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<p>Dear all,<br>
<br>
we are pleased to inform you about the program of the <b>21st
Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection</b>, which will run
from <b>June 1 to 6, 2021</b>. Due to the ongoing pandemic
situation, it will be held entirely online for the second year in
a row. <br>
</p>
<p>Around <b>80 Japanese short and feature-length films</b> will be
playable as <b>video-on-demand</b> throughout Germany and in some
cases outside of Germany during the festival period from June 1 to
6, 2021. In addition, online live <b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/2021/event/accompanying?english_title=film+talks&event_type_id=&free=0&tag=&date=&english_title=film+talk&event_type_id=&free=0&tag=&date=">film
talks</a></b> with the directors (including Sion SONO, Koji
Fukada, SABU, Miwa Nishikawa, Takahisa Zeze, Toshiaki Toyoda,
Shinichiro Ueda, Atsushi Funahashi, Yukiko Sode, Nobuhiro Suwa
etc) and <b>more than 50 workshops, lectures, concerts and
performance</b><b>s</b> invite exchange and interaction. All
tickets and information are available on the festival website <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.nipponconnection.com"><b>NipponConnection.com</b></a>.<br>
<br>
The majority of the films will have their German, European,
International or World Premiere at the festival. From family
dramas and musical comedies to socially critical documentaries and
independent animated films, the program is a diverse panorama of
contemporary Japanese cinema. Big names of Japanese cinema such as
Miwa Nishikawa, Takahisa Zeze and Koji Fukada are represented in
the <b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/2021/section/1/nippon-cinema">Nippon
Cinema</a></b> section with their latest works.<br>
<br>
Among the world premieres is the politically explosive documentary
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1079/ushiku"><b>Ushiku</b></a>
by award-winning director <b>Thomas Ash</b>, filmed with a hidden
camera in the immigration center in Ushiku near Tokyo.<br>
<br>
The thematic focus <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://nipponconnection.com/en/program/family-matters/"><b>Family
Matters - The Japanese Family between Tradition and Modernity</b></a>
deals with old and new family models, gender norms and unusual
perspectives on the institution of family. Complementing the
diverse film program, film scholars Chantal Bertalanffy and
Claudia Bertolé talk about family images in Japanese cinema in
their online lectures.<br>
<br>
Ten years after the devastating disaster in northeastern Japan on
March 11, 2011, two films show the still noticeable effects on
Japanese society and for those affected: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1036/bolt"><b>Bolt</b></a>
by Kaizo Hayashi and
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1053/voices-in-the-wind"><b>
Voices In The Wind</b></a> by Nobuhiro Suwa. A <b><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1131/311-10-years-after-everything-under-control">panel
discussion</a></b> moderated by Prof. Dr. Steffi Richter
(University of Leipzig) will address the current situation in the
disaster region from different perspectives.<br>
<br>
Unusual perspectives and socially critical films will be shown in
the <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/2021/section/5/nippon-docs"><b>Nippon
Docs</b></a> and <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/2021/section/2/nippon-visions"><b>Nippon
Visions</b></a> sections. In the Nippon Visions section, <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1056/along-the-sea"><b>Along
The Sea</b></a> by Akio Fujimoto deals with the precarious
situation of migrant workers. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1058/company-retreat"><b>Company
Retreat</b></a> by Atsushi Funahashi is a powerful film about
sexual harassment. <br>
<br>
In the Nippon Docs section, we show eight documentaries. As a
world premiere we present <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1072/ainu-neno-an-ainu"><b>Ainu
Neno An Ainu</b></a> by the artist collective Lunch Bee House
about the indigenous Ainu population in northern Japan. <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1073/i-quit-being-friends"><b>I
