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Exclusive:Cologne-based distributor-producer Rapid Eye Movies (Rem) is expanding its operations with the launching of an in-house world sales arm under the banner of Rapid Eye Movies International Distribution.

The initial line-up includes the maverick Filipino filmmaker Khavn’s latest project Rizal’s Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge, a hand-coloured 35mm silent film about his country’s fragmented colonial history at the turn of the 20th century, and 93-year-old German director Alexander Kluge’s latest two films made entirely using AI, Cosmic Miniatures and Primitive Diversity, which premiered in Rotterdam in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

In addition, the new venture will be handling a...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Museum of Modern Art

A Theater Near You includes films by Chantal Akerman, Bertolucci, Aldrich, and more.

Anthology Film Archives

A J. Hoberman-curated series on New York avant-garde begins.

Roxy Cinema

Barry Lyndon and Fassbinder’s Chinese Roulette screen on 35mm.

Museum of the Moving Image

Pursuant to the question of our time––is Tom Cruise evil?––a new, career-spanning retrospective gets underway; The Muppets Take Manhattan plays this weekend.

Film Forum

Apocalypse Now‘s “roadshow edition” begins screening; the 4K restoration of Shall We Dance?, debuting Masayuki Suo’s cut, continues; The Wiz plays on Sunday.

Film at Lincoln Center

A survey of Jordan Peele’s Us, featuring films by Orson Welles, Jan Švankmajer, and Robert Zemeckis, begins, while a restoration of Christiane F. starts.

Paris Theater

The career-spanning Hitchcock series continues.

IFC Center

Ran continues in a 40th-anniversary restoration; Dogtooth,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

The Matrix Reloaded and In the Spirit both play on 35mm this Friday, with the latter repeating Saturday; a print of Barry Lyndon screens on Sunday.

Film Forum

All five of John Cazale’s films play; the 4K restoration of Shall We Dance?, debuting Masayuki Suo’s cut, and a new 35mm print of 8½ continue; Elia Kazan’s A Tree Grows In Brooklyn plays on Sunday.

Museum of Modern Art

A Theater Near You includes films by Welles, Raoul Walsh, Ozu, Dreyer, Renoir, and more.

Film at Lincoln Center

The Monica Vitti retrospective continues.

Paris Theater

Bleak Week begins.

Anthology Film Archives

A series on the Griots Theater Company begins.

Museum of the Moving Image

Stagecoach leads “See It Big: Stunts!“; The Birdcage shows Saturday and Sunday.

IFC Center

Ran continues in a 40th-anniversary restoration; Before Sunrise, Before Sunset,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research

In anticipation of The Jag, a new play produced by yours truly, Paul Felten and Joe DeNardo present Jean-François Stévenin’s Mountain Pass on Friday.

Film at Lincoln Center

Films by Antonioni, Buñuel, and more play in a retrospective of Monica Vitti.

Anthology Film Archives

Films by Stan Brakhage play in Essential Cinema.

Roxy Cinema

Tongues Untied screens on Friday; Dressed In Blue, Three Bewildered People In the Night, and The Wild Boys show Saturday; Ratcatcher plays on Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

The Raid, District 13, Stagecoach, and Jackass 3D screen in “See It Big: Stunts!“; Alien shows Saturday and Sunday.

IFC Center

Ran continues in a 40th-anniversary restoration; Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Happiness play daily; Romeo + Juliet, To Live and Die in L.A., Audition, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang show late.

In 1996, Masayuki Suo‘s heartwarming feature “Shall We Dance?” charmed critics and audiences, receiving additional acclaim following its subsequent international release. Its major success even spawned an American remake starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. With Suo’s original hit gaining renewed attention thanks to the 4K restoration of the original uncut version and theatrical re-release by Film Movement, it’s the perfect time to revisit what makes this film so enduringly special.

The premise is quite simple. Salaryman Shohei Sugiyama leads a stable life with a steady job, a loving wife and child, and a comfortable home. Even with his clear love for his family, he feels that something is missing, a depression brought on by a longing to fill that personal emptiness. One evening during his commute home, he notices a beautiful woman gazing out the window of a dance studio. Infatuated, he visits the building to find out who she is.

Translation by Kennedy Taylor

Masayuki Suo is an award-winning filmmaker best known internationally for his acclaimed film “Shall We Dance?.” The movie follows Shohei Sugiyama, a successful but depressed salaryman who finds new meaning in life when he secretly takes up ballroom dance lessons. Both funny and heartfelt, the feature stars Koji Yakusho in a memorable role that stands out in his filmography. Tamiyo Kusakari, an experienced dancer, co-stars alongside Yakusho in her acting debut.

