Unquestionably America’s biggest and best-curated showcase of contemporary Asian cinema (with a choice handful of classics sprinkled into the mix for good measure), the New York Asian Film Festival has become a cherished institution among local cinephiles eager for a peek at the annual plethora of killer movies that may never screen again in the United States. If you want to see masterpieces like Li Wu’s “Buddha Mountain,” giddy kung fu throwbacks like Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok’s “Gallants,” or a programmer dress up as a cow to moo-ingly introduce a Huang Bo tragicomedy about a man and his livestock, Nyaff has long been the best game in town.
Last year, in the face of a pandemic and the rising swell of anti-Asian violence that came with it, Nyaff took bold steps to ensure that locked-down American film-lovers would still be able to celebrate the latest and...
Last year, in the face of a pandemic and the rising swell of anti-Asian violence that came with it, Nyaff took bold steps to ensure that locked-down American film-lovers would still be able to celebrate the latest and...
- 7/21/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center will unspool the 2021 edition Aug. 6-22 at Flc, kicking off with the premiere of “Escape From Mogadishu,” directed by Ryoo Seung-wa.
In all, 60 films will screen to audiences in person and virtually, with premieres of first and second features from directors for the feature film competition: “Anima”, “City of Lost Things”, “Hand Rolled Cigarette”, “Joint”, “Ten Months” and “Tiong Bahru Social Club”.
Hong Kong new wave director Ann Hui will receive the Variety Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, and the festival will screen her film “The Story of Woo Viet” and Man Lim Chung’s pic on Hui, “Keep Rolling.”
The festival will introduce the section Asian American Focus, which will feature films including Aimee Long’s “A Shot Through the Wall.” The team behind the film will be present at the festival.
“Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me?...
In all, 60 films will screen to audiences in person and virtually, with premieres of first and second features from directors for the feature film competition: “Anima”, “City of Lost Things”, “Hand Rolled Cigarette”, “Joint”, “Ten Months” and “Tiong Bahru Social Club”.
Hong Kong new wave director Ann Hui will receive the Variety Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, and the festival will screen her film “The Story of Woo Viet” and Man Lim Chung’s pic on Hui, “Keep Rolling.”
The festival will introduce the section Asian American Focus, which will feature films including Aimee Long’s “A Shot Through the Wall.” The team behind the film will be present at the festival.
“Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me?...
- 7/16/2021
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival got an early 25th birthday present in the form of James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad,” which will receive a special screening on Aug. 4, the day before Fantasia officially kicks off with the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s zombie thriller “Brain Freeze.” Gunn is a long-time friend of the fest, having first attended in 1997 before later returning for the Canadian premiere of his Marvel blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Fantasia also unveiled its second wave of features participating at this year’s festival, joining a raft of titles announced in May, and will announce the rest of its slate in late July along with details on several virtual events and this year’s juries.
New world premieres, joining the a six-pack announced last month, include Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane,” Anna Zaytseva’s feature debut “#Blue_Whale,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers-starrer “Yakuza Princes” from filmmaker Vicente Amorim,...
Fantasia also unveiled its second wave of features participating at this year’s festival, joining a raft of titles announced in May, and will announce the rest of its slate in late July along with details on several virtual events and this year’s juries.
New world premieres, joining the a six-pack announced last month, include Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane,” Anna Zaytseva’s feature debut “#Blue_Whale,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers-starrer “Yakuza Princes” from filmmaker Vicente Amorim,...
- 6/23/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Toronto Japanese Film Festival is pleased to announce the 2021 Grand Jury Prize goes to A Garden Of The Camellias. The powerful directorial debut from photographer Yoshihiko Ueda is a ravishingly beautiful examination of the exquisite transience of life. The Jury compared the film to the work of Mizoguchi and Ozu stating, “Sumiko Fuji is a portrait in grace as a grieving widow and mother, who is holding fast to her memories in a house that may soon no longer be hers. I could feel every beat of her wounded heart.”
In a three-way tie for runner-up the Jury selected Akiko Ohku’s Hold Me Back, calling it “A buoyant, bold, and endlessly interesting film that—like all the Ohku films—emphasizes the internal world of someone we’re always just beyond reach of understanding”. Of Shuichi Okita’s surreal examination of aging and loneliness, Ora Ora Be Goin’ Alone...
