<div dir="ltr"><div>Dear members of the list,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>in just over one month, the <b>24th edition of the Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connectio</b>n will begin in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The festival will take place from May 28 till June 2 2024<br></div>
<div>Some of the first highlights have already been announced. <br><p>Nippon Connection will showcase around<b> 100 short and feature films </b>at eight venues. The country's culture will also be explored through the extensive <b>culture program</b>, reflecting Japan's musical, culinary, and artistic diversity.</p>
<p>The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both
established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's
action-packed samurai film <b>KUBI</b> to the captivating comedy <b>Fly Me To The Saitama </b><b>-FROM BIWA LAKE WITH LOVE-</b> by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation <b>The Concierge</b>,
the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will
celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the
festival. The festival's focus on <b>Crossing Borders</b>,
supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores the
relationship and mutual influence between Japanese and other film
cultures. For this occasion, the retrospective will showcase seven
classics of <b>Japanese film noir</b>, influenced by American crime dramas and German film expressionism.</p>
<p>Nippon Connection is also a place to meet and exchange, especially at the two festival centers, <b>Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm and Produktionshaus NAXOS</b>. Resembling a Japanese market, <b>food and crafts stalls</b>
at the freely accessible festival grounds provide the opportunity to
escape from the summer heat and immerse oneself in the country's
cuisine. Additionally, the diverse cultural program featuring concerts
by <b>Japanese bands, DIY workshops, lectures on Japanese culture, open-air events, tastings, and cooking classes</b> invite visitors to enjoy the festival's ambiance until late into the evening.</p>
<p>Around <b>50 filmmakers from Japan</b> will attend the festival to present their works and engage with the audience, including actress <b>Kotone Furukawa</b>, who will receive the <b>Nippon Rising Star Award</b>. This year also marks the inaugural presentation of the <b>Nippon Storytelling Award</b> for the best screenplay. The €1,000 prize is sponsored by the Storymaker Agency for Public Relations.</p>The <b>complete program</b> and tickets will be available on the festival website as of <b>May 4th, 2024</b>.<br>You can find our <b>accreditation form</b> <a href="https://nipponconnection.com/en/press/accreditation/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br>We also have several <a href="https://nipponconnection.com/en/service/hotels/" target="_blank">partner hotels</a> with special conditions during the time of the festival.<br><p><b>First Program Highlights In Detail</b></p>
<p><b>Films With Guest Of Honor Kotone Furukawa</b></p>
<p>The guest of honor of the 24th Nippon Connection Film Festival is actress <b>Kotone Furukawa</b>, who will receive the <b>Nippon Rising Star Award</b>
for exceptional emerging talent at the festival on June 2, 2024. Kotone
Furukawa gained international recognition through the award-winning
drama <b>Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy</b> by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Nippon Connection presents a selection of her films, including the new horror film <b>Best Wishes To All </b>by
Yuta Shimotsu, which will celebrate its German premiere in the presence
of the director and Kotone Furukawa. Another highlight will be the <b>world premiere</b> of the romantic-mysterious drama <b>Secret: A Hidden Score</b> by Hayato Kawai, starring Kotone Furukawa as a lovestruck music student.</p>
<p><b>Films By Renowned Directors</b></p>
<p>As a special treat for genre fans, the festival presents the German premiere of Takeshi Kitano's samurai film <b>KUBI</b>,
which delves into Japan's past full of political intrigue and
action-packed battles while also addressing queer aspects of samurai
culture. Nobuhiro Yamashita's musical comedy <b>Let’s Go Karaoke! </b>revolves around the unexpected friendship between a sentimental yakuza and a pubescent choir singer. Another highlight is <b>Fly Me To The Saitama -FROM BIWA LAKE WITH LOVE-</b>
by Hideki Takeuchi. The colorful comedy aptly satirizes regional
peculiarities of Japan. Many of the showcased films reference pivotal
events in Japan's history, such as Shunji Iwai's drama <b>Kyrie</b>,
where an orphaned girl makes her way as a singer in the aftermath of
the Tohoku natural disasters. Keisuke Yoshida portrays a family
grappling with the media attention surrounding the unsolved
