Trailer Weekly #83

Tags

Ayano Gou, Ishii Gakuryu, Matsuda Shota, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Tatsushi Omori, trailers

Trailer time. (Sorry, being brief here – busy busy!)

May 2013 Events

Tags

#Women on Screen, BFI, Derby, Film Festival, Korean Film Night, Leicester, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Prince Charles Cinema, Studio Ghibli, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Year of 4 Actors

May brings Cannes with many exciting film premieres. With the English Channel in our way, we’ll however have to make do with events on this island instead. Luckily, a whole lot is on offer this month, in all corners of the UK – Derby, London, Leicester and even Inverness. You can get a taste of Hong Kong cinema as well as watch quite a number of Japanese olden goldies (directed by Ozu Yasushiro and Kurosawa Akira, among others) at various cinemas and festivals across the country. There is also the Chinese Visual Festival, but nothing Taiwanese this month. Korean films fare a bit better – though only because our beloved Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK) is, as always, screening two films as part of its Year of 4 Actors Korean Film Nights for year. The good news, however, is that the KCCUK has just launched another film season, Women on Screen, which commences in May and will run until August, doubling the monthly offering of screenings.

For trailers, click on film titles (where available).

Note: As always, I’ll update this post if I hear about any other events.

Last updated: 6/5/2013

Touchdown: Whole Hog Theatre in Japan & The Japan Times

Tags

Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli

If you are following the Whole Hog Theatre on Twitter, you will know that the Leamington Spa based theatre group that is putting on the world’s first stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s「もののけ姫」(Mononoke Hime/Princess Mononoke, 1997) has been making its way to Japan, where the play will have a run in Tokyo during Golden Week (April 29 to May 6, 2013).

As they touched down in Japan today, they were greeted by an article on their project in The Japan Times:

Review: The Whole Hog Theatre’s「もののけ姫」(Princess Mononoke) Stage Adaptation

Tags

adaptation, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Tokyo, Whole Hog Theatre

All images © Polly Clare Boone of Whole Hog Theatre.

Year: 2013
Country: UK
Language: English
Director: Alexandra Rutter
Company: Whole Hog Theatre
Adaptation from:「もののけ姫」(Mononoke Hime/Princess Mononoke, Japan, 1997)
Screenplay: not specified on programme or website
Concept arts and set design: Polly Clare Boon
Puppet design: Charlie Hoare
Soundscore: Hisaishi Joe, arranged by Kerrin Tatman for the play
Cast: James Blake-Butler, Lilith Brew, Adam Cridland, Oliver Davis, Andy Elkington, Jack Gyll, Jackie Lam, Amelie Leroy, Mei Mac, Miyake Yuriko, Jess Neale, Maximilian Troy Tyler, Victoria Watson, Samuel Wightman, Elizabeth Mary Williams
Runtime: approx. 130 min (including 20 min intermission)
Official website: http://www.wholehogtheatre.com (London performances),
http://www.princess-mononoke.jp (Tokyo performances – 日本語)

Teaser (16 sec, for Tokyo performances):

Seen during the play’s first run at the New Diorama Theatre in London. I attended the Friday evening performance. Further Princess Mononoke performances are scheduled for Tokyo (April 29 – May 6, 2013) and London (June 18-29, 2013). London tickets are sold out. 

Note: I provide no synopsis of the story here – this review presumes you are familiar with Miyazaki Hayao’s film already and hence is also full of spoilers.

How does one even begin to imagine a stage adaptation of an animated film of the calibre of「もののけ姫」(Mononoke Hime/Princess Mononoke, Japan, 1997), made by the masters of Studio Ghibli and well loved the world round? It is not a challenge that most – even those with plenty of experience and unlimited budgets – would want to take on, but the Whole Hog Theatre, a young performance company from Leamington Spa, England, with only a handful productions (Dangerous Liaisons, Constanzo and Five Kinds of Silence) to their name, was undaunted by the task and simply went ahead anyway.

April 2013 Events

Tags

BFI, Dublin, Film Festival, Hosoda Mamoru, Korean Film Night, Leeds, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Prince Charles Cinema, Shinkai Makoto, Studio Ghibli, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Year of 4 Actors

April, April… this year is flying by… I would rather not think about it though. Instead, let’s just see what April has in store for us, film-wise mostly but also otherwise as there are some exciting events at the London Book Fair and elsewhere too.

Note: As always, I’ll update this post if I hear about any other events.

Last updated: 17/4/2013

Leeds Young People’s Film Festival: J-Anime x 3 and Korean Adoption Anime Docu

Tags

Film Festival, Leeds, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli

Couleur de peau: Miel.

