9 October 2017

Japanese Film Festival 2017

| Ariel Larkey
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Japanese Film Festival 2017

Presented by the Japan Foundation, the Japanese Film Festival in Canberra will run from 13 – 22 October. Hosted by Dendy Canberra, the local screening program features eleven recent releases from Japan and caters to a variety of tastes: anime, drama, thriller and comedy.

The festival will open on Friday 13 October at 6:15 pm with period action-comedy Mumon: The Land of Stealth (2017). Mumon is a lazy but deadly ninja who unwittingly triggers an all-out ninja-samurai showdown following his recent elimination of a rival ninja. Expect explosive confrontation, razor-sharp wit and political intrigue. The film will screen again on Sat 21 October at 4:00 pm.

The closing film of the festival on Sunday 22 October at 4:15 pm is this year’s Ecumenical Jury Prize Winner at Cannes, Radiance (2017). The highly lauded piece is the story of two unique and lonely souls – Misako and Nakamori – who find unlikely comfort and purpose in one another, which will allow them to rediscover the radiant beauty that the world has to offer.

In between these festival bookends, enjoy a mixture of anime, drama, crime and comedy.

Perfect for the kids, Ancien and the Magic Tablet (2017) is a wholesome anime adventure through dreams and reality. In Kokone’s dreams, she is the Sorcerer princess Ancien. She can bring inanimate objects to life with her magic tablet and sets off on an adventure to save her desperate dad. Screening Sunday 15 October and Friday 20 October.

In This Corner of the World (2016) provides a more adult approach to anime with the tale of 18-year-old Suzu’s turbulent coming-of-age in a fateful place and time in history: Hiroshima in the summer of 1945. Winner of the Jury Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, 2017. Screening Sunday 15 October.

Comedies come our way in the form of quirky caper Hamon: Yakuza Boogie (2017), the misadventures of 8-year old Yukio and his endearingly hapless uncle in My Uncle (2016), and the attitude meets altitude of Tori Girl (2017) where lofty ambitions of adventure abound amid the annual Birdman Rally.

Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016) is a stirring story of single mother’s spirit and enduring strength in the face of adversity. You have two chances to see this award-winning family drama on Saturday 14 October and Sat 21 October.

The crime/mystery inclusions look to be the standouts of the festival.

In Rage (2016), a murder remains unsolved. The perpetrator has altered his appearance through plastic surgery. How are three seemingly unrelated individuals across Japan connected? Find out in this weaving and complex narrative. Intersecting storylines shock, surprise and grip until the very end in this complex and gritty murder mystery.

Birds Without Names (2017), which enjoyed Official Selection at both the Toronto International Film Festival 2017 and the Busan International Film Festival 2017, is a dark a stormy tale of jealousy, devotion, lust and redemption. In this danse macabre, there are no limits in the pursuit of love.

Japanticipation is high!

Pick up the official program at Dendy Canberra.

For more information on the festival visit: http://japanesefilmfestival.net/city/canberra/

For session times and bookings (remember – no booking fees!), visit: https://www.dendy.com.au/events/the-japanese-film-festival

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