In conjunction with the 4K restoration and theatrical re-release of the original uncut version of “Shall We Dance?,” we speak with Masayuki Suo and Tamiyo Kusakari about the film, ballroom dancing, self-expression, and more.

With its renewed attention, what is it like reflecting on the film all these years later?

Masayuki Suo: I mean, in the first place, I never imagined my movie would ever get to be seen and enjoyed by people in America.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

We’re presenting an Ib Technicolor print of Howard Hawks’ Hatari! this Friday and Sunday; Friday also brings Mad Max: Fury Road on 35mm and Agnès Varda’s Lions Love (…and Lies); prints of John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan play on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Bam

The Sealed Soil begins playing in a new restoration (watch our trailer debut).

Museum of the Moving Image

Cassavetes’ Gloria plays Saturday and Sunday; Raiders of the Lost Ark and prints of Hooper and Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior screen in “See It Big: Stunts!“; Troma’s Curse of the Weredeer shows on Saturday, while films by Nadia Shahib are presented on Sunday.

IFC Center

Ran continues screening in a 40th-anniversary restoration; Before Sunrise and Goodfellas play daily; Children of Men, To Live and Die in L.

Masayuki Suô’s beloved romantic comedy “Shall We Dance?” is finally getting a proper U.S. release. The 1996 feature stars Oscar nominee Kôji Yakusho in one of his breakout roles as a married accountant who becomes intoxicated by the world of competitive ballroom dancing. Yakusho most recently led “Perfect Days.”

The official synopsis for “Shall We Dance?” reads: “Shohei Sugiyama (Yakusho) seems to have it all — a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day, while commuting on the train, he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him head-first into the world of competitive ballroom dancing.”

Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eri Watanabe, Yû Tokui, Hiromasa Taguchi, Reiko Kusamura, and Hideko Hara also star.

The Japanese film was released in the U.

Beginning Friday, April 4, Love Hotel, a pinku classic from Shinji Somai newly restored by the Nikkatsu Corporation and making its first-ever North American theatrical release, opens for an exclusive one-week NY theatrical run at Metrograph In Theater.

Somai, who had been an assistant director at Nikkatsu in the 1970s when Roman Porno sex films became the studio’s stock-in-trade, made his only directorial effort in the genre with this disarmingly poignant, elegantly shot entry into the pinku eiga canon from a script by Takashi Ishii – he later reworked it into his own 1988 Angel Guts: Red Vertigo – which stars Minori Terada as a spiraling ex-businessman who, having squandered his fortune and his dignity and brought terrible suffering upon his wife, hires a sex worker to share what he intends to be his final night on earth at a hot sheets love hotel. A Cinema Guild release.

The new restoration of Love Hotel...

Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, known for his critically acclaimed performances in films such as Perfect Days and Shall We Dance?, is to receive the lifetime achievement honour at the 18th Asian Film Awards.

The veteran performer will accept the award at the ceremony in Hong Kong on March 16. As part of a schedule of events associated with the awards, he will attend a screening of Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days on March 15. Yakusho’s role in the film, as a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, won him the best actor award at Cannes in 2023 and the same honour at last year...

The Neon Genesis Evangelion series has had several collaborations with Nendoroid figurines. Now, a new duo of these collectibles features two of the franchise's most iconic characters in their plugsuits.

Based on the movie Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, two new Nendoroid figures based on Asuka and Rei are now available for preorder. Detailed and expressive, these are merely the latest Evangelion figures from Good Smile Company. Heading to fans' collections in the coming year, the diminutive Pvc figurines show that great detail can come in small packages.

Related Get in the Big Mac, Shinji: McDonald's Reveals First Official Look at New Transforming Evangelion Collab

The latest anime fast food collaboration adds transforming figures based on the mecha from Neon Genesis Evangelion into the Japanese McDonald's app.

Asuka and Rei Plug Into New Evangelion Nendoroid Figures

As noted, the new Asuka Shikinami Langley and Rei Ayanami Nendoroid figures...

A later cast member in the classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kaworu Nagisa became a fan-favorite, despite his limited screentime. Now, a new collectible figure represents his appearance in the franchise's final movie.

Released by Sega Plaza, the new Kaworu figure depicts him in the uniform of a Nerv commander. Inspired by the Evangelion reboot, the figurine is one of several collectibles developed by Luminasta. Even coming with a comfortable accessory, the new Evangelion figure is a must-have for those looking to recreate the Rebuild of Evangelion movies.

Related Evangelion Gives Rei Ayanami a Streetwear Makeover With Newest Collectible Reveal

A new high-quality figure from the Radio Eva series features the Evangelion fan-favorite character in stylish streetwear.

The Newest Kaworu Figure Depicts the Evangelion Character as a Nerv Commander

Dressed in the black suit of a Nerv commander, "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a TimeLuminasta"Nagisa Kaworu" Commander Suit Ver.2" is the...