The Leeds Young People’s Film Festival, the children’s offshoot of the regular festival, released its programme yesterday. The festival runs from March 25 until April 5 and tickets are fairly cheap (£2 for under-19, £5/£4 for adults), so if you live in the area, treat yourself. There are a few films from Japan & Korea:

More Princess Mononoke Performances…in Japan

Tags

adaptation, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Tokyo, Whole Hog Theatre

Kodama, happily speechless at the announcement.

Exciting news from the Whole Hog Theatre today: They are taking their stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke to Japan! Early this morning they tweeted the following:

Whole Hog Theatre’s Princess Mononoke, Rescored

Tags

adaptation, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Whole Hog Theatre

Another update from the lovely people preparing the (sell-out) stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke: they have received the blessing from the Japanese animation studio and Hisaishi Joe to use the original music score of the film for their performance.

Studio Ghibli Updates: Kaze Tachinu, Kaguya Hime and Kokuriko-zaka Kara

Tags

Miyazaki Goro, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Takahata Isao

No, it’s not a vandal that has been scribbling on the poster encasing for Miyazaki Hayao’s upcoming animation feature「風立ちぬ」(Kaze Tachinu/The Wind Rises), but it’s Suzuki Toshio, the film’s producer, with a message for the fans: Miyazaki’s film will be released on July 20, 2013. This is reported via nausicaa.net, although I haven’t yet seen a confirmation from the Studio directly.

Ghibli Retrospective Arrives in San Diego

Tags

Miyazaki Hayao, retrospective, San Diego, Studio Ghibli

I’m losing track of all the stops that the Studio Ghibli Retrospective – courtesy of GKIDS, the US distributor of the Japanese animation studio – has been making since December 2011 (when it first launched in New York) on its tour of North America. It has been in California before – in Santa Monica and Hollywood – but not yet in San Diego, where Ghibli films old and new (okay, not totally new as neither「借りぐらしのアリエッティ」/ Karigurashi no Arrietty/Arrietty, 2010 nor 「コクリコ坂から」/ Kokuriko-zaka Kara/From up on Poppy Hill, 2011 are included) will be screening for two weeks. The retrospective is split over two Landmark Theatres, La Jolla Village and Ken’s Cinema, with the line-up as follows:

Early Ghibli Kurisumasu Present:「風立ちぬ」+「かぐや姫の物語」for Summer 2013

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Kaguya Hime, Kaze Tachinu, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Takahata Isao

An early Christmas present came from Studio Ghibli today in the form of an official announcement of its next two feature films:「風立ちぬ」(Kaze Tachinu/The Wind Rises) and「かぐや姫の物語」(Kaguya Hime no Monogatari/The Story of Princess Kaguya), directed by Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao respectively.

Kickstarter to Take Princess Mononoke’s Stage Adaptation to the World

Tags

adaptation, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Shinkai Makoto, Studio Ghibli

As you may know Studio Ghibli’s 「もののけ姫」(Mononoke Hime/Princess Mononoke, 1997) is being adapted for the stage for the first time ever. Whole Hog Theatre, a small British company specialising in adaptations, is taking on the challenge and will be staging the performance in London in April 2013, with only a handful days programmed.

Full Circle: The Ghibli Retrospective Returns to New York

Tags

Miyazaki Hayao, New York, retrospective, Studio Ghibli, Takahata Isao

Fun! Fun! Fun! 「となりのトトロ」 (Tonari no Totoro/My Neighbor Totoro, 1988) is just a riot.

…tomorrow!

GKids only just tweeted an announcement that the IFC Center in New York – where the special Studio Ghibli retrospective that has been travelling North America since last year first began – will be screening a whole lot of the films of the famous Japanese animation studio between November 16th and December 20th, 2012. It may the final stop of the Miyazaki & Co. tour, but I don’t know for sure. What is certain, however, is that New Yorkers are in for quite a treat – yet again.

Trailer Weekly #57

Tags

Film Festival, Hosoda Mamoru, Kon Satoshi, Miyazaki Hayao, Paris, Studio Ghibli, trailers, Tsumabuki Satoshi

Just in time this time round.

Hope you had a good weekend. It actually snowed in London, but only for 10 minutes and no one – except those of us up at 6 am on Saturday morning – noticed. I even saw three people in shorts at that hour, one being a runner, the other two… lunatics? At least I can’t figure out any other explanation for wearing shorts at 1 degree Celsius!

Anyhow, five trailers today (in order to be timely), all J plus one K.