Quit, Being "Friends" </b></a>focuses on deaf filmmaker Ayako
Imamura's friendship with Ma-chan, who is affected by Asperger's
Syndrome, and leads to the question of how people can communicate
with each other at all. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1076/sayonara-tv"><b>Sayonara
TV</b></a> by Koji Hijikata provides an unvarnished look
behind the scenes of the Japanese media landscape and plays with
the audience's expectations.</p>
<p>Please find below the full line-up.</p>
<p> We would be happy to welcome you at our Nippon Connection online
film festival!</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Marion Klomfass<br>
Festival director</p>
<p><font size="-1">Nippon Connection ONLINE<br>
** * *<br>
21st Japanese Film Festival <br>
June 1 – 6, 2021<br>
NipponConnection.com<br>
<br>
Office:<br>
Nippon Connection e.V., c/o Atelierfrankfurt, Room 5.08<br>
Schwedlerstr. 1-5, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany<br>
Mobile: +49 177 467 11 41<br>
Phone: +49 69 847 765 65, Fax: +49 69 847 765 66<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Marion@NipponConnection.com">Marion@NipponConnection.com</a><br>
NipponConnection.com</font><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><b>The Line-up of the 21st Nippon Connection Film Festival</b><b><br>
</b><b>June 1–6, 2021</b><b><br>
</b><br>
All films will be shown in the original version with English
subtitles except where stated otherwise.<br>
<br>
NIPPON CINEMA<br>
Aristocrats (Anoko wa kizoku) by Yukiko Sode, J 2020, 124 min.,
German premiere<br>
Bolt by Kaizo Hayashi, J 2019, 79 min., European premiere<br>
Can't Stop The Dancing (Dance With Me) by Shinobu Yaguchi, J 2019,
103 min.<br>
The Day Of Destruction (Hakai no hi) by Toshiaki Toyoda, J 2020,
57 min.<br>
Family Of Strangers (Heisa byoto sorezore no asa) by Hideyuki
Hirayama, J 2019, 120 min., German premiere<br>
A Girl Missing (Yokogao) by Koji Fukada, J/FR 2019, 111 min.,
German premiere<br>
his by Rikiya Imaizumi, J 2020, 127 min., German premiere<br>
Hit Me Anyone One More Time (Kioku ni gozaimasen!) by Koki Mitani,
J 2019, 127 min., German premiere<br>
My Blood And Bones In A Flowing Galaxy (Kudakechiru tokoro o
misete ageru) by SABU, J 2019, 126 min., German premiere<br>
One Night (Hitoyo) by Kazuya Shiraishi, J 2019, 123 min.<br>
Our 30-Minute Sessions (Sayonara made no 30 pun) by Kentaro
Hagiwara, J 2020, 114 min.<br>
The Promised Land (Rakuen) by Takahisa Zeze, J 2019, 129 min.,
German premiere<br>
Red Post On Escher Street (Escher dori no akai posuto) by Sion
Sono, J 2020, 147 min.<br>
Sea Of Revival (Nagimachi) by Kazuya Shiraishi, J 2019, 124 min.,
German premiere<br>
Shiver (Senritsu seshimeyo) by Toshiaki Toyoda, J 2021, 89 min.,
no dialog<br>
Special Actors by Shinichiro Ueda, J 2019, 109 min., German
premiere<br>
The Stormy Family (Taifu kazoku) by Masahide Ichii, J 2019, 108
min., European premiere<br>
To The Ends Of The Earth (Tabi no owari sekai no hajimari) by
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, J/Uzbekistan 2019, 120 min., original version
with German and French subtitles<br>
Under The Open Sky (Subarashiki sekai) by Miwa Nishikawa, J 2021,
126 min., German premiere<br>
Voices In The Wind (Kaze no denwa) by Nobuhiro Suwa, J 2020, 139
min.<br>
Wolf's Calling (Noroshi ga yobu) by Toshiaki Toyoda, J 2019, 16
min., no dialog, German premiere<br>
Wonderful Paradise (Noten paradaisu) by Masashi Yamamoto, J 2020,
97 min., German premiere<br>
Special screening: A Town And A Tall Chimney (Aru machi no takai
entotsu) by Katsuya Matsumura, J 2019, 130 min., original version
with German subtitles<br>
<br>
NIPPON VISIONS<br>
Ainu Mosir by Takeshi Fukunaga, J/US/China 2020, 84 min., German
premiere<br>
Along The Sea (Umibe no kanojotachi) by Akio Fujimoto, J/Vietnam
2020, 88 min., German premiere<br>
Aster School Days by Mone Inada, J 2020, 38 min.<br>
Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes (Droste no hate de bokura) by
Junta Yamaguchi, J 2020, 70 min., German premiere<br>
Birdland by Takeshi Kogahara, J 2019, 20 min., European premiere<br>
Company Retreat (Aru shokuba) by Atsushi Funahashi, J 2020, 135
min., German premiere<br>
Daughters by Hajime Tsuda, J 2020, 104 min., German premiere<br>
Extraneous Matter–Complete Edition (Ibutsu -kanzenban-) by Kenichi
Ugana, J 2021, 61 min., world premiere<br>
