Tag: Festivals

Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh Announces Lineup for First Ever Online Edition

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Originally scheduled to take place in physical form for the very first time this year, the Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh has reconfigured itself as an online event showcasing a host of underseen classics from throughout the island’s cinematic history.

Taiwanese Hokkien-Language Cinema 

The Husband’s Secret (1960), dir. Lin Tuan-Chiu

A happily married woman tries to help a school friend who has fallen on hard times after becoming a single mother, but the situation is complicated when it turns out the father of her friend’s baby is actually her husband…

Six Suspects (1965), dir. Lin Tuan-Chiu

Stylishly shot noirish pro-police crime movie in which a blackmailer is offed leaving a series of suspects all annoyed by him because of his capacity to expose their dodgy dealings in the increasingly amoral post-war economy. Review.

The Bride Who Has Returned From Hell (1965), dir. Hsin Chi

Gothic mystery based on Mistress of Mellyn in which an entrepreneur believes that his wife has drowned after trying to elope with another man whose body was found after a boating accident along with a woman’s purse while she remains absent…

A Borrowed Hong Kong, the Imagined China in Taiwan, and Trans-regional Cinema 

A City Called Dragon (1970), dir. Tu Chun-Hsun

Sumptuous Taiwanese wuxia starring A Touch of Zen’s Hsu Feng as a revolutionary who ventures to the capital to meet up with a comrade and retrieve a secret map, only she later learns that he along with his whole family has already been executed…

Four Moods (1970), dir. Li Han-Hsiang, Pai Ching-Jui, Li Hsing, King Hu

Four-part portmanteau movie featuring folklore-themed contributions from Li Han-Hsiang, Pai Ching-Jui, Li Hsing, and King Hu.

Melodrama Divas

Where the Seagull Flies (1974), dir. Li Hsing 

A Taiwanese journalist encounters three identical young women but they each disappear right after he falls in love with them. In Hong Kong she is a woman attempting suicide after killing her husband, in Singapore a Filipina bar hostess, and in Taipei his younger sister’s uni friend. After discovering her identity and that she likes to play tricks on men, he plots his revenge…

Cheerful Wind (1981), dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Early idol drama from Hou Hsiao-Hsien starring Fong Feifei as an independent young woman working in advertising who falls for Kenny Bee’s blind musician. Review.

Taiwan New Cinema and Its Legacy

The Sandwich Man (1983), dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Tseng Chuang-Hsiang, Wan Jen

Tripartite portmanteau film inspired by the short stories of Huang Chun-Ming and exploring the changes in Cold War Taiwanese society. Features contributions by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Tseng Chuang-Hsiang, and Wan Jen.

Kuei-Mei, a Woman (1985), dir. Chang Yi 

Melodrama inspired by the Xiao-Sa novel in which the heroine, Kuei-Mei escapes the Mainland for Taiwan to live with her cousin but is married off to a widowed Chinese refugee who already has three children and a massive gambling addiction leaving her with no choice other than to seek a better life in Japan.

When Love Comes (2010), dir. Chang Tso-Chi

A young woman living with her two mothers, father, uncle, and grandfather comes to understand more about her family when she is abandoned by her boyfriend after becoming pregnant.

God Man Dog (2007), dir. Chen Singing 

A hand model suffering from post-natal depression, a bereaved indigenous couple, their daughter in the city, and a one-legged man driving a giant Buddha bus, are brought together by a stray dog. Review.

Midi Z Selection

Jade Miners (2015), dir. Midi Z

Midi Z’s first documentary focusses on the jade miners continuing to work against the back drop of the continuing conflict with the Kachin Independence Organization which had brought the industry to a halt.

Ice Poison (2014), dir. Midi Z

When economic forces render his farm unviable, an old man sells his cow to buy a motorcycle for his son so he can make money taking people into town but he ends up becoming involved in drug trafficking to help a woman trying to bring her child back to Myanmar after being tricked into marriage in China.

The Palace on the Sea (2014), dir. Midi Z

Experimental short in which a Buddhist monk tries to free the ghost of a woman from a floating restaurant.

Docs: Exploring Diversity in Pursuing the Taiwanese Identity 

How Deep is the Ocean (2000), dir. Tang Hsiang-Chu

Documentary following a young man from the Tao indigenous minority who returns home to Orchid island after pursuing a better life on the Mainland.

Out/Marriage (2012), dir. Nguyen Kim-Hong

Documentary following a Vietnamese woman who came to Taiwan to marry but endured years of domestic abuse before escaping and becoming a single-mother to her son.

The Mountain (2015), dir. Su Hung-En 

Documentary following the director’s grandfather, Teymu Teylong, a hunter from an indigenous community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmszPEGFf54

The Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh will take place online from 18th to 27th September with all films streaming for free! Full details are available via the official website and you can also keep up with the festival via the official Facebook Page and Twitter account.

New York Asian Film Festival Confirms Lineup For 2020 Virtual Edition

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Shifting from its usual spot in the early summer, New York Asian Film Festival becomes the latest to go online partnering with the Smart Cinema app to bring another fantastic selection of recent East Asian hits to homes around the US from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12.

The programme in full (titles in italics included in “Uncaged” competition):

Bhutan

  • Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom – a frustrated teacher is dismayed to learn he’s being sent to a remote mountain outpost but is eventually won over by the kids. Review.

