Filmmakers Making Waves
In recent years, filmmakers whose previous works screened at our festival have been gaining recognition. In this program, we bring back previously screened gems by festival graduates who are now under the spotlight in the film industry.
Lost Paradise in TokyoWinner of SKIP CITY AWARD at Feature Length Competition 2009
7.22（Sat）17:30
2009/Japan/115min.
Mikio moves in with his brother who suffers from a mental disability. Marin is a prostitute who was hired to solve his brother’s sexual frustration. Mikio is troubled by his relationship with his brother who can barely communicate. Marin calls herself an idol despite the fact that she is a prostitute. Their world begins to unravel.
©2009 Cine Bazar
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After winning the first SKIP CITY AWARD for Feature Length Category in 2009, the film was subsequently invited to Busan, Dubai, Rotterdam, and many other prestigious international film festivals and opened theatrically on September 18, 2010. Director Shiraishi’s commercial debut The Devil's Path (2013) was nominated for Best Picture at Japan Academy Film Prize, won many other awards, and screened at Montreal International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival. He went on to direct Twisted Justice (2016), Dawn of the Felines (2016), and The Birds She Never Knew (2017), which is slated for theatrical release this year. His brand new project is an epic film Blood of a Lonely Wolf (2018). Director Shiraishi has grown to become one of the major talents in Japanese cinema today.
Director: Kazuya Shiraishi
Cast: Katsuya Kobayashi, Chika Uchida, Takaki Uda, Zenkichi Yoneyama, Yasuhiro Isobe, Naoki Ichimura, Hayato Kusano, Reika Shigehiro, Atsushi Narasaka, Eiji Okuda
Director: Kazuya Shiraishi
Born 1974 in Hokkaido, Shiraishi attended a film workshop organized by Genji Nakamura. Since then, he has served as Assistant Director for Koji Wakamatsu, and worked on films with Isao Yukisada, Isshin Inudo and others. Lost Paradise in Tokyo (2009) was his first feature film. The Devil's Path (2013) won various prestigious awards and his third film Twisted Justice (2016) also garnered critical acclaim.
Capturing DadWinner of Best Director and SKIP CITY AWARD at Feature Length Competition 2012
7.21（Fri）14:30
2012/Japan/74min.
Sawa asks her two daughters, Hazuki and Koharu, to visit their dying father whom she divorced a long time ago. She wants them to take a picture of his face on his death bed and bring it back. The two daughters depart to visit their father but on the way they hear he has already passed away.
©2012 PICTURES NETWORK/ HIYOSHIGAOKA PICTURES
<Commentary>
In the Feature Length Competition in 2012, the film won Best Director (the first time for a Japanese director to win), SKIP CITY AWARD, the No.1 audience popularity votes, and was subsequently released on February 16, 2013 as the third entry for the SKIP CITY D-Cinema PROJECT. It went on to screen at many international film festivals including Berlinale and won Best Supporting Actress at Asian Film Award. His commercial debut film Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016) boasts a stellar cast that includes Rie Miyazawa, Joe Odagiri, and Hana Sugisaki, and won four awards including Best Picture at Hochi Film Award and was nominated for six awards with two wins in Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress at Japan Academy Film Prize.
Director: Ryota Nakano
Cast: Erisa Yanagi, Nanoka Matsubara, Kenichi Takito, Satoshi Nikaido, Kaito Kobayashi, Yuki Imamura, Akiko Hoshino, Makiko Watanabe
Distributor: Digital Skip Station
Director: Ryota Nakano
Born 1973, Nakano grew up in Kyoto. After graduating university, he entered Japan Institute of the Moving Image. His thesis project As We Go Cheering Our Flaming Lives (2000) won the school’s Shohei Imamura Award. In 2012, his full-length film Capturing Dad (2012) won Best Director, the first Japanese director to win, at SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTVAL and screened at Berlin International Film Festival. He made his commercial debut with Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016).
Kanagawa University of Fine Arts, Office of Film ResearchWinner of Special Jury Award at Feature Length Competition 2013
7.20（Thu）17:00
2013/Japan/70min.
