Tags
Barbican, Edinburgh, Film Festival, ICA, Japanese Embassy London, KCCUK, Korean Film Night, London
UPDATED 9/6/2012 – BFI links fixed!
A great range of events this month. Lots of fabulous films. The ICA in particular is showing plenty of love for Korean cinema and then there is of course the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which has all kind of gems on offer.
- Two Masters of Japanese Cinema: Kaneto Shindo & Kozabura Yoshimura (all of June and July), London, UK
June 1-30 (continues in July): The BFI is holding a two-month tribute to two masters of Japanese cinema. Shindo, as you may know, recently passed away at the glorious age of 100. The programme for June is available on the BFI website and includes a lot rare gems. I’ll probably be going for 「原爆の子」 (Genbaku no ko/Children of Hiroshima, 1952) and 「裸の島」 (Hadaka no shima/The Naked Island, 1960, which is listed as The Island by the BFI).
- Barbican, London, UK
June 2: 「蜘蛛巣城」 (Kumonosu-jō/Throne of Blood, Japan, 1957) – A classic and must-see film of the great Kurosawa Akira. Shakespeare’s Macbeth set in feudal Japan. The one-off screening on June 2nd is followed by a screen talk with Ninagawa Yukio. Details here.
- Anime Season: BFI Weekend Showcase, London, UK
June 8-10: The BFI’s biennial event for fans of Japanese anime. Like me! I already posted all the details about this event and will be seeing 「ももへの手紙」 (Momo e no Tegami/A Letter to Momo, Japan, 2011), 「ホッタラケの島 〜遥と魔法の鏡〜」(Hottarake no Shima: Haruka to Mahō no Kagami/Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, Japan, 2009) and「アキラ」 (Akira/Akira, Japan, 1988), with reviews to follow in due course.
Shinkai Makoto’s 「星を追う子ども」 (Hoshi o Ou Kodomo/Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below) screens as part of the BFI anime event. I reviewed it back in October.
- KCCUK: 2012: Year of 12 Directors – Lee Jun-ik (이준익), London, UK
Lee Jun-ik (이준익) is the director of the month of June at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, with four of his films showing:
June 7th: 왕의 남자 (Wangeui Namja/The King and the Clown, 2005)
June 14th: 즐거운 인생 (Jeulgeowoon Insaeng/The Happy Life, 2007)
June 21st: 님은 먼곳에 (Nimeun Meongote/Sunny, 2008)
June 28th: 평양성 (Pyeongyangseong/Battlefield Heroes, 2010) + Q&A with director
You can find out more about the director and the films (including trailers and short synopses) in the Lee Jun-ik post on Otherwhere.
- Sheffield Doc/Fest, Sheffield, UK (June 13-17)
June 13: Japan: Children of the Tsunami (UK, China, Denmark, Netherlands, Canada, 2011).
June 13 and 16: 津波そして桜 (Tsunami soshite sakura/The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, USA, 2011, 39 min.)
June 14: 달팽이의 별 (Dalpaengieui Byeol/Planet of Snail, Korea, 2010)
Check the programme for details. There is also an interesting looking “China Now” strand.
- ICA, London, UK
As I said, lots of love for Korean cinema. First, there is a sort of Kim Ki-duk mini-retrospective:
June 8-14: 아리랑 (Arirang, 2011). Details are available here. This is Kim Ki-duk’s autobiographical documentary, which came after a 3-year withdrawal from the world. Arirang had its UK premiere at the Terracotta Film Festival in April, but this is its first wider release on the island. Hangul Celluloid has a review.
June 15-17: 빈집 (Binjib/3-Iron, 2004). Details are available here. Plus: Otherwhere’s review. Highly, highly recommended.
June 22-26: 봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄 (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom/Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring, 2003). Details here. Plus: Otherwhere’s review.
But we also get another wonderful offering:
June 22-28: 달팽이의 별 (Dalpaengieui Byeol/Planet of Snail, Korea, 2010). Dalpaengieui Byeol took the top prize at the 2011 International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. It is about a physically handicapped couple that communicates by touch. I featured the film in Trailer Weekly #11, so click through for the trailer. Tickets are available here. I can’t wait to see it!
The exquisite 빈집 (Binjib/3-Iron).
- 「ヒミズ」 (Himizu/Himizu), various locations across the UK
Sono Sion’s latest film is opening in cinemas across the UK today. It will screen in London, including at the ICA, Curzon (Renoir) and Prince Charles and at Riverside Studios next month. Elsewhere, you can see it in Aberystwyth (Aberystwyth Arts Centre), Brighton (Duke of York) and Inverness (Eden Court). In Ireland, the Irish Film Institute will be showing Himizu in Dublin. Do note that screening dates vary (some are in July and August even). You can also check the Himizu page of Third Windows Films, which will be releasing the film on DVD on August 6, 2012. I still haven’t quite finished my review of Himizu, but don’t wait for it – go see the film this weekend! UPDATE 5/6/2012: Review added on Otherwhere.
- Japanese Cinema for Busy People, London, UK
June 13 – July 11: As a complement to the BFI and Japan Foundation’s Two Masters of Japanese Cinema: Kaneto Shindo & Kozaburo Yoshimura (listed above), Japanese Cinema for Busy People is a lecture series on Japanese film. Attendance is free and open to all but booking is required.
Lectures scheduled for June:
June 13: “Beyond Rashomon: A Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, But for Whom?”. Details on the website of the Japan Foundation. Jasper Sharp, who founded and curates the Zipangu Fest, will be speaking.
June 20: ”Fidelity, High and Low: Japanese Cinema and Literary Adaptation”. Details on the website of the Japan Foundation.
June 27: “The Meaning of Independence in Japanese Cinema: Production, Distribution and Exhibition”. Details on the website of the Japan Foundation.
