work on an ambitious adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s The Overcoat, but after completing 25 minutes of the film, the project stalled and has been shelved for many years. A crew visits Norshteyn’s studio and finds there mountains of sketches, character studies and a shooting table covered with dust. Norshteyn himself talks about its current status and the anguish and passion that has gone into its creation.

Yuriy Norshteyn: Making the Overcoat

NR 2019
No Smoking

A documentary about Haruomi Hosono, a musician respected around the world and the music composer of Cannes Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters. The footage traces his encounter with music in early childhood to his days in bands Happy End and YMO to his solo activities. It also includes in-depth coverage from recent years of his first overseas performances in London, New York and Los Angeles. In London, he was joined by Yukihiro Takahashi, and when Ryuichi Sakamoto made a surprise appearance onstage, the YMO members were reunited for the first time in five years, a must-see spectacle captured on film. Written by Nikkatsu

No Smoking

7.0 2019
Kampai! Sake Sisters

Sake is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Japan and is otherwise known as rice wine. Women were prohibited from entering the many large and small sake breweries dotting Japan for centuries. However, times have changed and women are present on the sake scene today. In several cases, they are integral to the Japanese brewery business. The documentary depicts women who are not only enthusiasts, but also leaving their marks on the evolution of this Japanese mainstay.

Kampai! Sake Sisters

8.0 2019
Planet of the Crabs

TOKYO HIGH TIDE director Murakami Hiroyasu returns to the Tama River estuary to document Yoshida Tadayoshi, who has been conducting independent observations of crabs over a 15-year period. The camera's relentless focus on crabs brings to light a world not visible to the naked eye. The mud flats of the Tama River are home to a wide variety of crabs. Yoshida makes regular visits to these mud flats and records his observations on crab ecology. The film reveals the surprising behavior of crabs through fieldwork documenting Yoshida and the mud flats.

Planet of the Crabs

NR 2019
From Palestine to Fukushima

What does a Palestinian who was forced into exile by the establishment of the State of Israel and experienced the loss of home and family by bombing see in Fukushima, an area where residents have been exiled from their homeland by the nuclear power plant accident? The recipient of the “Alternative Nobel Peace Prize”, a Palestinian Human Rights Attorney, examines the commonalities of “Palestine” and “Fukushima” through a trip to Iitate Village and conversations with former residents of the village.

From Palestine to Fukushima

NR 2019
What Can You Do About It?

When filmmaker Yoshifumi Tsubota learns about his slightly autistic uncle who lives alone, he decides to visit him. Drawn to his uncle’s unique personality, he begins to roll his camera as he visits him over the years. Tsubota himself had been diagnosed with a developmental disability and so understanding his uncle is also an act of understanding himself. Through intimate and personal footage, this charming film is gem of a documentary that also highlights contemporary social issues surrounding aging and social care for the disabled.

What Can You Do About It?

7.0 2019
Hibari Misora Concert: ‘The Phoenix: Hibari Misora in Tokyo Dome’

To mark the 30th anniversary of the ‘Phoenix Concert’ at Tokyo Dome, a deluxe 4-disc box set is now available! The audio on the DVDs and CDs has been remastered, and the bonus DVD features multi-angle footage of the performances, an extended version of the mini-documentary ‘The Road to Tokyo Dome’, and interviews with those involved in the Tokyo Dome concert. This is the long-awaited deluxe edition of the ‘Phoenix Concert’, a gift for all fans of Hibari Misora and Japanese pop music.

Hibari Misora Concert: ‘The Phoenix: Hibari Misora in Tokyo Dome’

NR 2019
Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan

The Ainu are the indigenous people of Japan. Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, was previously called Ainumosir, or land of the Ainu. Ainu traditions are facing a critical situation; the latest survey revealed that the Ainu population is less than 20,000 people in Hokkaido, and UNESCO has recognized the language as ‘critically endangered.’ This documentary was filmed in Biratori town in Hokkaido, where many people with Ainu roots still live. It is also known as the hometown of the late Shigeru Kayano, who contributed greatly to the field of research on Ainu culture.

Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan

NR 2019