China

  • Gone With the Light – sci-fi drama starring Huang Bo in which ordinary citizens mysteriously disappear in a flash of light.
  • Mr. Miao – animated historical adventure aimed at adults in which a team of martial artists faces an ethical dilemma caused by a plant which corrupts those who come close to it but only attracts kindhearted people.

Hong Kong Panorama

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York

  • Chasing Dream – two crazy kids chase the Chinese Dream in the ring and on the stage in Johnnie To’s completely absurd but infinitely charming musical MMA rom-com. Review.
  • My Prince Edward – a young woman begins to consider her choices when her controlling boyfriend proposes and she’s forced to deal with the fallout from a sham marriage she entered into years earlier in Norris Wong’s humorous exploration of contemporary relationships. Review.
  • Hell Bank Presents: Running Ghost – supernatural horror comedy.
  • The Grand Grandmaster – martial arts New Year comedy. 
  • Legally Declared Dead – HK adaptation of Yusuke Kishi’s novel The Black House in which an insurance broker descends into paranoia after suspecting a client has faked his son’s suicide to collect on a policy.
  • Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down – four stories from contemporary Hong Kong.
  • Unleashed – boxing revenge drama starring Sam Lee.
  • A Witness out of the Blue – Louis Koo is a criminal mastermind on the run after a botched robbery while an eccentric cop tries to crack the case with the help of its only surviving witness – a parrot!

Indonesia

  • Abracadabra – charming family film in which a magician who’s lost faith in magic accidentally makes a child “disappear” and has to go on the run to figure out how to get them back.

Japan

  • Family Bond – a big hearted carpenter’s desire to help a single-mother doesn’t go down well with his family or apprentice.
  • A Beloved Wife – an unsuccessful screenwriter is henpecked by his understandably irate sake-guzzling wife in this autobiographical take on a toxic marriage. Review.
  • Miyamoto – sequel to a TV drama directed by Tetsuya Mariko (Destruction Babies) starring Sosuke Ikematsu as a shy salesman who falls for Yu Aoi’s office worker.
  • Dancing Mary – a jaded civil servant is awakened to the meaning of being alive through communing with the dead in SABU’s melancholy lament for an increasingly soulless society. Review.
  • Forgiven Children – societal bullying becomes a spiralling vortex of pain and anger in Eisuke Naito’s raw examination of the consequences of hate and the impossibility of redemption. Review.
  • One Night – drama from Kazuya Shiraishi in which grown-up siblings attempt to process the traumatic night that broke their family apart. 
  • Beneath the Shadow – friendship drama starring Go Ayano and Ryuhei Matsuda in which an introverted young man makes friends with a co-worker who abruptly disappears.
  • They Say Nothing Stays the Same – second directorial effort from actor Joe Odagiri following 2009’s 64-minute Looking for Cherry Blossoms shot by Christopher Doyle and starring Akira Emoto as a Meiji-era boatman about to be eclipsed by a bridge who rescues a young woman from the water.

Kazakhstan

  • Tomiris – historical epic inspired by the legendary Kazak warrior queen.

Malaysia

  • Geran – martial arts drama showcasing Malaysian Silat in which two men try to find their younger brother and bring him home after he runs off with a land grant
  • Soul (Roh) – A single-mother and her two children find themselves beset by darkness after taking in a little girl who wandered out of the jungle in Ezwan’s atmospheric folk horror. Review.
  • Victim(s) – Nothing is as it first appears in Layla Zhuqing Ji’s thorny interrogation of a bullying society. Review.

Philippines

  • The Girl and the Gun – a saleswoman finds a gun on her doorstep and decides to use it to take revenge on a patriarchal society.
  • John Denver Trending – A teenage boy becomes the subject of a witchhunt after a video of him beating up a classmate goes viral on Facebook in Condez’s heartbreaking exploration of growing up in the post-truth internet age. Review.

SOUTH KOREA

Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Center New York

  • Secret Zoo – a rookie lawyer comes up with an innovative solution when he’s randomly sent to work in a zoo and discovers that actually it has no animals. 
  • Hitman: Agent Jun – action comedy in which a hitman retires to become a webtoon artist.
  • Forbidden Dream –  historical drama from Hur Jin-ho inspired by the life of legendary king Sejong
  • Lucky Chan-sil – film producer Chan-sil finds herself unemployed after the director she’d been working with suddenly dies, taking a job as a cleaning lady for an actress and bonding with a handsome French teacher.
  • Baseball Girl – sports drama following a young woman’s quest to become the first female player in the majors
  • Beasts Clawing at Straws – darkly humorous thriller in which a collection of desperate people are connected by a missing bag full of cash.
  • Beauty Water – animation in which a woman who believes herself ugly tries an experimental treatment to make herself beautiful.
  • Moving on – family drama in which a teenage girl moves in with her grandfather and divorced aunt after the breakup of her parents’ marriage
  • Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 – feminist drama following an ordinary woman’s path into middle-age in a fiercely patriarchal society.

