Nippon Connection 2009

[Alex Zahlten]

Hi everyone,

less than a week to go for the 2009 installment of the Nippon Connection Film Festival in Frankfurt (15.-19. April), so I thought I'd send out some info on this year's festival.

Once again, Nippon Connection will be showing around 140 films from all genres - with the production boom still holding up in Japan, selection is becoming very challenging, both in terms of choosing from a large pool of excellent works and of sifting through literally hundreds of films. 

Films this year include ALL AROUND US by Ryosuke Hashiguchi, LOVE EXPOSURE by Sion Sono, GS Wonderland by Ryuichi Honda, anime omnibus films GENIUS PARTY and GENIUS PARTY BEYOND, Yuki Tanada's new film AIN'T NO TOMORROWS, Hisashi Saito's disturbing THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS, Go Shibata's new film PUNCH THE BLUE SKY and a special compilation of indie master Koji Maeda's films. Also in the program are excellent but harrowing documentaries MENTAL by Kazuhiro Soda and A NORMAL LIFE, PLEASE by Tokachi Tsuchiya. 
This year's retrospective is titled SEXPLOITATION AND EXPERIMENTATION: THE MANY SHADES OF PINK FILM, with films by Masao Adachi, Kan Mukai, Mamoru Watanabe, Hiroyuki Oki, Takahisa Zeze and others. Screenings will be supplemented by discussions and interviews with directors Mamoru Watanabe and Rei Sakamoto as well as the list's own Roland Domenig, and chaired by fellow Kinejapaner Jasper Sharp - who also co-organized the retrospective program. Two more Pink Films will be showing in the main program, PARTING PRESENT, a comeback by Pink Film veteran master Mamoru Watanabe, and YARIMAN by Rei Sakamoto of the "seven lucky gods" of Pink Film.

There are way too many films to recount here, so see below for a complete list of all the films. Around 30 filmmakers are scheduled to come from Japan to introduce their films personally, among them Yukie Kito (producer of TOKYO SONATA), Ryuichi Honda, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, Tatsuyuki Tanaka of GENIUS PARTY BEYOND, Yuki Tanada, Bunyo Kimura of GOODBYE and many more.

In addition there will as always be a big selection of workshops, lectures, podium discussion and other events as well. This year sees a "sounds" special, with radio dramas, a concert with experimental musician Tetsuya Hori, a sound installation exploring the soundscape of Tokyo and the rural mythology, a very different kind of benshi performance with underground-star Hirono Yamada and his self-directed silent films, and the Animation Soup collective's short film special will feature an accompanying live performance by Osaka local hero Futaba Nakayama. Sharon Kinsella will hold a lecture on "Men imagining a Girl Revolution" in Japanese audiovisual media, and Marco Pellitteri will speak on concepts of national identity in recent anime. Also, there will be an exhibition of video art by young Japanese artists.

Again, there is too much to recount here, so take a look at the Nippon Connection program online: www.nipponconnnection.com

A part of the Nippon Connection program will be going on tour in Europe and the U.S. again, and tour additions will be posted to the website.

So, if you're in the area, check by!


Alex




NIPPON CINEMA SECTION

20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), Dir: Yukihiko TSUTSUMI, J 2008

All Around Us (Gururi no koto), Dir: Ryosuke HASHIGUCHI, J 2008

Detroit Metal City, Dir: Toshio LEE, J 2008

Genius Party, Dir: Atsuko FUKUSHIMA, Shoji KAWAMORI, Shinji KIMURA, Yoji FUKUYAMA, 
Hideki FUTAMURA, Masaaki YUASA, Shinichiro WATANABE, J 2007

Genius Party Beyond, Dir: Masahiro MAEDA, Koji MORIMOTO, Kazuto NAKAZAWA, 
Shinya OHIRA, Tatsuyuki TANAKA, J 2008