There's perhaps no character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise more iconic than Rei Ayanami, who's even more popular than the series' giant mechs. Now, a recent fan-favorite collectible based on the Eva pilot is set to return to retailers in 2025.

Based on the character's appearance in one of the Evangelion movies, this "long-haired Rei" figure showcases a different look for the bashful and demure heroine. One of several toys based on this version of Rei, the oft-delayed Good Smile Company rendition was actually first shown years ago. The re-release of the figure also coincides with a major anniversary year for the franchise as a whole, making the item even more special.

Related Evangelion's Asuka Goes Cyberpunk-Casual for Radio Eva's New U.S. Release

Based on the artwork of Mai Yoneyama, the voguish new Radio Eva Asuka statue gives the Evangelion character a figurine that can now be pre-ordered.

When it comes to attire and aesthetics, Neon Genesis Evangelion and its main characters are known for giant mecha and plugsuits. Now, a fresh new collectible is representing an artistic take on Asuka from the franchise's lifestyle brand.

The new Asuka figurine by Hobby Max showcases her in far more casual clothing, albeit with a slightly cyberpunk-like aesthetic. Decked out and stylish in her urban clothes, the depiction of Asuka is based on an illustration by Mai Yoneyama. While it might not include a giant robot, this version of Asuka is easily her most fashionable to date and set to release in the U.S. via retailers such as BigBadToyStore.

Related Evangelion's Rei Ayanami Gets Her Own Signature Cookies in Exclusive Release

An upcoming Evangelion event in Japan will have several exclusive items, including tasty "Ring Cookies" based on the beloved character Rei Ayanami.

Asuka Gets Contemporary With New...

The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise is still a landmark series among mecha anime, which is why it has continued to receive several new collectibles and forms of merchandise even after 30 years. One of these is a revamped statue that celebrates the brand's latest milestone.

Via its official social media, Sega is releasing a new version of a previous Rei Ayanami statue, with the new figure displaying the Eva pilot in a sleek black plugsuit. It's one of two new Rei collectibles from the company, and it's specifically based on the Rebuild movies' incarnation of the character. While its release might not coincide with the premiere of the original anime, it does highlight a lesser-known part of the property's history.

Related Evangelion's Rei Ayanami Gets Her Own Signature Cookies in Exclusive Release

An upcoming Evangelion event in Japan will have several exclusive items, including tasty "Ring Cookies" based on the beloved character Rei Ayanami.

The classic Neon Genesis Evangelion anime is known for its dark psychological leanings, with many viewers lauding it for how the series deconstructed mecha anime. Nonetheless, the franchise's newest forms of merchandise include adorable magnet versions of its characters.

The "Huggy Good Smile" series by Good Smile Company is proud to present new Evangelion figures that double as magnets. Based on the franchise's latest movies, these toys come in a variety of options, including two different versions of Asuka and Rei. With Good Smile now accepting reservations, fans can lay claim to these collectibles that are sure to almost make them forget how dark the anime is.

Related Neon Genesis Evangelion Gets New Good Smile Company Release for Most Hated Character

Based on his depiction from Rebuild of Evangelion, the newest Gendo Ikari collectible by figma is the perfect purchase for fans of detailed toys.

New Evangelion Magnet Figures Are...

The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise is no stranger to unique and sometimes even slightly off-the-wall merchandise. Now, fans can go off to the races with a figure of Asuka that emulates a previous release with another Eva pilot.

The "Sega Neon Genesis Evangelion Racing Luminasta Asuka Shikinami Langley (Pit Walk) Figure" portrays a version of Evangelion heroine Asuka dressed as a pit queen for a racing event. Taking up racing as a welcome reprieve from fighting against monstrous Angels, the Asuka figure is now available for pre-order. It's also the perfect complement to the accompanying figure of Rei Ayanami, which was released in the U.S. earlier this year.

Related Neon Genesis Evangelion's Leading Ladies Join Goddess of Victory: Nikke

The newest Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover is with Goddess of Victory: Nikke, an action RPG that's also previously collaborated with other anime.

Sega's Newest Asuka Figure Portrays the Evangelion...

The well-known characters of the anime franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion have guest-starred in several video games over the years as crossover characters. Now, the next example of this is a third-person shooter RPG from South Korea that's also become a major hit in Japan and the U.S.

Goddess of Victory: Nikke was released in late 2022, and it's since been one of the biggest gacha shooter games in recent years. This success has also resulted in crossovers with different video game properties, along with some major anime. The latest of these is Evangelion, with the anime's female characters taking center stage.