In a three-way tie for runner-up the Jury selected Akiko Ohku’s Hold Me Back, calling it “A buoyant, bold, and endlessly interesting film that—like all the Ohku films—emphasizes the internal world of someone we’re always just beyond reach of understanding”. Of Shuichi Okita’s surreal examination of aging and loneliness, Ora Ora Be Goin’ Alone...
- 6/4/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Canada’S Largest Showcase Of Contemporary Japanese Cinema
Streams Across Canada
Saturday, June 5 – Sunday, June 27, 2021
Monday, May 10, 2021 – The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre’s 10th annual Toronto Japanese Film Festival (Tjff) will be presented across Canada from Saturday, June 5 to Sunday, 27, 2021. During this period, Tjff screenings will be held online, using the Cinesend festival platform, with select onsite screenings at the Jccc’s Kobayashi Hall planned for October, public health protocols permitting. The festival is one of the largest film events of its kind in the world and is recognized by the Japanese film industry as a vital conduit for bringing Japanese film to international audiences.
“When we held the first Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we never dreamed we’d be celebrating our 10th anniversary during a pandemic, said Tjff Director James Heron. “We also never dreamed the festival would be so well attended, loved by Toronto audiences and embraced by...
Streams Across Canada
Saturday, June 5 – Sunday, June 27, 2021
Monday, May 10, 2021 – The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre’s 10th annual Toronto Japanese Film Festival (Tjff) will be presented across Canada from Saturday, June 5 to Sunday, 27, 2021. During this period, Tjff screenings will be held online, using the Cinesend festival platform, with select onsite screenings at the Jccc’s Kobayashi Hall planned for October, public health protocols permitting. The festival is one of the largest film events of its kind in the world and is recognized by the Japanese film industry as a vital conduit for bringing Japanese film to international audiences.
“When we held the first Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we never dreamed we’d be celebrating our 10th anniversary during a pandemic, said Tjff Director James Heron. “We also never dreamed the festival would be so well attended, loved by Toronto audiences and embraced by...
- 5/19/2021
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre’s 10th annual Toronto Japanese Film Festival (Tjff) will be presented across Canada from Saturday, June 5 to Sunday, 27, 2021. During this period, Tjff screenings will be held online, using the Cinesend festival platform, with select onsite screenings at the Jccc’s Kobayashi Hall planned for October, public health protocols permitting. The festival is one of the largest film events of its kind in the world and is recognized by the Japanese film industry as a vital conduit for bringing Japanese film to international audiences.
“When we held the first Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we never dreamed we’d be celebrating our 10th anniversary during a pandemic, said Tjff Director James Heron. “We also never dreamed the festival would be so well attended, loved by Toronto audiences and embraced by Japanese directors and actors as the place to introduce their films to North American audiences. On this...
“When we held the first Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we never dreamed we’d be celebrating our 10th anniversary during a pandemic, said Tjff Director James Heron. “We also never dreamed the festival would be so well attended, loved by Toronto audiences and embraced by Japanese directors and actors as the place to introduce their films to North American audiences. On this...
- 5/13/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Tiffcom will be held for three days from Monday, November 1 to Wednesday, November 3.
The organisers of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) have announced that this year’s edition of the event will be held for ten days from Saturday, October 30 to Monday, November 8.
Tiffcom will be held for three days from Monday, November 1 to Wednesday, November 3.
As they did in 2020, TIFF and Tiffcom plan to hold hybrid editions, with both a physical and online presence. The festival organisers said they would “continue to monitor the global health situation as TIFF and Tiffcom strengthen their collaborative efforts to hold successful events.
The organisers of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) have announced that this year’s edition of the event will be held for ten days from Saturday, October 30 to Monday, November 8.
Tiffcom will be held for three days from Monday, November 1 to Wednesday, November 3.
As they did in 2020, TIFF and Tiffcom plan to hold hybrid editions, with both a physical and online presence. The festival organisers said they would “continue to monitor the global health situation as TIFF and Tiffcom strengthen their collaborative efforts to hold successful events.
- 3/1/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
It has been about one year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world. In that year, the Japanese film industry has adjusted to a ‘new normal’ through trial and error. We ended 2020 with the thrilling news that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train had broken box office records.
