News

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, the U.K.’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, will take to the road in February and March. Its 2024 selection is the event’s largest ever with much of it attuned to the theme of memories, times and reflections.

“The JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behavior,” said organizers.

The festival will run Feb. 2 – Mar. 31 and take in 30 U.K. cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Orkney, Exeter and York.

Program highlights include: the U.K. premiere of “Shadow of Fire,” directed by festival favorite Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man); a new entry in Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno genre, “Hand”; visually stunning anime “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,...

With a focus on diversity, “Nippon Connection” once more cements its position as the biggest Japanese cinema festival in Europe. The selection is as interesting as always, although the current state of Japanese cinema and the fact that Cannes take place pretty close to the festival, did not allow to include some of the biggest latest titles, such as the ones from Takeshi Kitano and Hirokazu Koreeda. Nevertheless, a number of gems are here once more, the articles of which are included in the list below.

Click on the titles for the full articles.

1. Single8 (2023) by Kazuya Konaka

A coming-of-age story veiled as a love-letter to movie-making, ‘Single8′ wears it passions on its sleeve, following its cast as they mature from avid enthusiasts to storytellers in their own right. Director Kazuya Konaka, of whose teenage years the film is based on, captures their passions and determination with an inquisitive zeal,...

Historically speaking, many are used to looking at Japan during World War II for the more notorious aspects, such as the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army or the dictatorship rule of a militaristic government that regularly promoted ultra-nationalistic notions. It seems unreal to some that Japanese citizens had differing mindsets during this historical period of waging aggression. Yet, it would be unwise to label every individual in Japan as standing for the same values, as there were also plenty of pacifistic perspectives that were seen as controversial at the time. One can only imagine what it must have been like for children growing up during the Showa period with constant clashing mindsets. These elements would play into the narrative of Keisuke Kinoshita's “Twenty-Four Eyes,” a beautiful film that promotes love and pacificism during a time of nationalism and war.

Twenty-Four Eyes is screening at Nippon Connection

“Twenty-Four Eyes...

A film studio since 1920, Japan’s Shochiku has a back catalogue filled with works by master directors including Ozu Yasujiro and Kinoshita Keisuke as well as 1960s New Wave leaders Oshima Nagisa and Shinoda Masahiro and studio stalwart Yamada Yoji, maker of the enduringly popular Tora-san series.

Shochiku has been digitally remastering its classics in 4K for some time now and is bringing to FilMart four of the most recently restored titles in this ongoing project.

At (almost) the same time, the Hong Kong International Film Festival is laying on a ten-film tribute to the studio as a main plank of its 45th edition. Titles include: “The Masseurs and a Woman” (1938); Mizoguchi Kenji’s 1939 “The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum”; Kinoshita’s “Twenty-Four Eyes” (1954); Ozu’ “Equinox Flower” (1958); Kobayashi Masaki’s 1962 “Harakiri”; “Love Affair at Akitsu Spa” (1962); Yamada classic “The Yellow Handkerchief” (1977); Berlinale-winning “Gonza The Spearman” (1986); Oshima’s final feature “Gohatto...

3 February 2021 (Hong Kong) – The 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival will mark the 100th anniversary of Shochiku Cinema with a retrospective programme, showcasing ten masterpieces from ten revered Japanese maestros, including Ozu Yasujiro, Shimizu Hiroshi, Imamura Shohei, and Oshima Nagisa.

Founded in 1920, Shochiku is one of Japan’s oldest and most successful studios. A media giant that prided itself first and foremost as a director’s studio, Shochiku offered creative freedom with which formative filmmakers crafted their signature styles to perfection. From Japan’s first sound film, first colour film, first Oscar-winning film to the world’s longest-running film series, Shochiku transformed the cinematic landscape, leading to Japanese cinema’s rising profile globally.

The ten classics in this selection reflect Shochiku’s remarkable achievements over a century. Shimizu and Ozu, two pillars at the studio renowned for their spontaneous style, are exemplified in The Masseurs and a Woman (1938) and the...

This time on the podcast, Ryan is joined by Scott Nye, David Blakeslee, Mark Hurne and Trevor Berrett to present their Blu-ray upgrade wish lists for 2016.

Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.

Episode Links Past Wish List Episodes Episode 63.9 – Disc 3 – Top Criterion Blu-ray Upgrades for 2011 Episode 110 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2012 Episode 136 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2013 Episode 146 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2014 Episode 154 – Criterion Collection Blu-ray Upgrade Wish List for 2015 David’s list Wise Blood Onibaba 4 By Agnes Varda Mark’s list Les Enfants Terribles Viridiana The Adventures of Antoine Doinel Ryan’s list: Monsters and Madmen The Lower Depths Jeanne Dielman Scott’s list Complete Mr. Arkadin When A Woman Ascends The Stairs A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman Trevor’s list An Angel at My Table Pepe le Moko Twenty-Four Eyes Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) David Blakeslee (Twitter / Website) Scott...

