Mental Opening

Tue Jun 9 10:23:02 EDT 2009

Soda Kazuhiro's new film, Mental, is having its formal opening release  
starting this weekend at Image Forum. English subbed versions will be  
shown at the 7:00 screenings. Mental tours the country after that.  
(English info below.)

I caught the film at this year's Cinéma du Réal in Nyon, where it was  
well-received. I had a chance to talk at length with Soda-san about it  
afterwards. His early film, Election, was fun and very different. But  
with this film, Soda steps onto a well-worn path. It takes as its  
subject people suffering from serious depression, and their rather  
extraordinary doctor. There is something of a tradition of independent  
documentary on the handicapped in Japan. Some of the best indie  
documentary filmmakers have made such films, notably Yanagisawa  
Toshio, Tsuchimoto Noriaki, Hara Kazuo, and Sato Makoto. They made  
films that were deeply sympathetic to their subjects and that open us  
up to our own prejudices, as well as to out presumptions about their  
experience of the world. While he came out of television and the New  
York nonfiction scene, it's interesting that his conception of  
documentary is so close to that of his Japanese peers. He deeply  
identifies with the people in the film. In fact, his producer and  
wife, Kashiwagi Kiyoko, became so deeply invested in the people they  
were filming that it started depressing her as well. He has very  
interesting and inspiring stories to tell, and I'll bet his making-of  
book is well worth checking out.

If you haven't caught the film on the festival circuit, then certainly  
seek it out. This is a new documentary director worth keeping a close  
eye on.

Markus

皆様

ドキュメンタリー映画『精神』（観察映画第２弾） 
が、いよいよ６月１３日（土）から、東京・渋谷のシ 
アター・イメージフォーラムを皮切りに、日本全国で 
順次公開されます。１３日の東京初回（１０：４５ 
AM）には「こらーる岡山診療所」の山本昌知先生も舞 
台挨拶に来られます。なお、当劇場では１日４回上映 
されますが、１９時の回では英語字幕付きの上映にな 
ります。
http://www.imageforum.co.jp/theatre/

全国的には、現時点で下記の劇場が決まっております 
が、今後どんどん増える予定です。最新の情報は公式 
ホームページでご覧下さい。★印のついている地域で 
は、前売り券も売り出しております。
http://www.laboratoryx.us/mentaljp/index.php

北海道　札幌シアターキノ　6月27日(土)～7月3日（金)
北海道　苫小牧シネマ・トーラス　7月中旬
東京　シアター・イメージフォーラム ★　6月13日 
（土）～
愛知　名古屋シネマテーク　夏
岐阜　大垣コロナシネマワールド　夏
石川　金沢シネモンド　6月20日（土）～7月10日（金）
大阪　第七藝術劇場 ★　7月18日（土）～
京都　京都シネマ ★　7月下旬
兵庫　神戸アートビレッジセンター★　8月15日（土） 
～
岡山　シネマ・クレール ★　7月18日（土）～
広島　横川シネマ　夏
福岡　シネテリエ天神 ★　7月4日（土）～
沖縄　桜坂劇場　夏

また、『精神』の公開に合わせ、想田にとって初の著 
書『精神病とモザイク　タブーの世界にカメラを向け 
る』（中央法規出版）も刊行されます。

http://www.chuohoki.co.jp/products/new/curamental.html

全国の書店や、アマゾン等のオンラインでも手に入り 
ます。なお、本を通じて想田が受け取る収入（印税） 
の５０％は、岡山市内の地域での精神医療・福祉のた 
めに役立てていただくよう、寄付致します。

『精神』関連記事も、マスコミにどんどん出始めてい 
ます。その情報は、ブログ等でアップデートしていき 
ますので、ぜひチェックしてくださいね。
http://documentary-campaign.blogspot.com/

それから、『選挙』の復活ロードショーも、ピーボ 
ディ賞受賞等を記念して、７月４日から東京・渋谷の 
ライズXにて始まります。初日には主役の山内和彦さ 
んも来られます！こちらの最新情報は、『選挙』公式 
サイト等でご覧下さいませ！
http://www.laboratoryx.us/campaignjp/index.html

今後ともどうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。

想田和弘　柏木規与子

----

Dear friends,

We're happy to announce that our feature documentary MENTAL will be  
released in theaters in Japan starting from Saturday, June 13th at the  
Theater Image Forum in Shibuya, Tokyo.
http://www.imageforum.co.jp/theatre/

At the Image Forum, there will be 4 screenings per day including the  
English subtitled version at 19:00.
On June 13th, Doctor Masatomo Yamamoto and I will greet the audience  
at the very first screening (10:45 AM).

It will be eventually released in other cities such as Okayama, Osaka,  
Kyoto, Sapporo, Tomakomai, Nagoya, Gifu, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and  
Okinawa - probably about 30 cities across the nation. Please check  
back our official website for details and updates.
http://www.laboratoryx.us/mentaljp/index.php

Soda's book about the making of MENTAL entitled "Seishin-byo to  
Mozaiku (Mental Illness and Mosaic)" will also come out this week (in  
Japanese - sorry!) . It will be Soda's very first book to publish. 50%  
of Soda's income through this book will be donated to activities to  
promote local mental health care in Okayama city.
http://www.chuohoki.co.jp/products/new/curamental.html

Copies will be available in book stores and websites such as  
Amazon.co.jp.

Many articles about MENTAL are coming out. Please check Soda's blog  
for updates.
http://documentary-campaign.blogspot.com/

CAMPAIGN will also be re-released at Rise X in Shibuya, Tokyo,  
starting from July 4th, commemorating its acceptance of Peabody Award.  
Yama-san will greet the audience on the first day.
http://www.laboratoryx.us/campaignjp/index.html

Warmest regards,

Kazuhiro Soda & Kiyoko Kashiwagi
Laboratory X, Inc.
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