Related Neon Genesis Evangelion Gets New Good Smile Company Release for Most Hated Character

Based on his depiction from Rebuild of Evangelion, the newest Gendo Ikari collectible by figma is the perfect purchase for fans of detailed toys.

Evangelion's Rei, Misato & More Become Part of an Official New...

Rei Ayanami, long since one of the most iconic and popular characters from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, has received a new figure courtesy of Sega. The new release shows off Rei's "fantastical beauty" with extremely detailed long hair -- something of a rarity since the character is primarily seen throughout the original series and most of the films with a far shorter pageboy hairstyle.

The Sega Fave official website is selling the new Evangelion figure modeled after the ever-popular Rei Ayanami. Officially named the "Rei Ayanami Long Hair Ver. Figure," the 1/7 figure is made of Pvc and Abs, measuring approximately W135 mm x D150 mm x H118 mm, and will be released in July 2025 in Japan. Fans can preorder until Oct. 7, 2024. However, the heavy detail of the figure, as seen below, means that it's been priced at a somewhat steep 19,800 yen (US$125).

Related The Voice Behind the Original Evangelion...

Kōji Yakusho is one of the greatest actors alive by any metric. In Japan, he's been nominated for a whopping 23 Japan Academy Film Prize acting awards, and has worked with some of the greatest Japanese directors of all time — Hirokazu Kore-eda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Masayuki Suo, Takashi Miike, Shinji Aoyama, Kon Ichikawa, Hideo Gosha, Juzo Itami, and, of course, Shōhei Imamura.

However, Yakusho has also made a huge impact around the world, his star power and handsome solitude bringing acclaim to films like Shall We Dance? and Memoirs of a Geisha. He is one of the rare international actors to break out into mainstream recognition without resorting to speaking English, thanks to films like Rob Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha and Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Babel. In 2023, he achieved what's arguably the greatest international recognition an actor can receive, winning Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for director Wim Wenders' beautiful character study,...

Click here to read the full article.

Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.

But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.

Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.

In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...

Allow me to begin this review with a personal note. Among the plethora of books about (Asian) cinema I have read, this one is definitely one of the better ones, if not the best. The combination of research and context (just mentioning all the topics Jasper Sharp examines here would fill a small book), the quality of personal comments, the language, and the overall illustration of the Fab Press edition, which is filled with film stills, posters etc, including a rather impressive middle section as much as great front and back covers, are all top-notch, to the point that one would have to dig really deep to find any flaw in the book. Let us take things from the beginning though.

The book begins ideally, as Sharp starts his narration by dealing with the history of nudity on film, the differences between art and pornography, the differences between Western and Japanese pornography,...

The series Keiko Sato: Pinku Maverick starts on Mubi on March 3, 2021 in many countries.Above: Blue Film WomanThese films, “Pink Cinema,” are anything but easy to digest; women are violently abused and objectified, sex is often un-consensual or underaged, murder, torture, suicide and castration are commonplace, and incest is an assumed normality. It’s fair to say that the appeal of these films, for many modern-day audiences, is not necessarily clear. So why are these films being restored and rewatched now?The long-debated question “is pornography essentially harmful to women?” is brought to the fore in these films and lingers on each drawn-out sexual violence scene. Amia Srinivasan, reflecting on this question with reference to Nancy Bauer’s essay on pornography, notes that “to fully understand this question, we need to attend more carefully to the particularities of pornography and the role it plays not just in culture generally but...

Three upcoming Japanese films from Third Window Films are now available for preorder.

Hanagatami

Out July 6th

In 2016, Nobuhiko Obayashi, the director of the cult Japanese film House (Hausu) was diagnosed with lung cancer and given only a few months to live. Despite not much time left, for what was supposed to be his final film he adapted Kazuo Dan’s 1937 novella Hanagatami, his passion project 40 years in the making.

In 1941, as Japan prepares its attack on Pearl Harbor, 16 year-old Toshihiko (Shunsuke Kubozuka) leaves his parents in Amsterdam and moves to the seaside town of Karatsu where his aunt Keiko (Takako Tokiwa) cares for his ailing cousin Mina (Honoka Yahagi). Immersed in the exquisite nature and phenomenal culture of Karatsu, Toshihiko befriends the beautiful, Apollo-like Ukai (Shinnosuke Mitsushima), the contemplative Kira (Keishi Nagatsuka), the ingenuous Akine (Hirona Yamazaki) and the brooding Chitose (Mugi Kadowaki) as they all contend with the war’s inescapable gravitational pull.

Winner of the Audience Award at the Skip City Film Festival 2019 and debut film of Sho Suzuki and Takashi Haga, “Me & My Brother’s Mistress” comes up with an unusual outline about female companionship and the questionable tradition of marriage.