- London Indian Film Fest
June 20 – July 3: India comes to London! And it’s not just Bollywood… There are too many films to list individually, but you can find the complete programme on the official website. I am eyeing Gattu (2011), Dekh Indian Circus (Watch Indian Circus, 2011), Cannes winner Tareque Masud’s রানওয়ে (Runway, 2011) and Delhi in a Day (2011) – the last one featured in Trailer Weekly #25.
Apologies, I can’t find the film titles in the original script/language but I will google more extensively later to see what I can dig up!
A shot (pun not intended) from the late Tareque Masud’s Runway.
- Edinburgh Film Festival, Edinburgh, UK
I’m really tempted to go up north… but this film festival crept up on me unexpectedly, so I doubt I will be able to make time for it. Lucky for you Scottish readers though, as there is lots of great stuff to be watched, from Japan (including a Somai Shinji retrospective and a spotlight on Tsukamoto Shinya) as well as South Korea, plus a plethora of film treats from the world round. The strands on Danish cinema and the Philippine New Wave cinema should be worth checking out.
Japanese Films:
The complete Japanese offering is here and includes both new releases as well as older features. There are too many for me to list, but a few highlights:
June 22 + 24: 「レンタネコ」 (Rentaneko/Rent-a-Neko, 2012). I featured this on Trailer Weekly #29 and want to see it oh-so-badly!
June 23: 「お引越し」 (Ohikkoshi/Moving, 1993). Nakai Kiichi, who was wonderful in the dorama「スマイル」 (Sumairu/Smile, 2009), is one of the actors.
June 25 + 26: 「生きてるものはいないのか」 (Ikiteru Mono Wa Inai No Ka/Isn’t Anyone Alive, 2011). This one was included in Trailer Weekly #14.
June 27 + 28: 「トーキョードリフター」 (Tōkyōdorifutā/Tokyo Drifter, 2011).
June 30: 「あ、春」 (Ah, haru/Wait and See, 1998).
Korean Films:
The complete Korean offering is listed here.
June 21 + 26: 밀월도 가는 길 (Milwoldo Ganeun Gil/Mirage 2011)
June 21 + 22: 잠 못 드는 밤 (Jammot Deuneun Bam/Sleepless Night, 2012).
June 23: 변신 (Byeonsin/The Metamorphosis, 2012) screens as part of Short Films 2: Dream Machine. It’s 15 minutes long.
June 23 + 24: 돼지의 왕 (Dwaejiui Wang/The King of Pigs, 2011)
June 30: Kim Kang-ming’s 38–39°C (USA/South Korea, 2011) screens as part of International Animation (shorts). It’s less than a minute long though, so don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Love the festival’s poster too – it’s simple, but playful and, with those reels in an age of increasingly digital film, has a sweet sort retro-vibe:
- Films at the Japanese Embassy, London, UK
June 25: 福本耕平かく走りき (Fukumoto Kōhei kaku hashiriki/Kohei’s Race, 1992). Email to reserve a free ticket. Book early to avoid disappointment (spaces tend to fill up quickly).
- Chinese Visual Festival June 22-July 6, 2012
First held in 2011, the Chinese Visual Festival is all about showcasing the best of Chinese art and film culture. For us film fanatics, there is a choice of ten different screenings (including some documentary features). The film programme is available here.
换城 (Huànseong/Where Should I Go?, 2010) which screens at the Chinese Visual Festival.
RENT-A-NEKO is at the Edinburgh Film Festival? Awesome. One step closer to a DVD release in the UK perhaps? I totally forgot about Edinburgh when deciding my list of festivals to cover…
Anyway… thanks for the offer of lending Duelist, I look forward to your review of Fine, Totally Fine.
I totally forgot about Edinburgh as well (only had Scotland Loves Anime in my head, which I do plan to attend.) Rentaneko makes me want to go up north so badly, but I’ve already got work scheduled for that weekend. I would love to see all the other Japanese films that I ‘highlighted’ and the first two Korean ones as well (but I’ll suggest those to the KCCUK for the London Korean Film Festival).
I hate it when reality intrudes on film time. Rent-a-neko is a great pull while Isn’t Anyone Alive (I keep calling it Are Any of You Alive?) looks really good. 10/10 for Smile. I’ll have to track that down.
I think Isn’t Anyone Alive only recently got its official English title – at least when I posted about it in the Trailer Weekly, only the literal translation of the title was available.
Smile is a dorama with 10 episodes. It’s one of the few dramas (J or K) that I think actually matter. Most dramas I just watch for guilty pleasure and they tend to flip-flop in terms of quality. But what I love about Smile is that it’s realistic and very honest in exploring a serious and important issue that needs to be talked about. As much fun fluff or this-wouldn’t-really-happen-in-life-action dramas can sometimes be (from Shut Up Flower Boy Band to City Hunter), I wish there were more productions like Smile.
Well I’m trying to get into J-dramas. I’m starting with Keizoku and then One Litre of Tears. I’ll add this to the schedule.
Have you watched any yet? I have a soft spot for Kimi wa Petto, which is a classic. Totally wacky (very mangaish) but I just adore Sumire + Matsujun’s Momo. There are plenty other classics (you know, like Hana Yori Dango, although I was never able to bear watching all of that).
I haven’t seen One Litre of Tears, I think it’s just going to end up being too depressing for me, like Koizora (did not watch) or a couple of other super-tragic doramas. I was following Mirai Nikki before my exam-marking-break, and do plan to catch up on that one.
I have not watched any dramas yet. I’m watching a batch of Korean films at the moment as part of a mini-season.
Is the Mirai Nikki drama good? The anime went down rather well so I’d add that to the list.
I have only seen 2 episodes so far so it’s a bit too early to tell.