Totoro Goes to Honolulu

Tags

Film Festival, Hosoda Mamoru, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli

…or: Studio Ghibli at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

October Events 2012

Tags

Barbican, Japanese Embassy London, KCCUK, Korean Film Night, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Year of 12 Directors

The film festival season gets into full swing (this month’s cover image should give you a visual impression of the deluge of films coming our way): Raindance continues, the madness of the UK’s biggest film event – the London International Film Festival - descends upon the capital, to be followed by the most comprehensive Im Kwon-Taek season that we have probably ever seen in this country, while J-animation fans get their fix up north at Scotland Loves Anime. Let’s hope we’ll all still be breathing when the month is over!

Note: This page will be updated as more information becomes available. If you see anything I have missed, do alert me to it!

UPDATED: 10/10/2012

September Events 2012

Tags

Barbican, Japanese Embassy London, KCCUK, Korean Film Night, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Year of 12 Directors

LAST UPDATED: 21/09/2012

September means that the film festival season is starting, with the Zipangu Fest and the Raindance Independent Film Festival kicking off first. There are of course festivals all year round, however, it just seems that autumn brings particularly many and particularly big ones in short succession of one another. It’s a busy time for us Asian and world film lovers.

August Events 2012

Tags

Barbican, Japanese Embassy London, KCCUK, Korean Film Night, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Year of 12 Directors

Last updated: 7/8/2012

I am away in India all this month, so you will have to enjoy these screenings for me. Apologies for the post being a day late – it does mean some events are over already – but airplanes still are lacking behind in offering internet services (heck, didn’t I even have a power point at my seat!).

There doesn’t seem to be all that much on at the moment. I guess the Olympics are entertainment enough? But I think this bit of ‘cinematic quiet’ is not all that bad as September and especially October will bring a deluge of film festivals, including some of the UK’s biggest.

UPDATE 2/8/2012: Might have to eat my own words – at least for fans of terror and horror, all kinds of things are being screened.

Update on Mononoke Hime’s Stage Adaptation

Tags

London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli

As I reported recently, Studio Ghibli’s「もののけ姫」(Mononoke-hime/Princess Mononoke, 1997) is being put on the stage by the UK-based The Whole Hog Theatre company. Although the performance will not take place until April 2013, tickets were snatched up in less than 72 hours after they went on sale last week. Clearly, there is a lot excitement about the very first theatrical adaptation of the Studio Ghibli animation.

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.

Ghibli… Everywhere

Tags

Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli

Get ready, because I’m going to bombard you with Studio Ghibli events.

July Events Calendar

Tags

BFI, Film Festival, ICA, Japanese Embassy London, Korean Film Night, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Year of 12 Directors

UPDATED: 11/7/12

This month starts off with a bang as several festivals continue and others are about to commence. It gets a bit quieter towards the middle and end of July, but perhaps that’s not to compete too much with Olympics? Well, that’s the rationale we can make for London at least.

Trailer Weekly #36

Tags

adaptation, Hosoda Mamoru, Miyazaki Hayao, Oguri Shun, Okada Masaki, Oshii Mamoru, Shinkai Makoto, Studio Ghibli, trailers

Feeling lazy today. Just one of those days! Lack of sleep due to marathoning 「花ざかりの君たちへ イケメン♂パラダイス」 (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen ♂ paradaisu/For You in Full Blossom better known as Hana Kimi, 2007) until, umm, daylight hours, is not helping the matter. Hana Kimi is a fun dorama, but, be warned, totally of the whacky, way-out-there, manga-kind – it is in fact based on a manga. Just the final couple episodes feel a little deflated. Still, for the most part it is – once you suspend all and any expectations of normality – crackingly funny and all the familiar faces (Oguri, Okada, Mizushiro, etc.) also warmed my heart.

The trailers this week? An almost exclusively Japanese affair.

Of Exams, Uneventful Travels, M & Things to Come

Tags

Film Festival, Japanese Embassy London, KCCUK, London, Miyazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, trailers

Pile. Of things to watch. To review. Or some, just to rewatch for joy. And a few, like Kokowääh, to never look at again. (The books are mostly uni stuff.)

I’m back – back from my blog hiatus and recently back in the UK also.

Another ‘Castles in the Sky’: Nashville, TN

Tags

Miyazaki Hayao, retrospective, Studio Ghibli

Nashville, Tennessee wasn’t originally on the list of cities for the US tour of the Studio Ghibli retrospective, but I don’t think anyone is going to be complaining about this – more likely children (big and small, of course) will be rejoicing.