SF8 Series: An anthology of eight science fiction films: 

  • The Prayer (Min Kyu-dong, 2020)
  • Empty Body (Kim Ui-seok, 2020)
  • Love Virtually (Oh Ki-hwan, 2020)
  • White Crow (Jang Cheol-soo, 2020)
  • Blink (Han Ga-ram, 2020)
  • Baby It’s Over Outside (Ahn Gooc-jin, 2020)
  • Joan’s Galaxy (Lee Yoon-jung, 2020)
  • Manxin (Noh Deok, 2020)

Taiwan

  • Wild Sparrow – a mother takes her 12-year-old son with her to the city so he can attend school but is forced into a series of degrading jobs and relationships in order to make ends meet.
  • Detention – Two teens try to fight their way out of the nightmare of the White Terror in John Hsu’s dramatisation of the hit video game. Review.
  • IWeirDO – madcap OCD rom-com shot on an iPhone.
  • Heavy Craving – a lunch lady hoping to lose weight strikes up unexpected friendships with a deliveryman and cross-dressing student. Review.
  • The Gangs, the Oscars and the Walking Dead – madcap comedy in which two aspiring filmmakers end up making a zombie film with a gangster who insists that his wife play the leading role. Review.
  • Dear Loneliness – an introverted bookseller quietly supports his customers through the art of letter writing.
  • Miss Andy – a transgender woman takes in a woman and her child after they escape from an abusive relationship.

Vietnam

  • Rom – a 14-year-old boy hopes to earn enough money to reunite with his parents through running lottery numbers while living a precarious existence in a rundown tenement.

Full details regarding ticket pricing and purchasing procedure will be announced shortly via the official website while the movies will be available to stream within the US via the Smart Cinema app for iOS, Android, and Smart TVs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12. You can also keep up with all the latest festival news via the official Facebook Page and Twitter account.

Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2020 Programme

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Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival returns for 2020 in an online edition bringing the latest genre hits from around the world to homes across Canada 20th August to 2nd September. As usual the programme features another fantastic selection of movies from East Asia both new and old.

China

  • Sheep Without a Shepherd – blockbuster Chinese remake of Indian thriller Drishyam in which a movie buff’s daughter accidentally kills a schoolmate who has powerful parents.

Hong Kong

  • Baby: Secret Diary of a mom to be – a high-flying PR executive wrestles with the idea of having it all when she suddenly becomes pregnant.
  • Chasing Dream – stylish romance from Johnnie To in which a boxer and singer fight for their respective dreams. Review.
  • A Hero Never Dies – Johnnie To classic from 1998 in which two noble hitmen find themselves at the mercy of the nihilistic underworld
  • Legally Declared Dead – HK adaptation of Yusuke Kishi’s novel The Black House in which an insurance broker descends into paranoia after suspecting a client has faked his son’s suicide to collect on a policy.
  • SPL Kill Zone – first in Wilson Yip’s SPL series starring Donnie Yen as a cop clashing with Sammo Hung’s gang boss.
  • Witness Out of the Blue – Louis Koo is a criminal mastermind on the run after a botched robbery while an eccentric cop tries to crack the case with the help of its only surviving witness – a parrot!

Japan

  • Air Doll – Kore-eda classic starring Bae Doona as a sex doll come to life.
  • Crazy Samurai Musashi – samurai action drama featuring the long-awaited return of Tak Sakaguchi.
  • Fly Me to the Saitama – absurdist comedy in which the residents of Saitama have become an oppressed minority. Review.
  • Fukuchan of Fukufuku Flats – quirky comedy from Yosuke Fujita about a cheerful man whose fear of women is challenged when an old friend returns.
  • HK: Forbidden Superhero – 2013 low-budget comedy from Yuichi Fukuda in which a nervous young man turns into a superhero after putting ladies knickers on his face.
  • HK2: The Abnormal Crisis – 2016 sequel in which the hero’s girlfriend is getting fed up with his underwear shenanigans.
  • Kakegurui – adaptation of the popular manga set in a school where heirarchy is determined by skill at gambling. Review.
  • Labyrinth of Cinema – final film from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which three youngsters find themselves lost in the movies. Review.
  • Life: Untitled – Kana Yamada adapts her own stage play set in the office of a Tokyo escort service. Review.
  • Milocroze: A Love Story – cult quirky comedy from 2011 starring Takayuki Yamada.
  • Monster Seafood Wars – comedic tokusatsu in which the son of a sushi shop’s experiments to solve world hunger through making foodstuffs giant has unexpected results.
  • No Longer Human – Mika Ninagawa’s dramatisation of the final days of Osamu Dazai along with the three women who inspired him: his wife, his mistress, and the woman he finally died with.
  • Project Dreams: How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar – employees at an engineering firm attempt to draft the hangar from the legendary mecha anime.
  • Special Actors – meta-narrative from One Cut of the Dead‘s Shinichiro Ueda in which a shy aspiring actor joins an unusual agency where he’s asked to play a part in other people’s “real life”. Review.
  • Tezuka’s Barbara – Macoto Tezka adapts the manga by his famous father in which a novelist (Goro Inagaki) becomes obsessed with a woman he picks up off the street (Fumi Nikaido). Review.
  • Travelling Cat Chronicles – tearjerking drama in which a young man goes on a road trip looking for someone to take care of his cat.
  • Woman of the Photographs – An isolated photographer’s life of stillness is interrupted by the arrival of a beautiful dancer in Takeshi Kushida’s gentle meditation on desire and reality. Review.
  • Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku – Yuichi Fukuda musical comedy adapted from the popular manga.