“Me & My Brother’s Mistress” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020

High schooler Yoko (Nanami Kasamatsu) and her brother Kenji (Satoshi Iwago) live together since their parents died nine years before. One night, Yoko sees Kenji, who is engaged and about to get married, with another girl named Mija (Yui Murata) out on a date. She decides to confront the mistress, but her intentions shift as she gets to know her better. Mija and Yoko become conspirators, planning to stop Kenji’s marriage.

Former Cinematographer Takashi Haga worked as an assistant on Masayuki Suo’s musical “Lady Maiko” (2014) and shot several movies such as “Mori, the Artist’s Habitat” (2018) and Marina Tsukada...

Masayuki Suo is a director not afraid to touch on cultural taboos in his work, most notably with 1996’s breakthrough “Shall We Dance?”. There, he tackled a foreign influence in ballroom dancing, and its lack of acceptance as a respectable activity for a middle-aged salaryman. His earlier “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t”, however, looks at a more traditional Japanese activity, but how a younger generation embrace the foreign and see the past as taboo.

“Youth” is screening at Japan Society

Shuhei (Masahiro Motoki) is a slacker student, confident that he has no need to go to class or make any efforts, as his family connections have already landed him a job on graduation. There’s just one problem with this: he actually has to graduate. As such, he feels it’s about time he met with his professor, Anayama (Akira Emoto).

Anayama is something of a sumo wrestling buff; a lean man,...

Can porn be art? This question seems to be contradicting itself. Art calls for our contemplation, while porn requires our bodily involvement. How can a film excite its viewers on these two fronts? Masayuki Suo’s pink film (“pinku eiga”; it refers Japanese softcore pornographic films produced since the sixties) “Abnormal Family” seems to be a rare beast that combines stylistic commitments with titillating imageries. Once studying film with Japan’s leading intellectual Shigehiko Hasumi, Suo’s film is a love (erotic?) letter to Ozu’s films.

Unmarried daughters. Bickering relatives. Taciturn fathers. A teapot. A vase. A Noh performance. A Coca-Cola signpost. A corner of the Kita-Kamakura station. These are the basic elements of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinematic world. In these quiet corners of Japan, there will always be a father who is worried about marrying off his daughters. The tradition must go on,...

From April 10 to April 25 2020 Japan Society will present its new series which follows the topic of sports within the landscape of Japanese cinema.

“Like cinema, sports have been integral to the development of modern Japan since the late 19th century when the country opened its borders to the West. Intersecting these two major cultural forces is the multifaceted and ubiquitous sports film, a fluid genre that offers fascinating insight into issues related to Japanese national identity, gender roles and the clash between tradition and modernity. Organized in anticipation of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, this series celebrates the Japanese sports film in its myriad iterations—covering a wide range of athletic disciplines and filmmaking styles, from wartime Japan to the present—including classics, documentaries, anime and commercial crowd-pleasers.”

Screenings:

“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t” by Masayuki Suo

“Sanshiro Sugata” by Akira Kurosawa

“I Will Buy You” by Masaki Kobayashi

“The Sword...

Once known for its popular gang and other action films that had legions of mostly male fans, Toei today has a diverse line-up in a variety of genres. To this edition of Tiffcom the company has brought several new titles, including “Mio’s Recipe for You” a drama about a young female chef in the feudal era, who is determined to fuse the cuisines of Kyoto and Edo (the old name for Tokyo). The director is Haruki Kadokawa, a hit-making veteran producer and director going back to the 1970s.

Also new is “Machi no Ueda,” the latest film by Rikiya Imaizumi, a director who has acquired a cult following for movies about the romantic tribulations of the urban young. His hero is a young man working at a second-hand clothing stores in Shimokitazawa, a trendy Tokyo suburb, when his humdrum existence is upset by the offer of a film role...

Competition to screen 14 titles including the world premieres of Japanese films Tezuka’s Barbara and A Beloved Wife.

Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) has announced the full line-up for its 32nd edition, including the 14 titles selected for its International Competition.

In addition to previously announced Japanese titles Tezuka’s Barbara from Macoto Tezka and Shin Adachi’s A Beloved Wife, the competition will screen five other world premieres including Chinese director Wang Rui’s Chaogtu With Sarula, Food For A Funeral from Turkey’s Reis Celik and Uncle from Danish director Frelle Petersen.

Asia premieres in this section include Jayro...

The Tokyo International Film Festival will this year give over most of its competition section to films from outside East Asia. This contrasts to previous editions with a strong presence from the region.

The festival, which will hold its 32nd edition next month, announced its lineup Thursday. Of the 14 announced films for competition, only two – Wang Rui’s “Chaogtu With Sarula” (China) and Paul Soriano’s ”Mananita” (Philippines) – are from East Asia.

Korean films are noticeably absent this year, a situation that may reflect the acute political tensions between Tokyo and Seoul.

