Double Trailer Weekly #69 + #70

Tags

adaptation, documentary, ICA, London, Okada Masaki, trailers

In an effort to not fall behind with the Trailer Weeklies even more, I’m doing a double Trailer Weekly today – lots of films thus. I am a little late with that too, but that’s because I got to see「ゼロの焦点」 (Zero no Shōten/Zero Focus, Japan, 2009) from the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme tonight last night when I thought I wouldn’t (the screening was sold out but I got lucky in the end as the first one on the waiting list ). It was quite a thrill to watch – a murder mystery set at a turning point in time for the Japanese nation. 「八日目の蝉」 (Youkame no Semi/Rebirth, Japan, 2011), another film on the Touring Film Programme that I saw on Friday, I enjoyed even more, but hopefully I’ll be able to share my thoughts with you in detail in some reviews soon.

Before we tackle the monster list of eleven trailers, I just wanted to mention (in case you missed it) that I added a new page on Otherwhere: a schedule of all the 2013 (South East) Asian film releases (both home and cinematic) in the UK.

Trailer Weekly #47

Tags

documentary, Film Festival, Hosoda Mamoru, trailers

Films this week come from a variety of sources – some more from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) catalogue, one (and a half) from Twitter and one from an invitation email for the monthly ICA members’ preview – so it’s a mixed selection that is somehow dominated by Korean connections. And, for once, nothing Japanese, at least not in the trailer section. The Bonus Bits, meanwhile, are all about Japan.

Trailer Weekly #46

Tags

documentary, Film Festival, Hosoda Mamoru, trailers

There you go…. fingers crossed that WP will work long enough for me to post this! It’s been buggy all morning. Well, it may be the internet service but most other websites do work!

Trailer Weekly #41

Tags

BFI, documentary, Katabuchi Sunao, Kon Satoshi, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, trailers

Apologies for not posting much lately (so it feels to me in any case), but I’m quite busy with my studies and work at the moment. I won’t be in the UK for the entire month of August (gotta escape the chaos of the Olympics), and am trying to get as many hours in as possible before going away. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that I will be particularly less busy next month, just that I won’t have immediate deadlines and meetings with my supervisors.

Review: 달팽이의 별 (Dalpaengieui Byeol/Planet of Snail) and Q&A

Tags

documentary, ICA, London

Year: 2011
Country: South Korea/Finland/Japan
Language: Korean
Director: Yi Seungjun (이승준)
Genre: Documentary
Soundscore: Min Seong-ki
Sound Post Production: Äänipää
Sound designer/editor: Sami Kiiski (S.Y.T.M.Ä) 
Cast: Young-chan (as himself), Soon-ho (as herself)
Runtime: 87 min.
Trailer: on YouTube
Film’s official website: Planet of Snail website; Planet of Snail page of UK distributor Dogwoof.

Seen at a special screening at the ICA that included a Q&A with Yi Seungjun. There are two more screenings scheduled this week (June 27 and 28).

We call ourselves ‘snails’ because we cannot hear or see and our lives are as slow as the snails. Now I live on earth where time runs so fast which makes [it] hard to follow the life of the earthmen.

The words of Young-chan, a young, deaf-blind man whose every day life is at the heart of Yi Seungjun’s award-winning documentary 달팽이의 별 (Dalpaengieui Byeol/Planet of Snail), echo poetically as he describes himself, his wife Soon-ho and their also disabled friends but don’t feel quite true.

Press Release for 달팽이의 별 (Dalpaengieui Byeol/Planet of Snail)

Tags

documentary, London, Q&A

I don’t watch a lot of documentaries, because somehow they always pass me by and I kinda like my fictional tales (even if I like them realistic). But every now and then there is a documentary that comes along and captures my attention. Back in December that was 달팽이의 별 (Dalpaengieui Byeol/Planet of Snail, South Korea/Japan/Finland, 2011), which I first heard about when it won the top prize at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.

Review: 시간의 춤 (Siganeui Choom/Dance of Time)

Tags

documentary, KCCUK, Korean Film Night, London

Los coreanos latinos – far, far from the motherland.

Year: 2009
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean and Spanish
Director: Song Il-gon
Genre: documentary
Narration: Lee Ha-na, Jang Hyeon-Seong
Runtime: 90 min
Trailer: on YouTube

Seen at the Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK) during the Song Il-gon (송일곤) month of KCCUK’s Korean Film Night programme “2012: Year of the 12 Directors”.

It is seemingly the most random topic for a documentary: the lives of the first Koreans that emigrated to Cuba at the beginning of the 20th century. Who would have thought? And it is the most random topic, one that the director, Song Il-gon, stumbled upon in his fascination with Che Guevara and with a curiousity to see how things looked 50 years on from the Cuban revolution, discovering in the midst of his readings that some hundred years ago several thousand Joseon natives embarked on a journey – unbeknownst to them at that point – of no return to the other side of the world.

Trailer Weekly #27

Tags

documentary, trailers

It is an eclectic mix this week, taken from a variety of sources: film festival programmes, critics’ lists and random online finds.

K-Directors: Song Il-gon (송일곤) Month at the KCCUK in April

Tags

documentary, KCCUK, Korean Film Night, London

April is almost here, which means it is Song Il-gon (송일곤) Month at the KCCUK.

Oscar Nominations 2012

Tags

documentary, world cinema

They are out. Full list is here.

I haven’t yet read any articles commenting on the nominees or any snubs, but I did note a headline stating that Hugo leads with 11 nominations, followed by 10 for L’artiste (The Artist). Both are nominated in major categories (Best Film, Best Director), but L’artiste also has two acting nominations, while Hugo scores more in the technical/sound/visual categories.

Trailer Weekly #14

Tags

documentary, trailers

A lot of trailers this week – blame it on all the “Best of 2011″ and “Most Anticipated of 2012″ lists floating around the internet these days – and quite heavily Japanese. It’s not all cheer and laughter, but it’s not all gloom and doom either (I did try).

Trailer Weekly #13

Tags

documentary, trailers, world cinema

A little on the gloomy side this time – I will try to ring out the year with some cheerier trailers next week:

Trailer Weekly #11

Tags

documentary, trailers, world cinema

A long list. And, save one (and a half) almost exclusively Korean:

Review: ミツバチの羽音と地球の回転 (Mitsu-bachi no Haoto to Chikyū no Kaiten/Ashes to Honey)

Tags

documentary, Film Festival, London, multilingual

Year: 2010
Languages: Japanese, English, Swedish
Director: Kamanaka Hitomi
Genre: Documentary 
Runtime: 115 min
Trailer: Ashes to Honey (subtitled)
Official website:  Ashes to Honey (both in Japanese and English)

Seen at a screening as part of the Zipangu Fest at the ICA.

Note: Ashes to Honey screened as part of Zipangu Fest’s Nuclear Reactions programme.