GS Wonderland, Dir: Ryuichi HONDA, J 2008

Hells, Dir: Yoshinobu YAMAKAWA, J 2008

Ichi, Dir: Fumihiko SORI, J 2008

Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi), Dir: Sion SONO, J 2008

Non-ko (Nonko 36 sai kaji tetsudai), Dir: Kazuyoshi KUMAKIRI, J 2008

Osaka Hamlet (Osaka hamuretto), Dir: Fujiro MITSUISHI, J 2008

Parting Present (Omiyage / Mibojin no mofuku ?hoshii no?), Dir: Mamoru WATANABE, J 2008

Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo), Dir: Hirokazu KORE-EDA, J 2008

Talk, Talk, Talk (Shaberedomo shaberedomo), Dir: Hideyuki HIRAYAMA, J 2007

The Kiss (Seppun), Dir: Kunitoshi MANDA, J 2008

The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare seibei), Dir: Yoji YAMADA, J 2002

The Two in Tracksuits (Jaji no futari), Dir: Yoshihiro NAKAMURA, J 2008

Tokyo Sonata, Dir: Kiyoshi KUROSAWA, Japan/ The Netherlands/ Hong Kong 2008

Vacation (Kyuka), Dir: Hajime KADOI, J 2008

Yariman (Bara / Ya.ri.ma.n.), Dir: Rei SAKAMOTO, J 2008



NIPPON DIGITAL SECTION

A Normal Life, Please (Futsu no Shigoto ga Shitai), Dir: Tokachi TSUCHIYA, J 2008

ABC Short Films, Dir: Kazuyuki IZUTSU, Kazuki OMORI, Junji SAKAMOTO, Sang Il LEE, Yoichi SAI, J 2008

Ain't no Tomorrows (Oretachi ni asu wa naissu), Dir: Yuki TANADA, J 2008

Animation Soup Special & Live Performance

Benshi Brilliance! Hirono YAMADA?s Benshi Heaven by and with Hirono YAMADA

Catman, Dir: Ryosuke AOIKE (Anime short films)

digista vol. VII, J 2008 (short films)

Goodbye (Hebano), Dir: Bunyo KIMURA , J 2008

Kanna?s Big Success! (Kanna-san daiseiko desu!), Dir: Koichi INOUE, J 2008

Koji MAEDA Special (short films)

Koo-Ki Special (Werbeclips)

Mononoke (Episode 10-12 ?Bakeneko?), Dir: Kenji NAKAMURA, J 2007

Mental (Seishin), Dir: Kazuhiro SODA, J/USA 2008

Musabi Student Film Explosion (short films)

Open Art Special: Hiroyuki NAKANO

Peaches! (Momo matsuri) (short film program)

PIA Film Festival Special: mime-mime, Dir: Yukiko SODE, J 2007

PIA Film Festival Special: Naked of Defenses (Mubobi), Dir: Masahide ICHII, J 2007

Punch the Blue Sky (Aozora ponchi), Dir: Go SHIBATA, J 2008

Pussy Soup (Neko ramen taisho), Dir: Minoru KAWASAKI, J 2008

Serial Dad (Komori seikatsu kojo club), Dir: Ikki KATASHIMA, J 2008

The First Seven Days (Saisho no nanokakan), Dir: Hisashi SAITO, J 2008

Tokyo Zokei University Special (short films)

Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Special 1: Locked Out, Dir: Yasunobu TAKAHASHI, J 2008

Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Special 2: Shorts


NIPPON RETRO

Abnormal Family: Older Brother?s Bride, Dir: Masayuki SUO, J 1984

Blue Film Woman (Buru firumu no onna, dir.), Dir: Kan MUKAI, J 1969

Gushing Prayer (Funshutsu kigan ? 15sai no baishunfu), Dir: Masao ADACHI, J 1971

No Love Juice: Rustling in the Bed (Fuwa-fuwa to beddo no ue de), Dir: Kosuke TAKEDA, J 1999

Raigyo, Dir: Takahisa ZEZE, J 1997

S&M Hunter (Jigoku no ropa 2: Kinbaku SM 18-sai), Dir: Shuji KATAOKA, J 1989

Secret Hot Spring Resort: Starfish at Night (Maruhi yu no machi: yoru no hitode), 
Dir: Mamoru WATANABE, J 1970

Tears of Ecstasy, Dir: Hiroyuki OKI, J 1995

 


-- 
alex at nipponconnection.de

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