Unfortunately, a second state of emergency was declared for major cities in Japan in January of this year. Movie theaters were requested to shorten their hours, and release dates are being delayed for one movie after another. The biggest news was the further delay for the release of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the latest film in the super hit anime series. Jff+ will continue bringing you the latest news around Japanese film.
Featured Japanese Movies to Represent 2020, Selected by Seven Experts from Around the World
How did the world’s film...
Unfortunately, a second state of emergency was declared for major cities in Japan in January of this year. Movie theaters were requested to shorten their hours, and release dates are being delayed for one movie after another. The biggest news was the further delay for the release of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the latest film in the super hit anime series. Jff+ will continue bringing you the latest news around Japanese film.
Featured Japanese Movies to Represent 2020, Selected by Seven Experts from Around the World
How did the world’s film...
- 2/28/2021
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The audience award was the only prize given out at this year’s edition of the festival.
Hold Me Back, directed by Japanese filmmaker Akiko Ohku, was presented with the audience award at the conclusion of the Tokyo International Film Festival.
The comedy drama revolves around a woman who is getting used to single life, thanks to the life coach installed inside her brain, when she falls in love with a younger man. Ohku’s credits include Tremble All You Want, which won the audience award at TIFF in 2017.
The audience award was the only prize given out at this...
Hold Me Back, directed by Japanese filmmaker Akiko Ohku, was presented with the audience award at the conclusion of the Tokyo International Film Festival.
The comedy drama revolves around a woman who is getting used to single life, thanks to the life coach installed inside her brain, when she falls in love with a younger man. Ohku’s credits include Tremble All You Want, which won the audience award at TIFF in 2017.
The audience award was the only prize given out at this...
- 11/9/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo International Film Festival handed out its audience award Monday to Japanese director Akiko Ohku’s for her latest feature Hold Me Back, a socially astute comedy about the romantic struggles of a Japanese woman entering her early thirties.
The audience award is the only prize the Tokyo festival is presenting this year, after the international jury competition had to be scrapped in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Hold Me Back won out over 31 other films that were screened in the festival’s “Tokyo Premiere” section, which replaced the usual competition selection and two other strands.
Ohku previously won ...
The audience award is the only prize the Tokyo festival is presenting this year, after the international jury competition had to be scrapped in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Hold Me Back won out over 31 other films that were screened in the festival’s “Tokyo Premiere” section, which replaced the usual competition selection and two other strands.
Ohku previously won ...
- 11/9/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Tokyo International Film Festival handed out its audience award Monday to Japanese director Akiko Ohku’s for her latest feature Hold Me Back, a socially astute comedy about the romantic struggles of a Japanese woman entering her early thirties.
The audience award is the only prize the Tokyo festival is presenting this year, after the international jury competition had to be scrapped in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Hold Me Back won out over 31 other films that were screened in the festival’s “Tokyo Premiere” section, which replaced the usual competition selection and two other strands.
Ohku previously won ...
The audience award is the only prize the Tokyo festival is presenting this year, after the international jury competition had to be scrapped in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Hold Me Back won out over 31 other films that were screened in the festival’s “Tokyo Premiere” section, which replaced the usual competition selection and two other strands.
Ohku previously won ...
- 11/9/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Festival opens with physical red carpet and video messages of congratulations from global industry figures.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) opened with a physical ceremony on Saturday (October 31) and video messages of support from global industry figures such as Robert De Niro and Christopher Nolan.
Nolan commented: “The fact that in these challenging times you’ve found a way to honour and enjoy watching films on the big screen is a source of inspiration to myself and other filmmakers around the world.”
De Niro said: “We hope TIFF will be a big, big success and we know it will be.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) opened with a physical ceremony on Saturday (October 31) and video messages of support from global industry figures such as Robert De Niro and Christopher Nolan.
Nolan commented: “The fact that in these challenging times you’ve found a way to honour and enjoy watching films on the big screen is a source of inspiration to myself and other filmmakers around the world.”
De Niro said: “We hope TIFF will be a big, big success and we know it will be.
- 11/2/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
New section introduced in response to Covid-19 travel restrictions will screen 32 films of which 25 are world premieres.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the full line-up for its 33rd edition, including the 32 titles selected for its Tokyo Premiere section, introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions.
