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Considering the link between spirit and body has been one of the main themes in his work, perhaps it was only a matter of time before the Japanese director would explore the world of sports. While “Tetsuo II: The Body Hammer” already dealt with the body being altered through outside forces, in this case post-industrial culture and modernity’s obsession with physical optimization, Tsukamoto’s next project would go in a different direction. However, keen observers will quickly notice many similarities between this film and “Tokyo Fist” which may not only serve as an extension of these issues, but also as a visual allegory for the fragility of our bodies, and their connection to our spirit.

Tokyo Fist is screening at Five Flavours

Another interesting parallel, which, for example, author Tom Mes points out, is how the story of “Tokyo Fist” mirrors its director’s biography too. Even though Shinya...

Shinya Tsukamoto’s Shadow of Fire begins as a troubling but measured film, but about a half-hour in something happens that shatters its quietude. Suddenly, a man who to this point has been impotent and deferential throws a small boy out a window and begins beating a woman. From the director best-known for Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and whose other films are often similarly stylish and sexually violent, that might not sound like much, but it is precisely the restraint of Shadow of Fire that makes the violence one of the more harrowing moments in Tsukamoto’s growing oeuvre.

Tsukamoto used to make movies at a swift pace: from his 1989 debut Tetsuo to 2011’s Kotoko, a dozen films. Since then, Shadow of Fire is just his third, all three of which are focused in some way on war, and each has taken longer to arrive than the one before. Whether...

Having run for over twenty years, the UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP24), returns with its biggest showcase ever for 2024.

Memories play a powerful role in the mind. Shaped fluidly by individuals or time, they have been a source of inspiration for many filmmakers, fuelling their creativity to craft colourful stories. Under the theme ‘Unforgettable: Memories, Times and Reflections in Japanese Cinema’ 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 behaviour. With an incredibly diverse range of films all based on memories, time, and reflections, this year’s programme is set to provide UK audiences with memorable stories and unforgettable moments.

Under this theme the packed programme...

Shinya Tsukamoto has always been, to many, a man hidden behind the scenes. When thinking of experimentation within the Japanese pulp titles from the 90s and 2000s, it is likely that a figure such as Takashi Miike or Kinji Fukusaku would come to mind for the average viewer, and Shinya Tsukamoto might simply be referred to as “the guy who made Tetsuo: The Iron Man.” Yet as time goes on, Tsukamoto is slowly becoming more respected and recognized as a pioneer in the 90s and 2000s Japanese experimental pulp genre: A title which he certainly deserves. And so, now feels like a more-than-appropriate time to take a look at Tsukamoto's most thought-inspiring (yet highly-overlooked) masterpieces. This list will look at Tsukamoto's various overlooked contributions to the Japanese avant-garde film industry, from the beginning of his career to the current moment.

1. The Adventures of Denchu-Kozo (1987)

Many might be under the impression...

Intimate Stranger is a psychological thriller set in post-covid Tokyo. The film follows a woman looking for her missing son, and a shady young man who approaches her, claiming to know her son.

It is the second fiction feature film for director, Nakamura Mayu (The Summer of Stickleback), and stars Kurosawa Asuka (A Snake of June) and Kamio Fūju (Suicide Forest Village). The world premiere will be at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2021 as part of the Nippon Cinema Now section, followed by a National Roadshow in the spring of 2022.

We have an eclectic array of home media offerings coming out this week, led by the latest from Neil Marshall, The Reckoning. Shadow in the Cloud, featuring Chloë Grace Moretz, is also headed to Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, and if you missed the previous release of the Shinya Tsukamoto set from Arrow, they are releasing a standard Special Edition version of Solid Metal Nightmares as well.

Other Blu and DVD releases making their debut on April 6th include Doors, Sleepless, Dawn of the Beast, Lurking in the Woods, and Killer Karaoke.

The Reckoning

After losing her husband during the Great Plague, Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) is unjustly accused of being a witch and placed in the custody of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter, Judge Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee). Forced to endure physical and emotional torture while steadfastly maintaining her innocence, Grace must face her own inner demons as the Devil...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019). The first few details have emerged regarding Ari Aster's next feature, with Joaquin Phoenix in talks to star. Tentatively titled Beau is Afraid, the film (previously a 2011 short film by Aster) involves an anxious man's surreal and nightmarish trek to his overbearing mother's home following her death. Meanwhile, Spike Lee has announced his plans to direct a musical about the launch of launch of Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug, Viagra. Recommended VIEWINGNew York's Screen Slate and Collaborative Cataloging Japan recently hosted a Twitch discussion with legendary filmmaker Masao Adachi on Gewaltpia: Motoharu Jonouchi and the Japanese Avant-Garde. The stream will remain online through tomorrow, and then will be available to Screen Slate's Patreon supporters. Omelia Contadina, by Jr and Alice Rohrwacher in collaboration with the inhabitants of the Alfina plateau,...