Others in the competition are Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Atlantis” and Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco,” which both screened at Toronto. The competition also includes Saeid Rustai’s “Just 6.5,” Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona,” Nunzia De Stefano’s “Nevia” and Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals,” which were all pickups from Venice.

The two Japanese films in the competition...

Two Japanese films, “Tezuka’s Barbara” and “A Beloved Wife” have been selected for the main competition section of next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

The festival will reveal the remainder of the competition and the bulk of its other selections later this month. To date the Japanese festival has only revealed its opening film a gala screening of Japanese film “Talking The Pictures,” directed by Masayuki Suo, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as its closing event.

“Barbara” is an adult-oriented fantasy tale, directed by Makoto Tezka who adapts his father Osamu Tezka’s famous novel, itself a reimagining of “The Tales of Hoffmann.” The story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a novelist whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious girl named Barbara, and touches on taboos including forbidden love, eroticism, scandal and the occult.

Tokyo festival selector Yoshi Yatabe called it: “extremely luxurious and fortunate filmmaking,...

Masayuki Suo’s ’Talking The Pictures’ will receive a Gala Screening on October 31.

Tokyo International Film Festival has announced that Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed The Irishman will play as its closing film on November 5, while Masayuki Suo’s Talking The Pictures will receive a Gala Screening on October 31.

Scorsese’s epic story of organised crime in post-war America travels to Tokyo following its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 27 and a few other screenings in the Us and Europe. The film is also booked to play at the Hamptons Film Festival on October 11 and close...

Akiyoshi Koba’s martial arts dance frenzy “Nunchaku and Soul” aims at the quiet undertones.

Nunchaku and Soul is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

Numata is a shy, bespectacled middle-aged restaurant manager. Since his childhood, he has been obsessed with Nunchakus. At a dating event, he meets Reiko who leads him to attend a dance class. Although Numata does not know how to dance, he wants to join in a dance contest to win her heart.

Soma (or Soul) is the lead singer of a funk band that is about to break-up after 10 years. His band members are too busy with their regular lives, while Soma’s a failure. As he is facing leaving the stage forever, one of his friends, who happens to be the cook in Numata’s restaurant, introduces him as his new dancing coach. Numata and Soma both get the chance to reboot their lives...

Steady as the beating drums of Drum Tao band whose members proved to be as fast as the lightning storm they brewed at the opening ceremony held in X-Theatre, Tokyo International Tokyo International Film Festival 2018 has to offer one of the most enlightened and enriched programs (almost 200 films beeing screened) ever conceived in its long run of 31 years history.

‘We find ourselves in the rapidly expanding era of digitalization and globalization, but at the same time we must not forget about the true values of film entertainment’ – with these words Mr. Hirai Takuya, Minister of State for “Cool Japan” Strategy and Intellectual Property, opened his speech at the Opening Ceremony.

Soon after, Mr. Ryohei Mirata – Commissioner for Cultural Affairs echoed his words by citing Ken Takakura who once said that movies are beyond borders and languages, they have the power to transform living sadness into hope and courage. ‘We have...

Can porn be art? This question seems to be contradicting itself. Art calls for our contemplation, while porn requires our bodily involvement. How can a film excite its viewers on these two fronts? Masayuki Suo’s pink film (“pinku eiga”; it refers Japanese softcore pornographic films produced since the sixties) “Abnormal Family” seems to be a rare beast that combines stylistic commitments with titillating imageries. Once studying film with Japan’s leading intellectual Shigehiko Hasumi, Suo’s film is a love (erotic?) letter to Ozu’s films.

Abnormal Family is screening at Japan Cuts 2018

Unmarried daughters. Bickering relatives. Taciturn fathers. A teapot. A vase. A Noh performance. A Coca-Cola signpost. A corner of the Kita-Kamakura station. These are the basic elements of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinematic world. In these quiet corners of Japan, there will always be a father who is worried about marrying off his daughters.

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.

Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) will showcase the work of actor Koji Yakusho and anime director Masaaki Yuasa at this year's event.

Yakusho found fame in Japan starring as samurai lord Oda Nobunaga in public broadcaster Nhk's year-long historical "Taiga" drama Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1983, before appearing in Juzo Itami's Tampopo in 1986.

During the 1990s he garnered international acclaim with films including Masayuki Suo's Shall We Dance?, Cannes' Palme d'Or winner The Eel by Shohei Imamura and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure. He went on to collaborate six more times with Kurosawa and has been cast by most of...

Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) will showcase the work of actor Koji Yakusho and anime director Masaaki Yuasa at this year's event.

Yakusho found fame in Japan starring as samurai lord Oda Nobunaga in public broadcaster Nhk's yearlong historical "Taiga" drama <em>Tokugawa Ieyasu </em>in 1983, before appearing in Juzo Itami's <em>Tampopo</em> in 1986.