Unlike many major festivals this year, TIFF will be going forward with in-person screenings at its usual venues, but has replaced three of its major sections – Competition, Asian Future and Japanese Cinema Splash – with the new Tokyo Premiere section.
The section, which includes 25 world premieres, “has a large focus on supporting young filmmakers,...
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the full line-up for its 33rd edition, including the 32 titles selected for its Tokyo Premiere section, introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions.
Unlike many major festivals this year, TIFF will be going forward with in-person screenings at its usual venues, but has replaced three of its major sections – Competition, Asian Future and Japanese Cinema Splash – with the new Tokyo Premiere section.
The section, which includes 25 world premieres, “has a large focus on supporting young filmmakers,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Matt Schley
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema, Japan Cuts, has selected 30 features and 12 shorts for a 2020 edition that will take place entirely online due to continued corona disruption.
Running July 17-30, the traditionally New York-based event will instead be available across the country via a digital platform set up in partnership with Festival Scope and Shift72. Films will be made available to rent with a limited number or virtual tickets per title, priced at $2–$7 with discounted bundles.
Alongside screenings, there will also be virtual Q&As, discussion panels, and video introductions from filmmakers in a bid to maintain the festival’s sense of community and dedication to intercultural communication.
The fest will kick off with a live virtual Q&a with Shinichiro Ueda, director of opening film selection Special Actors, the follow-up to Ueda’s popular breakout debut One Cut of the Dead. The festival’s Centerpiece...
Running July 17-30, the traditionally New York-based event will instead be available across the country via a digital platform set up in partnership with Festival Scope and Shift72. Films will be made available to rent with a limited number or virtual tickets per title, priced at $2–$7 with discounted bundles.
Alongside screenings, there will also be virtual Q&As, discussion panels, and video introductions from filmmakers in a bid to maintain the festival’s sense of community and dedication to intercultural communication.
The fest will kick off with a live virtual Q&a with Shinichiro Ueda, director of opening film selection Special Actors, the follow-up to Ueda’s popular breakout debut One Cut of the Dead. The festival’s Centerpiece...
- 6/24/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The festival will play 46 features from eight Asian countries.
Udine’s Far East Film Festival (Feff) has revealed a lineup of 46 features including four world premieres, for the online-only edition of the event that will run from June 26 until July 4.
It will open with the international premiere of Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo’s disaster action film Ashfall, available to viewers in Europe only.
The film was a blockbuster hit in South Korea over Christmas, grossing almost $60m (£47.9m) by the end of January.
The world premieres are Ning Yuanyuan’s Chinese title An Insignificant Affair; Daigo Matsui’s Japanese...
Udine’s Far East Film Festival (Feff) has revealed a lineup of 46 features including four world premieres, for the online-only edition of the event that will run from June 26 until July 4.
It will open with the international premiere of Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo’s disaster action film Ashfall, available to viewers in Europe only.
The film was a blockbuster hit in South Korea over Christmas, grossing almost $60m (£47.9m) by the end of January.
The world premieres are Ning Yuanyuan’s Chinese title An Insignificant Affair; Daigo Matsui’s Japanese...
- 6/4/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Ever heard of “Konkatsu”? No? Congratulations, because that means that you have not (yet) been part of the very popular trend of spouse hunting. An uncompromising way for women to find marriageable men. Akiko Ohku adds with “Marriage Hunting Beauty” another quirky romantic comedy to her oeuvre. After her success hit “Tremble All You Want” (2017), Ohku presents now the wild dating carnival of a desperate woman called Takako (Mei Kurokawa).
Marriage Hunting Beauty is screening at Japannual Festival
Online-Dating and single cafès configure the playground for the manga-based plot. Being only attracted by married men, Takako is frustrated of being a mistress. Together with the help of her best friend Keiko, played by Asami Usuda, she chooses two guys with different backgrounds. Sonoki (Tomoya Nakamura), a nerdy salaryman, whose character took inspiration from TV-Dramas like “Densha Otoko”, is dumbstruck by Takako’s presence and feels like he doesn’t deserve to be around her.