Korea

  • Beauty Water – animation in which a woman who believes herself ugly tries an experimental treatment to make herself beautiful.
  • Bring Me Home – a nurse’s tireless search for her missing son takes her to a fishing village with a dark secret.
  • Jesters: The Game Changers – Joseon-era street entertainers get into trouble for spreading fake news in a period drama from The Grand Heist’s Kim Joo-ho.
  • Me and Me – directorial debut from actor Jung Jin-young in which a policeman wakes up one day to discover he’s someone else.
  • My Punch-Drunk Boxer – a former boxer picks up the rhythms of pansori.
  • Vertigo – a young office worker is rescued from her sense of existential vertigo by the gentle presence of a chivalrous window washer. Review.

Taiwan

  • Detention – horror-inflected video game adaptation dramatising the trauma of the “White Terror” martial law era. Review. 
  • I WeirDo – madcap OCD rom-com shot on an iPhone.

Vietnam

  • Rom – a 14-year-old boy hopes to earn enough money to reunite with his parents through running lottery numbers while living a precarious existence in a rundown tenement.

The films will be available to stream in Canada from 20th August to 2nd September. “Tickets” for each film are limited in number comparable to the size of a physical auditorium and while much of the programme is available on demand selected films will stream live only. Full details for all the films are available via the the official website, and you can also keep up with all the latest news via the festival’s official Facebook page, Twitter account,  Instagram, and Vimeo channels.

Fantasia Confirms Second Wave of Titles for 2020 Virtual Edition

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Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival is the latest to head online in these troubled times and will bring its trademark brand of diverse genre cinema to homes across Canada from August 20 to September 2. With the second wave of the lineup now announced, here’s a look at how the East Asian selection is shaping up ahead of the full programme reveal on Aug. 6:

Japan

  • Crazy Samurai Musashi – samurai action drama featuring the long-awaited return of Tak Sakaguchi.
  • Labyrinth of Cinema – final film from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which three youngsters find themselves lost in the movies.
  • Life: Untitled – Kana Yamada adapts her own stage play set in the office of a Tokyo escort service. Review.
  • Project Dreams: How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar – employees at an engineering firm attempt to draft the hangar from the legendary mecha anime.
  • Special Actors – meta-narrative from One Cut of the Dead‘s Shinichiro Ueda in which a shy aspiring actor joins an unusual agency where he’s asked to play a part in other people’s “real life”. Review.
  • Tezuka’s Barbara – Macoto Tezka adapts the manga by his famous father in which a novelist (Goro Inagaki) becomes obsessed with a woman he picks up off the street (Fumi Nikaido). Review.

Korea

  • Beauty Water – animation in which a woman who believes herself ugly tries an experimental treatment to make herself beautiful.
  • Jesters: The Game Changers – Joseon-era street entertainers get into trouble for spreading fake news in a period drama from The Grand Heist’s Kim Joo-ho.
  • Me and Me – directorial debut from actor Jung Jin-young in which a policeman wakes up one day to discover he’s someone else.
  • My Punch-Drunk Boxer – a former boxer picks up the rhythms of pansori.
  • Vertigo – a young office worker is rescued from her sense of existential vertigo by the gentle presence of a chivalrous window washer. Review.

Taiwan

  • Detention – horror-inflected video game adaptation dramatising the trauma of the “White Terror” martial law era. Review. 
  • I WeirDo – madcap OCD rom-com shot on an iPhone.

This year’s festival will be entirely digital with all titles available to stream across Canada from August 20 to Sept. 2. Further details along with the full programme will be announced on August 6.

Queer East Announces Docs4Pride Free Streaming Series

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Following the success of QE: HomeSexual, Queer East returns with another online streaming series marking this year’s Pride. Four LGBTQ+ docs will stream for free throughout July with all except for Of Love & Law which is restricted to UK & Ireland available worldwide.

July 3 – 10: Out Run

2016 documentary following Bemz Benedito as she leads Philippine LGBTQ+ political party Ladlad hoping to become the first transwoman to be elected to congress.

July 10 – 17: Shanghai Queer

Documentary focussing on grassroots activism in Shanghai sharing memories of the LGBTQ+ community from 2003 – 2018 featuring interviews with frontline activists, scholars, and artists.

July 17 – 24: Taipeilove*

Taipeilove* charts the course towards the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Taiwan through interviews with key activists, lawmakers, and ordinary queer people.

July 24 – 31: Of Love & Law (UK & Ireland only)

Hikaru Toda’s infinitely warm documentary following Love Hotel’s Kazu and Fumi who run Japan’s only LGBTQ+ law firm representing the marginalised in a largely conservative, conformist society. Review.

Each of the films will be available to stream for free for one week only via Queer East’s website and Vimeo channel. You can also keep up with all the latest festival news by following Queer East on Facebook,  Twitter,  Instagram, and YouTube.

Japan Cuts Announces Lineup for Online 2020 Edition

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The latest festival to head online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Japan Cuts has unveiled another characteristically packed programme of recent Japanese cinema hits (plus a few retro classics) available to stream within the US July 17 – 30.