Forget English soap operas about upstairs and downstairs upheavals, Yoji Yamada's chronicle of a life in the little Tokyo house with the little red roof is an emotional grabber. It's the war years of patriotic acquiescence and home-front selfishness -- and a secret, forbidden romance. The Little House (Chiisai ouchi) Twilight Time Savant Blu-ray Review Limited Edition 2014 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 136 min. / Chiisai ouchi / Ship Date August 11, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95  Starring Takaku Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Takataro Kataoka, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho Cinematography Masashi Chikamori Art Direction Mitsuo Degawa, Daisuke Sue Film Editor Iwao Ishii Original Music Joe Hisashi Written by Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Kyoko Nakajima Produced by Tadashi Ohsumi Directed by Yoji Yamada

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

When Twilight Time brings out a disc not licensed from a major studio, I pay special attention. Last year they released a good Yoji Yamada film called The Twilight Samurai,...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013

Price: DVD $19.95, Blu-ray $29.95

Studio: Criterion

Kinuyo Tanaka wishes happiness for her son in The Ballad of Narayama.

The 1958 film drama The Ballad of Narayama is a haunting, kabuki-inflected version of a Japanese folk legend directed by Keisuke Kinoshita (Twenty-four Eyes).

The tale is set in a remote mountain village, where food is scarce and tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their seventieth year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die. The sacrificial elder at the center of the tale is Orin (Ugetsu’s Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal widowed son with a respectable new wife.

Filmed almost entirely on cunningly designed studio sets, in vivid color and widescreen, The Ballad of Narayama is a stylish and vividly formal work by the dynamic Knoshita, one...

The 15th of the month has become a major marker for cinephiles as it means the next announcement for what The Criterion Collection has up their sleeve, and their February announcement is nowhere near a disappointment. The five titles announced yesturday afternoon provide a varied selection that offers a little bit of something for everyone. Fans of American classics, documentaries, Japanese New Wave, contemporary world cinema, and stellar Blu-Ray upgrades will all be satisfied. Coming February 5th is the second appearance in the collection by Keisuke Kinoshita ("Twenty-Four Eyes"), with a DVD and Blu-Ray release of "The Battle of Narayama." The film revolves around Orin who, in preparation for her villages tradition of being carried to a mountain and left to die at the age of seventy, attempts to secure happiness for her recently widowed son. The disc is barebones in terms of extras-only offering a trailer, teaser and an essay by Phillip Kent,...

Looking back at 2011 on what films moved and impressed us it becomes more and more clear—to me at least—that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, our end of year poll, now an annual tradition, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2011—in theaters or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2011 to create a unique double feature. Many contributors chose their favorites of 2011, some picked out-of-the-way gems, others made some pretty strange connections—and some frankly just want to create a kerfuffle. All the contributors were asked to write a paragraph explaining their 2011 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative...

It’s that time of the week when you want to sit back, relax a bit and throw on something new and exciting. Well, you’ve come to the right place. It’s the second week in this Hulu Plus excursion, and I’ve had a blast with it. A lot of Daily Show, Colbert Report and Kitchen Nightmares intake in the last week. I can’t help but love my politically minded comedy and angry chef shows. But I digress.

This last week there was a ton of new content from Criterion put onto Hulu Plus. A wonderful array of films and a ton of supplemental material from certain films, which I will yet again break down for all of you, and the links will be within, so you don’t even have to search for them. We here at the Criterion Cast aim to please.

When the first...

Japanese actor whose forte was courageous, independent, strong-willed heroines

Although Japan had been making films since the beginnings of cinema, Japanese films remained virtually unknown in the west for more than half a century. Shamefully, it has taken almost as long again to recognise the greatness of the director Mikio Naruse, and consequently the remarkable talents of Hideko Takemine, his leading lady in more than a dozen films, who has died of lung cancer aged 86.

In the same way as Kinuyo Tanaka became associated with the films of Kenji Mizoguchi, and Setsuko Hara with those of Yasujiro Ozu, Takemine embodied Naruse's heroines – courageous, independent, strong-willed, conscientious women, faced with misfortune. Naruse once remarked about his female characters: "If they try to move forward even a little, they quickly hit a wall." The director Akira Kurosawa's description of Naruse's films as "looking calm and ordinary at first glance but which...

Celebrated Japanese actress Hideko Takamine has lost her battle with lung cancer. She was 86.

Takamine passed away at a Tokuo hospital on Tuesday, reports Kyodo News.

The actress made her film debut at the age of five in 1929 silent film Haha (Mother) and rose to fame as Japan's answer to Shirley Temple.

She gained stardom with 1938's Tsuzurikata Kyoshitsu (Writing Lessons) and went on to appear in a string of major hits in the 1950s, including Niju-shi no Hitomi (Twenty-four Eyes) in 1954, Ukigumo (Floating Clouds) in 1955 and Yorokobi mo Kanashimi mo Ikutoshitsuki (The Lighthouse) in 1957.

Her fame continued after she retired from acting in 1979, when she embarked on a second career as an award-winning essayist.

She is survived by her husband, director and writer Zenzo Matsuyama.

MUNICH -- Berlin International Film Festival officials said Wednesday that at this year's festival, an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement will go to Spanish actor Fernando Fernan Gomez and Berlinale Cameras will go to Japan's oldest film studio, Shochiku, and Helene Schwarz, former secretary of the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin. The Berlinale Special will screen Gomez's latest film, Something to Remember Me By, directed by Patricia Ferreira; Shochiku's 1954 classic Twenty-four Eyes; and Rosa von Praunheim's recent documentary Who Is Helene Schwarz? The Berlinale Special also will honor this year's jury president, Roland Emmerich, with a screening of his blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow, organizers said. And as tribute to cinematographer Carlo Di Palma, who died in July, the festival will screen Michelangelo Antonioni's The Red Desert.