LPAFF Press Release

[Stephen Cremin]

2nd London Pan-Asian Film Festival Launch Event: ASANO Retrospective
Thursday 3 June - Thursday 10 June 1999

The leading actor of his generation, Asano has groomed himself as Japan?s 
hippest movie star, acting in the feature debut of every major Japanese 
director to emerge in the 1990s.  The Asian Film Library is proud to bring 
him to London for the first focus on his career, premiering rarely shown 
work from Asia?s two hottest directors: Shunji IWAI?S PiCNiC and WONG 
Kar-Wai?s wkw/tk/1996 at 7?55?hk.net.  The event opens with the funkiest 
feature debut in recent memory, Katsuhito ISHII?s Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip 
Girl, fresh from its Tokyo release.  Two of Asano?s strongest titles will 
also be distributed the same week: Sogo ISHII?s haunting Labyrinth of Dreams 
and Satoshi ISAKA?s [Focus], an attack on journalistic ethics in a climate 
of faked news.  Supported by Visiting Arts, GB Sasakawa Foundation and The 
Japan Foundation, guests include Asano and Katsuhito Ishii.

Against the expectations of his good looks, Asano developed his persona over 
ten years through roles that relied on his dark charisma and physicality as 
an actor, only now taking on his first romantic lead and giving us his first 
cinematic smile.  What has emerged is the most internationally recognisable 
actor in Japanese film since Toshiro MIFUNE.  Katsuhito Ishii?s Shark Skin 
Man & Peach Hip Girl, famously drooled over by Tarantino, is a stylistic 
cross between David Lynch and Takeshi KITANO.  Asano as Samehada escapes 
nearly naked from his hyper-fashion yakuza gang with a cool $1m in stolen 
loot.  Meanwhile, Toshiko is fleeing from her sexually-twisted uncle who 
runs the local hotel.  The two meet, join forces and fall in love.

Shunji Iwai?s feature debut PiCNiC is a darkly romantic road movie set at 
the end of the world.  Similarities to the apocalyptic Aum cult delayed its 
release, by which time Iwai had emerged as the artistic and commercial 
saviour of the Japanese film industry with Love Letter.  The festival 
presents the rarely screened uncut version, four minutes longer than the 
Japanese release print, and winner of the Berliner Zeitung Readers Jury 
Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.  Iwai subsequently directed 
Swallowtail Butterfly and April Story, which received their European and 
international premieres, respectively, in London.

Wong Kar-Wai?s rarely seen yakuza short wkw/tk/1996 at 7?55?hk.net, released in 
Japan together with Fallen Angels, was produced by top fashion designer 
Takeo KIKUCHI.  We are also proud to present the international premiere of 
Teruo ISHII?s Nejishiki: Wind-Up Type in a special gala screening with 
benshi performance.  The retrospective also brings premieres of Shinji 
AOYAMA?s Helpless and Joji MATSUOKA?s Swimming Upstream, with another chance 
to catch Hirokazu KORE?EDA?s Maboroshi.  This year sees Asano starring in 
several keenly anticipated films: Christopher DOYLE?s Away with Words, 
Macoto TEZKA?s HAKUCHI, Sho IGARASHI?s One Step on a Mine, It?s All Over, 
Shinya TSUKAMOTO?s Twins and Nagisa OSHIMA?s Gohatto.

This year's London Pan-Asian Film Festival slides back to August, including 
a major retrospective to Korean film focusing on female desire with the 
generous support of Korean Air.  The festival includes a series of premieres 
from the best of recent Asian film.

For interviews, transparencies, preview tapes, Beta clips and further 
information, please contact:

The Asian Film Library
Suite 19, 2 Lansdowne Row
Berkeley Square
London W1X 8HL
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 7970 506 326
Fax: +44 171 493 4935 [Suite 19]

asianfilmlibrary at hotmail.com


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