Feature Slate

  • Extro – mockumentary in which a 64-year-old dental technician tries to fulfil a life long dream as a jidaigeki extra
  • Fukushima 50 – real life drama starring Koichi Sato and Ken Watanabe inspired by the workers who stayed behind to mitigate the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
  • It Feels So Good – Steamy drama from Haruhiko Arai starring Tasuku Emoto as a young man retreating to his hometown where he reconnects with an old flame (Kumi Takiuchi) in the days before her wedding to another man.
  • Labyrinth of Cinema – final film from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which three youngsters find themselves lost in the movies.
  • Mrs. Noisy – a blocked writer blames all her problems on the noisy woman next-door in Chihiro Amano’s quiet plea for a little more understanding. Review.
  • My Sweet Grappa Remedies – latest from Akiko Ohku in which a lonely middle-aged woman finds love and friendship with the help of an outgoing colleague. Review.
  • On-Gaku: Our Sound – award-winning animation in which a trio of bored high school students decide to start a band.
  • Special Actors – meta-narrative from One Cut of the Dead‘s Shinichiro Ueda in which a shy aspiring actor joins an unusual agency where he’s asked to play a part in other people’s “real life”.
  • Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (Tora-san #50) – loving tribute to the classic Tora-san series
  • Voices in the Wind – a young woman travels back to her hometown in search of the famous “wind telephone” which has become a beacon of hope for those bereaved by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Next Generation

  • Beyond the Night – a brooding outsider connects with a young woman trapped in an abusive marriage.
  • Kontora – a young woman uses her grandfather’s wartime diary to look for buried treasure in Ansul Chauhan’s Bad Poetry Tokyo followup. Review.
  • Life: Untitled – Kana Yamada adapts her own stage play set in the office of a Tokyo escort service.
  • The Murders of Oiso – the everyday lives of four construction workers in a small town are thrown into disarray by the murder of their former teacher.
  • My Identity – a Taiwanese-Japanese teenager flees Tokyo with a harassed office worker.
  • Roar – parallel stories of violence in which a young man becomes involved with a vagrant paid to beat people up, while a radio host tries to fend off the aggressive attention of her boss.
  • Sacrifice – a former cult member who predicted the 2011 earthquake continues to have mysterious visions, while her classmate begins to suspect that another student is responsible for a murder.

Classics

Documentary Focus

  • Book-Paper-Scissors – Nanako Hirose explores the life of book designer Nobuyoshi Kikuchi. Review.
  • i -Documentary of the Journalist- – documentary following outspoken journalist Isoko Mochizuki. Review.
  • Prison Circle – documentary exploring therapy programs for prison inmates hoping to reintegrate into mainstream society
  • Reiwa Uprising – the latest documentary from Kazuo Hara follows newly formed left-leaning political party Reiwa Shinsengumi.
  • Seijo Story – 60 Years of Making Films – documentary exploring the 60-year professional relationship between Nobuhiko Obayashi and his wife/producer Kyoko Hanyu who met as students at Seijo University in 1959.
  • Sending Off – documentary by Ian Thomas Ash following a doctor who cares for terminally ill patients across rural Japan.
  • What Can You Do About It – a filmmaker with ADHD documents his friendship with a relative who has Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

Experimental Spotlight

There will also be a number of complementary events on offer including a series of panel discussions on such topics as the career of the late Nobuhiko Obayashi, cinema during the pandemic, and documentary, plus a live Q&A with Shinichiro Ueda, CUT ABOVE Awards: Koichi Sato & Ken Watanabe, and the Closing Night Live Q&A with the Obayashi Prize Recipient.

Limited numbers of “tickets” are available for each film and can been pre-booked from July 10 to be viewed July 17 to 30. After you start playing a film you will have 30 hours to finish watching. Features stream for $7 and shorts for $1.50 – $3.00. You can also pick up an all access pass for $99 or a selection of bundles for each strand. Full details for all the films as well ticketing links (when available) can be found on the official Japan Cuts platform, and you can also keep up with all the festival news as well as the year round programme via Japan Society New York’s website, or by following them on Twitter and Facebook.

Asian Pop-Up Cinema Announces “Father’s Day Cheer” Free Streaming Series

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Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema is back with their final mini streaming series ahead of cinemas reopening this summer to keep you entertained while you keep safe at home! From June 19 to 21, you can catch three dad-themed Japanese comedies streaming online for free in the US as part of the Father’s Day Cheer selection supported in part by the Japan Foundation New York.

Friday June 19: The Hikitas Are Expecting

The life of a 49-year-old writer (Yutaka Matsushige) is upended when his much younger wife (Keiko Kitagawa) decides she would like to have children. After trying for a while with no success, they decide to go to the hospital for tests and receive some surprising news.

Saturday June 20: My Dad and Mr. Ito

Family drama from Yuki Tanada in which an ageing father (Tatsuya Fuji) is thrown out of his son’s house and goes to stay with his 34-year-old daughter (Juri Ueno) where he is scandalised to discover she is living with a man (Lily Franky) who is 20 years older than her and 20 years younger than him.

Sunday June 21: Survival Family

Post-apocalyptic comedy from Shinobu Yaguchi (Waterboys, Swing Girls) in which a family is forced to get reacquainted with the simple life when salaryman dad takes them out on the road after the power goes out one day and never comes back on. Review.

Each of the movies is available to stream in the US on the named date only from 2pm to 10pm CDT and is free to view but registration is essential as viewing numbers are capped at 300. After registering you will be emailed the link shortly before the viewing time and must activate it within the 8-hour window after which you will have 24 hours to finish watching the movie. You can find further information and registration links on Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s official website and you can also keep up with all the latest news by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Udine Far East Film Festival Confirms Lineup for 22nd Online Edition

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Despite having postponed from its usual April dates, the Udine Far East Film Festival is the latest to shift online in response to the ongoing global pandemic which is conspiring to keep us all away from cinema screens for the foreseeable future. From 26th June to 4th July, the festival will be making 46 films available for online streaming via www.mymovies.it. While most will be available on an on demand basis, Galas will stream live once only. Inevitably, there are a number of geographical restrictions in place which have been noted below.