During the 1990s he garnered international acclaim with films including Masayuki Suo's<em> Shall We Dance?</em>, Cannes' Palme d'Or winner <em>The Eel </em>by Shohei Imamura and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreboding-director-kiyoshi-kurosawa-being-a-horror-master-who-doesn-t-like-gore-1085863" target="_blank">Kiyoshi Kurosawa'</a>s <em>Cure</em>. He went on to collaborate six more times with Kurosawa and has been cast by most ...

Se Asian movies, at least as they are perceived in their whole by the majority of international audience, are known for a number of things: Horror, violence, Wong Kar Wai, Park Chan-wook and Takashi Miike (ok, I am just oversimplifying things here). So, for this list I decided to show another aspect of Asian movies, not so frequently mentioned or even considered for that matter, apart from the Bollywood movies that is. Without further ado, here are 12 great dancing scenes from Asian movies, with the lion’s share belonging to Wong Kar Wai, who has presented a number of astonishing sequences through the years.

1. Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing are dancing in a kitchen (Wong Kar Wai, Happy Together,1997, Hong Kong)

Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung are tangoing in the middle of a kitchen, with their love and adoration for each other becoming evident by the way they look at and lean on each other.

More that 1,100 of similar soft-core productions were released in theaters during the 70’s and 80’s by Nikkatsu, which helped to launch the careers of filmmakers like Masayuki Suo (Shall we Dance?, The Terminal Trust), Takashi Ishii (Gonin), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Tokyo Sonata, Journey to the Shore), Yojiro Takita (Departures), Koji Wakamatsu (Endless Waltz, United Red Army, Caterpillar) and many more.

The main reason so many directors chose the particular genre was due to the complete artistic freedom given to the them after they have met four criteria:

The film must have a required minimum quota of sex scenes (supposedly a sex scene every five minutes, although this rule was never strictly met) The film must be approximately one hour in duration. It must be filmed on 16 mm or 35 mm film within one week. The film must be made on a very limited budget (about $35,000)

The films were commecially successes and...

Pink Eiga, the L.A. based distributor of Japanese Pink Films, has launched pinkeiga.tv as the go-to online destination for all of the company’s titles. Japanese Pink Films are short-form, story-based erotica high in production values, creativity and artistry that’s a significant feature of Japanese pop culture but virtually unheard of outside the country.

Independently produced, shot on 35mm film and edited using traditional flatbeds, Pink Eiga (Pink Films) run the genre gamut including comedies, romantic dramas, ‘midnight movies’ and horror films. The immense popularity of Pink Eiga in Japan is often due to its strange, extreme, and outrageous storylines. The films consistently push the boundaries of cultural commentary, giving unique insight into Japanese subculture and its stimulating proclivities.

Says Nadav Rechov, President of Pink Eiga Inc:

The primary difference from contemporary adult movies boils down to this: Pink Eiga are short form narrative features that feature sexual situations.

I haven’t traveled all I have to Buenos Aires and back to tell you about how this festival, alongside Mar del Plata and Valdivia (this last one in Chile), form the triad of the most important festivals of Latin America, because if you know about it, you know about it. People that have travelled to Argentina for the past 17 years in April have felt the presence of cinema in the streets—and Buenos Aires is a big city. The importance of a festival that brings over 300 titles, some of them for the first time crossing an ocean, is fundamental for the Latino viewer, as well for those who want to make the effort and come to see the movies that play here. On a closer look, what plays here may seem to be eclectic at times, it is purely due to what seems to be the motto of the festival: discovery.

Mostofa S. Farooki’s Ant Story and John Carney’s Begin Again are among the films that will compete for the Golden Goblet Award at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff).

Begin Again was recently acquired for Chinese distribution by Ivanhoe Pictures and Beijing Galloping Horse, while Ant Story premiered at last year’s Dubai International Film Festival.

Organisers said the full Golden Goblet line-up has yet to be announced but will also include Volker Schlöndorff’s Diplomatie; Thai filmmaker Tom Waller’s The Last Executioner; Greek filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris’ Mikra Anglia; Maiko wa Lady, from Japan’s Masayuki Suo; Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig’s Predestination (Australia); Jeanne Herry’s She Adores Him (France); Mehdi Rahmani’s Snow (Iran); Zhang Meng’s The Uncle Victory (China); and Marko Nabersnik’s The Woods Are Still Green (Germany).

As previously announced, Gong Li will serve as president of the Golden Goblet jury, which also includes...