Idol by Ryushi Lindsay, J 2020, 21 min., German premiere<br>
I'm Really Good (Watashi wa genki) by Hirobumi Watanabe, J 2020,
61 min., German premiere<br>
It's A Summer Film! (Sama firumu ni notte) by Soshi Matsumoto, J
2020, 97 min., international premiere<br>
Kamata Prelude (Kamata zensokyoku) by Ryutaro Nakagawa, Mayu
Akiyama, Yuka Yasukawa & Hirobumi Watanabe, J 2020, 117 min.,
international premiere<br>
Kontora by Anshul Chauhan, J 2019, 144 min., German premiere<br>
Lucky Owl With Shimako by Yoko Kuno & Nobuhiro Yamashita, J
2020, 1 min., no dialog, German premiere<br>
Montage Of Hong Kong by Ikuma Hori, J 2020, 28 min., European
premiere<br>
Muito Prazer by Jengil Park, J 2020, 31 min., European premiere<br>
Nosari: Impermanent Eternity (Nosari no shima) by Tatsuya
Yamamoto, J 2021, 129 min., European premiere<br>
O-Bon, Anecdotes From Kyoto by Jénay Vogel, Schweiz 2021, 10 min.,
German premiere<br>
Project TANUKI (Tanuki keikaku) by Yu Hsin Chiueh, J 2020, 41 min.<br>
Sasaki In My Mind by Takuya Uchiyama, J 2020, 118 min.,
international premiere<br>
Stay by Naoya Fujita, J 2020, 37 min., Original version with
German subtitles, international premiere<br>
Then I Add Colors To A Panda And A Zebra by Karin Takeda, J 2019,
39 min., international premiere<br>
The Town Of Headcounts (Ninzu no machi) by Shinji Araki, J 2020,
111 min., German premiere<br>
Weather Map by Nana Kawabata, J 2021, 9 min., no dialog, German
premiere<br>
Where Bibi Went by Tadasuke Kotani, J 2020, 15 min., German
premiere<br>
yes, yes, yes by Akihiko Yano, J 2021, 75 min., international
premiere<br>
<br>
NIPPON DOCS<br>
Ainu Neno An Ainu by Laura Liverani, Neo Sora & Valý
Þórsteinsdóttir, J 2019, 72 min., world premiere<br>
I Quit, Being "Friends" (Tomodachi yameta.) by Ayako Imamura, J
2020, 84 min. OmeU, international premiere<br>
Koshien: Japan's Field Of Dreams by Ema Ryan Yamazaki, J/US 2019,
94 min., German premiere<br>
Me And The Cult Leader (Aganai – Chikatetsu sarinjiken to watashi)
by Atsushi Sakahara, J 2020, 114 min., German premiere<br>
Sayonara TV (Sayonara terebi) by Koji Hijikata, J 2019, 109 min.,
international premiere<br>
SUMODO ~The Successors Of Samurai~ (Sumodo ~Samurai o tsugu mono
tachi~) by Eiji Sakata, J 2020, 104 min., European premiere<br>
Ushiku by Thomas Ash, Japan 2021, 84 min., world premiere<br>
The Witches Of The Orient by Julien Faraut, Frankreich 2021, 100
min., German premiere<br>
<br>
NIPPON ANIMATION<br>
A Break In The Clouds by Anna Takagi, J 2021, 7 min., no dialog,
German premiere<br>
Boy With Child by Yoshiro Kawakami, J 2020, 10 min., German
premiere<br>
Castle by Ryotaro Miyajima, J 2019, 5 min., no dialog<br>
Difference And Repetition And Coffee by Masa Kudo, J 2020, 5 min.,
no dialog, German premiere <br>
Empty Hands by Emari Okayama, J 2020, 7 min., German premiere<br>
I Am A Motif by Sijia Luo, J 2020, 8 min., German premiere<br>
Leaking Life by Shunsaku Hayashi, J 2019, 15 min., no dialog<br>
Locomotor by Isaku Kaneko, J 2019, 3 min., no dialog<br>
Lupin III: The First (Lupin sansei THE FIRST) by Takashi Yamazaki,
J 2019, 93 min., Original version with German subtitles, German
premiere<br>
Mubi by Tomoe Obayashi, J 2019, 6 min.<br>
ON-GAKU: Our Sound (Ongaku) by Kenji Iwaisawa, J 2019, 71 min.<br>
Our House / Notre maison by Caori Murata, J 2020, 3 min., German
premiere<br>
Our Little Pond by Namiko Ishidate, J 2021, 15 min., German
premiere<br>
parallax by Hayato Nove, J 2021, 33 min., no dialog, world
premiere<br>
Seven Days War (Bokura no nanokakan senso) by Yuta Murano, J 2019,
88 min., original version with German subtitles, German premiere<br>
Small Life by Yueqi Wu, J 2021, 5 min., German premiere<br>
Strawberry Candy by Nianze Li, J 2020, 7 min., German premiere<br>
Sumikkogurashi: Good To Be In The Corner (Eiga sumikko gurashi
tobidasu ehon to himitsu no ko) by Mankyu, J 2019, 60 min.,
original version with English subtitles / original version with
German voice-over<br>
The Balloon Catcher by Isaku Kaneko, J 2020, 6 min., no dialog,
German premiere<br>
The Big Tree In Front Of The House by Yinan Liu, J 2020, 6 min.,
German premiere<br>
The Living Wall by Keita Kurosaka, J 2020, 6 min., no dialog<br>
Wandala! by Akimi Miyamoto, J 2021, 6 min., German premiere<br>
</p>
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