China

  • Better Days – Derek Tsang’s Soul Mate followup stars Zhou Dongyu as a bullied young woman bonding with a bad boy played by boyband superstar Jackson Yee. Review. Italy only. Closing film gala
  • The Captain – tense thriller from Andrew Lau inspired by the real life story of a heroic pilot who landed his plane safely with no loss of life after disaster struck in the skies. Review. Worldwide (excl. China PRC)
  • Changfeng Town – nostalgic hometown drama. Italy only
  • An Insignificant Affair – love story directed by Ning Yuanyuan. Italy Only

Hong Kong

  • Chasing Dream – stylish romance from Johnnie To in which a boxer and singer fight for their respective dreams. Worldwide
  • Ip Man 4, The Finale – Donnie Yen returns in the series finale which sees Ip Man take on racism in ’60s San Fransisco. Review. Italy only
  • Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy – “sequel” in name only starring the same actors as Line Walker in which HK police take on an international child smuggling terrorist syndicate. Italy only
  • My Prince Edward – a woman working at a bridal shop has met her Prince Charming and wants to get married, the only problem being the sham marriage she was paid to take part in several years previously. Review. Italy only gala
  • Suk Suk – two older men find love and embrace their sexuality after a lifetime in the closet in Ray Yeung’s sensitive drama. Italy Only
  • The White Storm 2 Drug Lords – Herman Yau action drama starring Andy Lau and Louis Koo as a vigilante businessman and flamboyant drug lord respectively. Review. Italy Only

Indonesia

  • Gundala – superhero action from Joko Anwar. Italy only
  • Impetigore – Joko Anwar horror in which a woman returns to her village to claim an inheritance but is caught up in sinister goings on. Italy only

Japan

  • #HandballStrive – coming-of-age sports drama from Daigo Matsui set in the world of handball. Worldwide
  • A Beloved Wife – Screenwriter Shin Adachi’s autobiographical comedy about a troubled marriage. Worldwide
  • Colorless – love story between a photographer and a model.  Europe only
  • Dance with Me – musical comedy from Shinobu Yaguchi in which a woman becomes accidentally hypnotised to break into Hollywood-style song and dance sequences every time she hears music. Review. Italy only
  • Minori, on the Brink – latest from Ryutaro Ninomiya in which a young woman courts controversy with her uncompromising authenticity. Review. Worldwide (except Japan)
  • My Sweet Grappa Remedies – latest from Akiko Ohku in which a lonely middle-aged woman finds love and friendship with the help of an outgoing colleague. Review. Worldwide (Except Japan, Mainland Chian, Taiwan, USA)
  • One Night – drama from Kazuya Shiraishi in which grown-up siblings attempt to process the traumatic night that broke their family apart. Italy only
  • Romance Doll – romantic drama from Yuki Tanada adapting her own book about a man who hides the fact he sculpts sex dolls for a living from his wife. Italy only
  • WOTAKOI – Love is Hard for Otaku – Yuichi Fukuda musical comedy adapted from the popular manga. Italy only

Malaysia

  • Soul – folk horror in which a family in the forest receives a visitation from a creepy little girl with a prophesy. Europe
  • Victim(s) – crime drama revolving around the mothers of a killer and the victim. Worldwide

The Philippines

  • Edward – coming of age drama in which a boy takes care of his hospitalised father. Worldwide
  • Sunod – horror in which a woman takes a job at a call centre to pay for her child’s medical care but it turns out to be haunted! Worldwide (Except The Philippines)

South Korea

  • Ashfall – big budget volcano-themed disaster movie starring Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, and Ma Dong-seok. Europe only. Opening Film
  • Beasts Clawing at Straws – darkly humorous thriller in which a collection of desperate people are connected by a missing bag full of cash. Italy only
  • The Closet – horror starring Ha Jung-woo as an irresponsible father whose daughter goes missing after they move to a weird cottage in the middle of nowhere. Italy only
  • Crazy Romance – romantic comedy in which a couple bond over their shared traumatic romantic histories.  Worldwide
  • Exit – a mountain climbing enthusiast is in his element when poison gas envelopes the city! Review. Italy only
  • The House of Us – lonely children ponder forming a family of their own in Yoon Ga-eun’s charming indie drama. Review. Europe only
  • Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 – feminist drama following an ordinary woman’s path into middle-age in a fiercely patriarchal society. Italy only
  • Lucky Chan-sil – film producer Chan-sil finds herself unemployed after the director she’d been working with suddenly dies, taking a job as a cleaning lady for an actress and bonding with a handsome French teacher. Italy only
  • The Man Standing Next – ’70s-style conspiracy thriller exploring the assassination of Park Chung-hee which is depicted in a much less serious fashion in the also streaming The President’s Last Bang. Italy Only
  • Vertigo – a young office worker is rescued from her sense of existential vertigo by the gentle presence of a chivalrous window washer. Europe only