Shinya Tsukamoto's Vital and A Snake of June are playing on Mubi in the United States in the double bill The Human Extremes of Shinya Tsukamoto.Top: A Snake of June. Above: Vital. Shinya Tsukamoto has explored the full spectrum of human darkness over his four decades of filmmaking, including the raw nihilism of 1989’s Tetsuo: Iron Man, the desperate grief of 1998’s Bullet Ballet, and the paralyzing pacifism of 2018’s Killing, just to name a few select examples. And yet the director is usually only associated with the violence and surrealism of the earlier films, particularly edgelord employee pick Tetsuo. What’s often overlooked by fans is that these earlier films stem from the same fascinations foregrounded in his later, more restrained works like Killing (2018) and Fires on the Plain (2014): abject corporeality amid environments molding us as much as we exist in them, and ontological explorations of breaking through those constraints.

After many of his films dealt with the relationship of the individual to the city as well as the consequences of violence for ourselves, it was quite understandable Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto wanted a slight change in topic. Especially his previous project, “A Snake of June” (2002) has already hinted at the link of body and nature, how the urban landscape and technology have led to some kind of estrangement of mind and body. Perhaps considering he felt the topic worthwhile to explore further, Tsukamoto started to venture more into what he thought was the greatest taboo topic of modernity, the death of the body. In an interview about “Vital”, which was the result of that research, the director states that within the modern landscape defined by urbanity and technology, we have learned to ignore or avoid the reality of death, resulting in the body losing its worth to many of us.

“You’re not in touch with your feelings.”

Considering the majority of his work deals with the link of the body, our consciousness and the (often urban) environment, making a film about sexuality was perhaps just the logical next step in the career of Shinya Tsukamoto. In fact, the director admits having thought about that idea ever since the production of “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, especially since both works demonstrate narrative and formal parallels. Much like this film’s premise the story for the project, which would later be called “A Snake of June”, also consisted of a minimalist environment in which a character is stalked and finally confronted by a villainous person.

“A Snake of June” is streaming on Mubi

However, it took him longer than expected to make “ A Snake of June”. In the end, this time benefited the project to a certain degree, Tsukamoto admits, for his relationship towards the opposite sex,...

Ever since his international breakthrough with “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto has been a constant presence on many film festivals. His body of work includes such titles as “Bullet Ballet”, “A Snake of June” and “Fires on a Plain”, most of which discuss the link between body and spirit as well as the changes the body goes through in the face of at times hostile circumstances.

At this year’s Nippon Connection in Frankfurt Tsukamoto was given the Nippon Honor Award for his role as a representative of Japanese film and culture. Asian Movie Pulse met with the director to talk about his new film “Killing”, his inspirations for the project and the possibility of a new “Tetsuo”.

A Collection of Shinya Tsukamoto’s movies are screening on Mubi

First of all thanks for agreeing to this interview. It is an honor to speak with you. Just...

Known as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Pink” director Hisayasu Sato has adapted an exploitation-like style to his work while tackling subjects such as alienation, urbanization and the human condition within a modern, highly technologized world. Ten years before Shinya Tsukamoto’s “A Snake of June” would deal with similar themes, Sato’s 1992 effort “An Aria on Gazes”, also known as “The Bedroom”, explored the connection between modernity, technology and (sexual) obsession. Thus, the films, while still maintaining an exploitation scaffolding, so to speak, is more like a study on the concept of fetish, how observation through technology has affected our lives.

“An Aria on Gazes” is screening at Japan Filmfest Hamburg

The story revolves around Kyoko (Kiyomi Ito) who is married to Akihito (Mineo Sugiura), a salaryman that has been rejecting her and her idea of leading a normal family life. Saddened by his behavior, Kyoko becomes...

Arrow Video is excited to announce the July slate of titles on their subscription-based Arrow Video Channel, including acclaimed undead comedy Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection, all twelve films starring mankind’s greatest defender: a fire-breathing mutant turtle.

An infectiously funny slice of modern Korean cinema where Train to Busan, The Quiet Family and Warm Bodies collide to create Zombie for Sale, a memorable rom-zom-com from debut director Lee Min-jae. For the first time ever, fans can trace the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the “friend of all children” in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.

Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection will be available July 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the Us and the UK. Additional new titles available July 1st include Creepshow 2,...

After many of his films dealt with the relationship of the individual to the city as well as the consequences of violence for ourselves, it was quite understandable Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto wanted a slight change in topic. Especially his previous project, “A Snake of June” (2002) has already hinted at the link of body and nature, how the urban landscape and technology have led to some kind of estrangement of mind and body. Perhaps considering he felt the topic worthwhile to explore further, Tsukamoto started to venture further into what he thought was the greatest taboo topic of modernity, the death of the body. In an interview about “Vital”, the film, which was the result of that research, the director states that within the modern landscape defined by urbanity and technology, we have learned to ignore or avoid the reality of death, resulting in the body losing its worth to many of us.

Ever since his international breakthrough with “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto has been a constant presence on many film festivals. His body of work includes such titles as “Bullet Ballet”, “A Snake of June” and “Fires on a Plain”, most of which discuss the link between body and spirit as well as the changes the body goes through in the face of at times hostile circumstances.

