Japanese Film Festival

Japanese Film Festival announces 2016 dates and program highlights

The 20th Japanese Film Festival will return nationwide later this year, showcasing the latest in Japanese film, alongside a Classics program in Sydney. Highlights include leading Japanese horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa‘s (Cure) new film Creepy, as well as popular manga adaptation Chihayafura Parts I and II, and seafood documentary Tsukiji Wonderland. The festival will also include a…

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Japanese Film Festival 2015 returns to Art Gallery of NSW

Japanese Film Festival Classics program returns to 2015 with an array of the best Japanese films selected from the works of renowned filmmaker, Kon Ichikawa. This tribute highlights Ichikawa significance in moulding the style of 20th Century Japanese films. All screenings are free and are to be held in the Domain Theatre, featuring a total…

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Dates revealed for the 2015 Japanese Film Festival in Australia

The Japanese Film Festival dates for 2015 have been announced. Movies will be screened in Canberra, Brisbane, Perth,Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne from 14 October to 6 September. If you’d like to go, Hello Asia! has all the details below.

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Japanese Film Festival 2014 Review: A Drop of the Grapevine (ぶどうのなみだ) (Japan, 2014)

“Earth is all that live here.” The magic of Japanese cinema is its vibrant, often startling diversity; perhaps most favoured for samurai action flicks, or dream-like anime films, Japanese filmmakers have become synonymous with movie masterpieces. More prominently, however, dramas have similarly come to the fore; following the 2012 film Bread of Happiness, Yukiko Mishima’s…

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Japanese Film Festival Encore Review: Departures (Okuribito) (Japan, 2008)

Departures (Okuribito) is a simple, Japanese film about some big subjects: love, life and death. This existential family drama was the winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2009. It is also a subtle and nuanced story where a Zen-like air means that even though the final message is poignant and meaningful, it is…

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Hello Asia! Japanese Film Festival 2013 Review: The Complex (クロユリ団地) (Japan, 2013)

The Complex is the latest horror offering from Director Hideo Nakata, who’s credited with directing the original versions of the Ring 1 & 2. To complement the release, a 12 episode drama titled Kuroyuri Danchi was aired prior, which follows events leading up to those that take place in the film. Although the film debuted…

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Film Review: Rurouni Kenshin, 16th Japanese Film Festival – Event Cinemas George Street

The live action adaptation of popular manga series Rurouni Kenshin (aka Samurai X) has proven itself a box office hit in Japan and it seems news travels fast, with original and encore sessions at the 16th Japanese Film Festival screenings selling out. A 45 minute delay caused by technical issues did little to deter an eager crowd, who lined…

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Film Review: Naki on the Monster Island – 16th Japanese Film Festival, Event Cinemas George Street

The Japanese Film Festival turns sweet 16 this year, and is screening the latest and greatest Japanese films on offer to celebrate. Slotting into the program is the beautifully crafted anime adventure, Friends: Naki on the Monster Island directed by Takashi Yamazaki and Ryūichi Yagi. Takeichi a naïve boy from a poor village goes in search of an infamous Monster…

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