Marriage Hunting Beauty is screening at Japannual Festival
Online-Dating and single cafès configure the playground for the manga-based plot. Being only attracted by married men, Takako is frustrated of being a mistress. Together with the help of her best friend Keiko, played by Asami Usuda, she chooses two guys with different backgrounds. Sonoki (Tomoya Nakamura), a nerdy salaryman, whose character took inspiration from TV-Dramas like “Densha Otoko”, is dumbstruck by Takako’s presence and feels like he doesn’t deserve to be around her.
- 10/8/2018
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
The Night Is Short, Walk on GirlNew York City’s remarkable summer of Asian film programming continues this week, when, just as the New York Asian Film Festival comes to a close, the Japan Society begins its annual series highlighting the best of contemporary Japanese cinema. This twelfth edition of Japan Cuts features 28 films over ten days, most of which are premiering for the first time in the United States. It’s an eclectic mix of arthouse and genre films from world famous directors as well as young unknowns. I was able to sample a handful of this year’s program, for the most part steering away from the biggest names1 in favor of less heralded filmmakers. In all I saw six films: three romantic comedies; a road movie; a 1980s pink film (Masayuki Suo’s Abnormal Family); and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hanagatami, which is some kind of a historical drama.
- 7/19/2018
- MUBI
Based on the novel of the same name (2010) by Risa Wataya and directed by Akiko Ohku , “Tremble All You Want” conquered the public’s hearts at the Tokyo Film Festival 2017 by winning the Audience Award. And the award is well deserved as this romantic comedy might speak to many people, as it goes beyond the film’s genre stereotypes and focuses on a more recurrent issue: how to love and confess.
“Tremble All You Want” is screening at the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival
Yoshika (Mayu Matsuoka), 24 years old, is a peculiar accountant that has a 10-year-long crush on her first love whom she calls ‘Ichi’ (Takumi Kitamura) from ‘ichiban’ which means number one. Yoshika is content with her life, talking nonstop about ‘Ichi’ with everyone, until one day, an event occurs that sets her mind towards finding ‘Ichi’ and confess. Meanwhile, her office friend Kurumi (Anna Ishibashi) tries to...
“Tremble All You Want” is screening at the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival
Yoshika (Mayu Matsuoka), 24 years old, is a peculiar accountant that has a 10-year-long crush on her first love whom she calls ‘Ichi’ (Takumi Kitamura) from ‘ichiban’ which means number one. Yoshika is content with her life, talking nonstop about ‘Ichi’ with everyone, until one day, an event occurs that sets her mind towards finding ‘Ichi’ and confess. Meanwhile, her office friend Kurumi (Anna Ishibashi) tries to...
- 5/11/2018
- by Sofía Murell
- AsianMoviePulse
Here’s the trailer for Tokyo Mujirushi Joshi Monogatari (Tokyo Nameless Girl’s Story), the latest by Tokyo Serendipity director Akiko Ohku.
The film is based on two parts of an anthology manga of the same name which features stories of girls living on their own in Tokyo for the first time.
In the first story, Mitsuki Tanimura plays a college student named Nozomi who’s been trying to find a job. Back in her hometown, she was nicknamed “Noro”, short for “noroma” (gullible, slow-witted) so she’s been having trouble adjusting to the rapid pace of Tokyo. Until recently, she’s been living a the same speed as her boyfriend, Kameyama (Kensuke Owada), but now she feels that starting to change…
In the other story, Megumi Yanagi plays Saeko, a girl who works in advertising, and Shuri plays her lazy sister Kaori. On the one-year anniversary of Saeko’s...
The film is based on two parts of an anthology manga of the same name which features stories of girls living on their own in Tokyo for the first time.
In the first story, Mitsuki Tanimura plays a college student named Nozomi who’s been trying to find a job. Back in her hometown, she was nicknamed “Noro”, short for “noroma” (gullible, slow-witted) so she’s been having trouble adjusting to the rapid pace of Tokyo. Until recently, she’s been living a the same speed as her boyfriend, Kameyama (Kensuke Owada), but now she feels that starting to change…
In the other story, Megumi Yanagi plays Saeko, a girl who works in advertising, and Shuri plays her lazy sister Kaori. On the one-year anniversary of Saeko’s...
- 5/30/2012
- Nippon Cinema
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