At this year’s Nippon Connection in Frankfurt Tsukamoto is given the Nippon Honor Award for his role as a representative of Japanese film and culture. Asian Movie Pulse met with the director to talk about his new film “Kiling”, his inspirations for the project and the possibility of a new “Tetsuo”.

“Killing” is screening at Nippon Connection

First of all thanks for agreeing to this interview. It is an honor to speak with you. Just recently I watched your film...

“You cannot beat concrete.”

Considering the link between spirit and body has been one of the main themes in his work, perhaps it was only a matter of time before the Japanese director would explore the world of sports. While “Tetsuo II: The Body Hammer” already dealt with the body being altered through outside forces, in this case post-industrial culture and modernity’s obsession with physical optimization, Tsukamoto’s next project would go in a different direction. However, keen observers will quickly notice many similarities between this film and “Tokyo Fist” which may not only serve as an extension of these issues, but also as a visual allegory for the fragility of our bodies, and their connection to our spirit.

“Tokyo Fist” is screening at Nippon Connection

Another interesting parallel, which, for example, author Tom Mes points out, is how the story of “Tokyo Fist” mirrors its director’s biography too.

“You’re not in touch with your feelings.”

Considering the majority of his work deals with the link of the body, our consciousness and the (often urban) environment, making a film about sexuality was perhaps just the logical next step in the career of Shinya Tsukamoto. In fact, the director admits having thought about that idea ever since the production of “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, especially since both works demonstrate narrative and formal parallels. Much like this film’s premise the story for the project, which would later be called “A Snake of June”, also consisted of a minimalist environment in which a character is stalked and finally confronted by a villainous person.

However, it took him longer than expected to make “ A Snake of June”. In the end, this time benefited the project to a certain degree, Tsukamoto admits, for his relationship towards the opposite sex, his visual approach...

‘Tetsuo’ was originally released in 1989.

Tokyo-based studio Nikkatsu Corporation has struck a deal with Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto to handle international sales on nine of his cult library titles, including Tetsuo: The Iron Man, originally released in 1989.

One of the most famous examples of Japanese cyberpunk, the black-and-white sci-fi horror catapulted Tsukamoto into cult stardom both in Japan and internationally. Nikkatsu has also picked up the film’s sequel, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992), which revisited the same theme of a man being slowly transformed into a metal weapon, but was made with a bigger budget and shot in colour.

Nikkatsu...

Retrospective will focus on Japanese independent cinema from the past 15 years and includes Cannes favourite Naomi Kawase.

The San Sebastian Film Festival is to programme a retrospective for its 63rd edition (Sept 18-26) titles New Japanese independent cinema 2000-2015.

Among the titles making up the retrospective from known directors are:

H Story (2001) by Nobuhiro Suwa;A Snake of June (Rokugatsu no hebi, 2002) by Shin’ya Tsukamoto;Bright Future (Akarui mirai, 2003) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa;Vibrator (2003) by Ryuichi Hiroki;Bashing (2005) by Masahiro Kobayashi;Birth/Mother (Tarachime, 2006) by Naomi Kawase;Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008) by Shion Sono.

The works of several new talents to have made their debut since 2000 include:

Hole in the Sky (Sora no ana, 2001) by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri,Border Line (2002) by Sang-il Lee,No One’s Ark (Baka no hakobune, 2003) by Nobuhiro Yamashita, The Soup, One Morning (Aru asa, soup wa, 2005) by Izumi Takahashi,Fourteen (Ju-yon-sai, 2007) by Hiromasa Hirosue,Sex Is Not Laughing Matter (Hito no sekkuso...

Whenever the word hebi (snake) pops up in Japanese film titles chances are you can expect something situated in the margins of society. Notorious examples are Shinya Tsukamoto's Rokugatsu No Hebi and Takashi Ishii's Hana To Hebi (beware!). Compared to these two films Hebi Ni Piasu is actually quite tame, though unsuspecting film fans may still be surprised by what they find behind the warm exteriors of this unusual drama.Yukio Ninagawa never backed away from adding some controversial themes to his films. His comeback title Ao No Hono-o treaded around some delicate issues, Hebi Ni Piasu takes a very similar road. The difference is that the setting of Hebi Ni Piasu may alienate people enough to ease the blow a little. By society's standards the...

NEW YORK -- Sundance Channel has picked up eight Asian features from theatrical distributor Tartan USA and will launch Asia Extreme, a late-night showcase for the genre films. The network obtained exclusive domestic TV rights for Chan-wook Park's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and his Festival de Cannes grand-prize winner Oldboy, Ki-duk Kim's Samaritan Girl, Ji-woon Kim's A Tale of Two Sisters, Jong-hyuk Lee's H, Tae-Yong Kim and Kyu-Dong Min's Memento Mori, Byeong-ki Ahn's Phone and Shinya Tsukamoto's A Snake of June. The collection from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be shown each Sunday at midnight starting April 2.