Taiwan

  • Detention – horror-inflected video game adaptation dramatising the trauma of the “White Terror” martial law era. Review. Italy only
  • I WeirDO – madcap OCD rom-com shot on an iPhone. Italy only gala 
  • We Are Champions – basketball drama in which two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the court. Italy only

Out of Competition

Special Screenings

  • Labyrinth of Cinema – final film from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which three youngsters find themselves lost in the movies. Europe only (except UK)

Documentaries

Classics

  • Cheerful Wind – new restoration of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 1982 idol movie. Worldwide

Info Screenings

Special Tribute

Watanabe Hirobumi, Comic Poet of the Everyday

  • Cry – silent drama following the everyday life of a pig farmer living with his grandma. Worldwide
  • I am Really Good – comedy revolving around a group of children. Worldwide
  • Life Finds A Way – self referential comedy. Worldwide
  • Party ‘Round the Globe – an extroverted Beatles fan befriends a silent colleague. Review. Worldwide

The festival will be running on an accreditation basis with three price levels available all of which include access to the entire programme (subject to geographical restrictions), the basic Silver Ninja (€9.90), the Golden Samurai (€49) which also includes a copy of the festival catalogue, and the Platinum Shogun (€100) which includes the catalogue, a T-shirt, tote bag, and a discount on accreditations for next year’s festival. The accreditations also include access to FEFF’s new online streaming service set to launch this August for 1 month, 6 months, and 9 months respectively and go on sale from Monday 8th June via the official website.

The 22nd Udine Far East Film Festival will run online via www.mymovies.it from 26th June to 4th July. Full details will be shortly available via the official website and you can keep up with all the latest news by following the festival on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr.

20th Nippon Connection ONLINE Film Festival Confirms Full Program

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Not even a global pandemic can stop our love for Japanese cinema! The world’s largest showcase for Japanese film, Nippon Connection is going online for the first time ever to deliver some of the best recent hits from Japan to homes around the world. The festival will be partnering with streaming service Vimeo from 9th to 14th June. Each film is €5 to rent and is valid for 24 hours after purchase. Of course, not everything is available everywhere and though most films are streaming with English subtitles exceptions have been noted below.

Nippon Cinema

  • After The Sunset – family drama in which a couple try to do what’s best for an abandoned child. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Dancing Mary – latest from SABU in which a civil servant is charged with organising the demolition of a disused disco which turns out to be haunted. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Family Romance, LLC – Werner Herzog’s fake family drama. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Labyrinth of Cinema – final film from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which three youngsters find themselves lost in the movies. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Little Miss Period – adaptation of the popular manga in which a harried publisher is joined by a monthly visitor in the form a giant pink fluffy monster. English subtitles. Worldwide except Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, & Myanmar
  • Makuko – adaptation of Kanako Nishi’s novel in which a young boy becomes fascinated with the girl who moves into his family’s guest house. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic – light hearted drama about living with an alcoholic dad starring Kiyohiko Shibukawa. English subtitles. Worldwide excl Japan & Mainland China.
  • My Sweet Grappa Recipes – latest from Akiko Ohku in which a lonely middle-aged woman finds love and friendship with the help of an outgoing colleague. English subtitles. Worldwide excl Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, USA, & Italy
  • Shape of Red – steamy drama from Yukiko Mishima in which an unfulfilled married woman (Kaho) embarks on a passionate affair with an old lover (Satoshi Tsumabuki). English subtitles. Germany only.
  • The Journalist – political thriller from Michihito Fujii loosely inspired by real life reporter Isoko Mochizuki who is also the subject of i -Documentary of the Journalist- streaming in the docs strand. Review. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Under Your Bed – Mari Asato’s sympathetic stalker drama starring Kengo Kora as an isolated young man yearning for a single word from a woman he knew in college. Review. English subtitles. Germany only.

Nippon Visions

  • Beautiful, Goodbye – award-winning Pia indie drama in which a man on the run knocks over a woman who turns out to be a zombie! English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Extro – mockumentary in which a 64-year-old dental technician tries to fulfil a life long dream as jidaigeki extra. English subtitles. Worldwide excl Japan, USA.
  • F is for Future – drama in which a young man tries to fulfil a promise to a friend to get rid of his porn collection before his parents find it. English subtitles. Europe.
  • Flowers and Rain – hip hop drama featuring the music of SEEDA. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Forgiven Children – drama in which a young man kills a friend by accident but is acquitted due to lack of evidence and becomes a social pariah. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Infinite Foundation – improvised musical drama revolving around the songs of Cosame Nishiyama. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Kinta and Ginji – surreal drama about the friendship of a tanuki and a robot. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Minori on the Brink – latest from Ryutaro Ninomiya in which a young woman courts controversy with her uncompromising authenticity. English subtitles. Worldwide excl Japan & Italy
  • Mrs Noisy – a blocked writer blames all her problems on the noisy woman next-door in Chihiro Amano’s quiet plea for a little more understanding. Review. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Shell and Joint – surreal drama from Isamu Hirabayashi. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Tamaran Hill – playful drama in which a young woman gets lost in a book. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Yan – A man travels to Taiwan to reunite with his brother 20 years after he returned to the island with their Taiwanese mother. English subtitles. Europe.
  • Me & My Brother’s Mistress – a woman spots her brother out with a woman who is not his fiancée but starts to wonder if she might be better for him after all. English subtitles. Worldwide excl Japan.