disappearance of their daughter in his film <b>missing</b>.</p>
<p><b>Films By Emerging Directors</b></p>
<p>The Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival serves as one of the
first platforms for many emerging filmmakers to showcase their works to a
wide audience. Actor and director Ren Sudo will present his film <b>Abyss </b>as
an international premiere, depicting the complicated love story of two
fate-stricken young individuals in Tokyo. Ryoma Kosasa's
multi-award-winning debut film <b>PushPause </b>tells stories of comfort surrounding the Coco Guesthouse. With bite and irony, Ryo Ushimaru's <b>Qualia </b>takes
aim at the traditional Japanese family image. The unconventional comedy
will celebrate its international premiere in the presence of the
director at the festival.</p>
<p><b>Animation Films</b></p>
<p>Fans of Japanese animation films can look forward to the adventures of the animal visitors of a special department store in <b>The Concierge</b> by Yoshimi Itazu. The festival also presents the energetic anime <b>BLUE GIANT</b> by Yuzuru Tachikawa, narrating the success story of a jazz trio. Shojiro Nishimi's melancholic sci-fi drama <b>PHOENIX: Reminiscence Of Flower </b>takes viewers on a breathtaking journey through space.</p>
<p><b>Crossing Borders</b></p>
<p>At the heart of this year's thematic focus, <b>Crossing Borders</b>,
are films and talks dedicated to the mutual influence and collaboration
between Japanese and international filmmakers. The festival showcases
Arnold Fanck's drama <b>Die Tochter des Samurai</b> (1937) as
one of the first German-Japanese co-productions at the cinema of the DFF
– Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum. Dr. Iris Haukamp will give a
lecture on the interesting history of this controversial film.
Representing a current German-Japanese co-production is the documentary <b>Johatsu – Into Thin Air</b>
by Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori, focusing on the organized and
self-determined disappearance of people in Japan. The feature film <b>18x2 Beyond Youthful Days</b> tells a deeply touching love story, directed by Michihito Fujii with an international cast and shot in Taiwan and Japan.</p>
<p><b>Concerts, Workshops, Lectures & Children's Program</b></p>
<p>Among the musical highlights of the program are <b>concerts </b>featuring
singer Ai Higuchi, the band Samurai Apartment, taiko player TAKUYA, and
a vinyl listening evening with Japanese audio brand Audio-Technica.
Additionally, <b>workshops </b>on manga drawing and Japanese handicrafts, multiple<b> cooking classes</b>, whisky tastings by Beam Suntory, as well as sake and matcha <b>tastings </b>are
offered. Young visitors of the festival are also catered to with the
Nippon Kids program, including an aikido workshop and performances of
the Japanese paper theater kamishibai.</p>
<p><b>Tickets</b></p>
<p>The<b> </b>complete <b>program and tickets</b> will be available on the<b> </b>festival website<b> </b>as of <b>May 4th, 2024: </b><a href="http://nipponconnection.com" target="_blank"><u>NipponConnection.com</u></a></p>
<p><b>Event Locations</b></p>
<p>Festival Centers: Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm and Produktionshaus NAXOS <br>
Additional venues in Frankfurt am Main: Eldorado Arthouse Kino, cinema
of the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Mal Seh’n Kino,
Internationales Theater Frankfurt, Saalbau Bornheim, NaxosAtelier <br>
</p><p><b>About the festival</b></p>
<p>The <b>Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection </b>is organized by the 80-member, largely voluntary team of the <b>non-profit association Nippon Connection e.V.</b> It is under the <b>patronage </b>of
the Hessian State Minister for Science and Research, Arts and Culture,
Timon Gremmels, the Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, Mike Josef,
and the Consulate General of Japan in Frankfurt am Main. Since its
founding in 2000, Nippon Connection has become the world’s largest
platform for Japanese cinema and the most popular film festival in Hesse
with more than 18,500 visitors in 2023.</p></div>
<div>I would be happy to see some of you at the festival!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Best regards,</div>
<div>Florian Höhr</div>
<br><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font size="1">Program Director<br><br>Nippon Connection<br></font><div><font size="1">** * *</font></div><font size="1">24th Japanese Film Festival<br>May 28 – June 2, 2024<br>Frankfurt am Main, Germany<br><br>Office: Nippon Connection e.V., c/o Atelierfrankfurt, Room 5.08<br>Schwedlerstraße 1-5, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany<br>Mobile: +49 (0)176 630 821 77<br>Phone: +49 69 847 765 65, Fax: +49 69 847 765 66<br>Florian@NipponConnection.com<br><a href="http://www.NipponConnection.com" target="_blank">www.NipponConnection.com</a></font></div></div></div>