The 17th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) has announced its lineup. The festival will run from 7th to 14th December, 2012 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Some of the highlights of the lineup are festival favourites of the year Amour, Chitrangada, Samhita, The Sapphires, Drapchi, Miss Lovely, Me and You, Celluloid Man, and Baandhon.

Fourteen films will screen in the Competition section while seven contemporary films will be screened in “Indian Cinema Now” section.

Complete list of films:

Competition Films

Fourteen feature films from Asia, Africa and Latin America will compete for the coveted “Suvarna Chakoram” (Golden Crow Pheasant) and other awards.

Always Brando by Ridha Behi (Tunisia)

Inheritors of the Earth by T V Chandran (India)

A Terminal Trust by by Masayuki Suo (Japan)

Shutter by Joy Mathew (India)

Today by Alain Gomis (Senegal-France)

The Repentant by Merzak Allouache (Algeria)

Sta. Niña by Manny Palo (Philippines)

Present Tense...

The major highlight of this year's Japan Cuts festival for Japanese film fans, as well as fans of great acting in general, is the New York appearance of Koji Yakusho, one of Japan's most acclaimed and accomplished actors, who continues to work at the top of his form. The Eel, Cure (screening July 21), Eureka, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, and Doppelganger are but a few of the more memorable films he has starred in. Japan Cuts this year will feature a career mini-retrospective devoted to Yakusho, which will include Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suo's 1996 film that was many Westerners' introduction to Yakusho, as well as Takashi Miike's remake of 13 Assassins (which Yakusho will introduce on July 21), and his 2009 directorial...

An official website for Masayuki Suo’s The Terminal Trust has been launched along with a YouTube embed of the film’s new teaser trailer.

As you can tell from the opening frame of the teaser, the big PR draw of this project seems to be the fact that it reunites Koji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari, co-stars of Suo’s blockbuster 1996 film “Shall We Dance?” The pair have not appeared together in anything else until now.

The new film deals with “sanctity of life” concerns vs. the right to be allowed to die. Kusakari plays a doctor named Ayano Orii and Yakusho plays Shinzo Egi, a patient with a serious illness who tells her that when the time comes, he wants her to ease his suffering quickly by not placing him on life support. Tadanobu Asano and Takao Osawa also co-star.

“The Terminal Trust” will be released by Toho in...

I Just Didn't Do It

Japanese w/English subtitles

Written and Directed by Masayuki Suo

143 minutes

There is an episode of Twilight Zone wherein a man relives a nightmare of interrogation and imprisonment for a crime the details of which he knows nothing and has no recollection of having committed. His interrogation occurs over and over again in dreamlike fashion, and he cannot rouse himself or get to the bottom of the accusation. In I Just Didn’t Do It, audiences are treated to the fact that in governments around the world, governments with technological advancements such as cell phones and movies, nightmarish approaches to justice exist that evoke, if not rival, such surreal scenarios.

From April 15th to 19th, Frankfurt transforms into the center of the Japanese film world when the Nippon Connection 2009 opens its doors once again. After giving us a first look at the highlights of the largest festival for Japanese film worldwide, the official site has now been updated with the full program that includes more than 150 feature and short films.

Nippon Cinema 20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), R: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, J 2008

www.20thboys.com All Around Us (Gururi no koto), R: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, J 2008

www.gururinokoto.jp Detroit Metal City, R: Toshio Lee, J 2008

www.go-to-dmc.jp Genius Party Beyond, R: Masahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, J 2008

www.genius-party.jp/beyond Genius Party, R: Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Hideki Futamura, Masaaki Yuasa, Shinichiro Watanabe, J 2007

www.genius-party.jp/genius01 Gs Wonderland, R: Ryuichi Honda, J 2008

www.gs-w.jp Hells Angels,...

• With Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit out of the foreign Oscar picture, Ioncinema.com predicts a four-way race between audience faves Persepolis,  The Counterfeiters, 4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Caramel. Spain's The Orphanage has the best chance at completing the 5 pack. That said everything else is just a formality. The final five picks will be announced on Jan. 22. The Oscar ceremony takes place Feb. 24.        2008 Foreign Oscar Long ListArgentina: Xxy (Lucia Puenzo)Australia: The Home Song Stories (Tony Ayres) Austria: The Counterfeiters (Stefan Ruzowitzky)Azerbaijan: Caucasia (Farid Gumbatov)Bangladesh: On The Wings Of Dreams (Golam Rabbany Biblob)Belgium: Ben X  (Nic Balthazar) Bosnia and Herzegovina: It's Hard To Be Nice (Srdjan Vuletic)Brazil: The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Cao Hamburger)Bulgaria: Warden of the Dead (Ilian Simeonov)Canada: The Days of Darkness (Denys Arcand)Chile: Padre nuestro (Our Father) - (Rodrigo Sepulveda)China: The Knot (Yun shui

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