Nippon Docs

  • Ainu Indigenous People of Japan – documentary focussing on the Ainu indigenous people of Hokkaido. Germany only.
  • An Ant Strikes Back – documentary following a man resisting Japan’s rigid culture of overwork through union activities. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Book-Paper-Scissors – Nanako Hirose explores the life of book designer Nobuyoshi Kikuchi. English subtitles. Worldwide.
  • Cenote – experimental doc from Kaori Oda. English subtitles. Worldwide excl. Japan.
  • i -Documentary of the Journalist- – documentary following outspoken journalist Isoko Mochizuki. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Listening to the Air – documentary following a radio host in post-tsunami Tohoku. English subtitles. Worldwide excl. Japan.
  • Prison Circle – documentary exploring therapy programs for prison inmates hoping to reintegrate into mainstream society. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • This Planet is Not My Planet – documentary following feminist pioneer Mitsu Tanaka. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • What Can You Do About It? – a filmmaker with ADHD documents his friendship with a relative who has Pervasive Developmental Disorder. English subtitles. Germany only.
  • Sleeping Village – documentary exploring the Nabari Poison Wine Incident in which a man confesses to killing five neighbours to get rid of his wife and lover but later retracts and protests his innocence. English subtitles. Worldwide excl. Japan.

Nippon Animation

  • Hello World – a high School student receives a visit from his future self telling him the love of his life will die in an accident. German subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • Her Blue Sky – a music-loving teen’s life is disrupted when her older sister’s boyfriend returns from the city. German subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.

Nippon Kids

  • Summer Days with Coo – Kiichi Hara anime in which a boy finds a kappa under a rock and adopts him! German dub. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • Magical Sisters Yoyo and Nene – a girl from a magical kingdom ends up in Tokyo! German dub. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • The Piano Forest – 2007 movie in which two boys bond over a mysterious piano in the forest. German dub. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.

Best of Nippon Connection

  • 100 Yen Love – slacker drama starring Sakura Ando in which a woman fights her way to freedom in the boxing ring. German Subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats – quirky comedy from Yosuke Fujita about a cheerful man whose fear of women is challenged when an old friend returns. German subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • House – psychedelic classic from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which a girl takes some friends to see her aunt and gets a lot more than she bargained for. German Subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • The Night is Short Walk on Girl – Masaki Yuasa’s adaptation of the Tomihiko Morimi novel set over one wild night in Kyoto. Review. German Subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • Whispering Star – quiet sci-fi drama from Sion Sono. Review. German Subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • World of Kanako – controversial drama from Tetsuya Nakashima in which a cognitively compromised detective searches for his missing daughter. German Subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.
  • Miss Hokusai – Kiichi Hara’s animation inspired by the life of Hokusai’s daughter. Review. German Subtitles. Germany, Austria, Switzerland only.

The festival will also be holding its usual complementary selection of events via Zoom and Vimeo Live including a panel discussion (in English) on two decades of 21st century Japanese cinema chaired by Dr. Alexander Zahlten featuring panelists Tom Mes, Stephan Holl, and festival director Marion Klomfass. You can find full details for all the films as well as viewing links on the official website and you can keep up with all the latest news on this landmark digital edition by following the festival on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Instagram.

Asian Pop-Up Cinema Announces Mini-Focus: Taiwan Cinema Online

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Asian Pop-Up Cinema returns with another fantastic collection of movies streaming for free online while you do the responsible thing and stay at home as much as you are able. From June 5 to 12, you can catch a series of recent Taiwanese shorts and features available to stream in the US for a one-time viewing between 2pm and 10pm CDT on the named date only.

Friday June 5: Detention

Lonely high schooler Fang falls for guidance councillor Zhang who alone seems to understand her. She joins his secret study group to read banned books, but Zhang soon “disappears” while only Fang and another student seem to remember him in this gothic horror set during Taiwan’s repressive martial law period. Review.

Monday June 8: Shorts

  • Tea Land: undocumented workers from South East Asia form a small family while working on a mountainside tea plantation but their bond is disrupted when one is found dead.
  • Wild Tides: a boy who is disliked by everyone does his best to win approval.
  • Towards the Sun: Cannes selected short from 2017 in which two outcasts meet by chance and take a road trip through the Taiwanese countryside.

Tuesday June 9: Murmur of the Hearts

Sylvia Chang’s moving drama in which an artist separated from her brother in childhood struggles to resolve her lingering feelings of resentment towards her mother while trapped in a difficult relationship with a troubled boxer.

Wednesday June 10: The Gangster’s Daughter

Drama in which a young woman is sent to live with her gangster father in Taipei who tries his best to reform but is soon dragged back into the underworld in search of vengeance.

Thursday June 11: Who Killed Cock Robin?

Neo-noir thriller in which a reporter uncovers a series of mysteries after investigating a car accident he witnessed nine years previously.

Friday June 12: We Are Champions

Sporting drama in which two brothers find themselves on opposite sides as they try to seize their destinies on the basketball court. While one joins an elitist team in which nothing matters except winning, the other bonds with a fatherly coach who values compassion and solidarity.

Each of the movies is available to stream in the US on the named date only from 2pm to 10pm CDT and is free to view but registration is essential. After registering you will be emailed the link shortly before the viewing time and must activate it within the 8-hour window after which you will have 24 hours to finish watching the movie. You can find further information and registration links on Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s official website and you can also keep up with all the latest news by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.