Okuda works in the Film Department of Kanagawa University of Fine Arts. One night, he witnesses students stealing school equipment. To hide the truth, film professors instruct Okuda to make a false report to the university, but things take unexpected turns for Okuda.
©2013 GRADUATE SCHOOL OF FILM AND NEW MEDIA, TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS. All Rights Reserved..
<Commentary>
Produced as a thesis film at Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, the film won Special Jury Award in the Feature Length Competition in 2013 and was subsequently released theatrically on January 25, 2014 as the fourth entry for SKIP CITY D-Cinema PROJECT. Director Sakashita’s ironic sense of humor tinted with a critical stance on group dynamics in human behavior as well as his sharp storytelling skill shined through in his commercial debut film Any Way the Wind Blows (2016), which was produced as the third installment of Shochiku Broadcasting Original Films. His next project is Extrand. Director Sakashita is one of the emerging talents in the Japanese film industry today.
Director: Yuichiro Sakashita
Cast: Kaoru Iida, Chihiro Kasahara, Tomoya Maeno, Fujio Miyagawa, Kazuhiko Takasu, Yu Nakamura, Goichi Mine, Shota Nakamoto, Manabu Hosoi
Distributor: Digital Skip Station
Director: Yuichiro Sakashita
Born 1986 in Hiroshima, Sakashita directed Beatles (2011) and gained recognition for an episode of Rakugo eiga (2013), an omnibus feature. This film was produced as a thesis project at the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts and won Special Jury Award in the Feature Length Competition in 2013 followed by a theatrical release. In 2016, he made his commercial debut with Any Way the Wind Blows.
Short Films（Total 65min.）
It's All in the FingersNominee at Short Length Competition 2009
2009/Japan, Poland/10min.
As gigantic fingers start attacking people in Poland, President Bush makes a statement in the White House about weapons of mass destruction, which have never been found. Gigantic fingers eventually cross borders.
<Commentary>
Nominated in the Short Length Competition in 2009, the film consists of three stories that feature mysterious gigantic fingers. Director Kei Ishikawa graduated from Tohoku University and attended the Polish Film Institute where Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polanski studied filmmaking. The film was produced in Poland. His short films have won various awards and screened at many international film festivals. His feature film debut Traces of Sin (2017) world-premiered in the Orizzonti section of Venice International Film Festival to critical acclaim and was released on February 18, 2017 in Japan.
Director: Kei Ishikawa
Cast: Wincent Walczak, Dorota Kiekowicz-Suszka, Piotr Pecyna
Director: Kei Ishikawa
Born 1977 in Aichi, Ishikawa studied filmmaking at the Polish Film Institute, where Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polanski studied. He made his commercial feature debut with Traces of Sin (2017) starring Satoshi Tsumabuki and Hikari Mitsushima.
Strawberry JamNominee at Short Length Competition 2010
2010/Japan/32min.
One day, Eriko offers her homemade strawberry jam to her friend. When she sees him dipping his finger and licking it for a taste, she becomes electrified linking strawberry jam to a feeling she had never before experienced. 。
©TRICYCLE FILM
<Commentary>
Nominated in the Short Length Competition in 2010 and prestigious PFF, the film is about a woman who fantasizes about her male friend licking strawberry jam. Its unique vision earned critical acclaim and the film was released on DVD in 2014. His feature film debut Suffering of Ninko (2016) was independently produced, but it screened at Vancouver International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Gothenburg Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival and many other prestigious film festivals. In Japan, it was premiered at Tokyo Filmex and it’s now slated for theatrical release.
Director: Norihiro Niwatsukino
Cast: Nozomi Oki, Takafumi Maeuchi, Noriko Henmi, Yuka Terasaki, Takahiro Suzuki
R15+
Director: Norihiro Niwatsukino
Born in Kitakyushu, Niwatsukino directed Strawberry Jam (2010), which was nominated in the Short Length Competition in 2010 and the prestigious PFF Award 2010. His feature film debut Suffering of Ninko (2016), an independently produced period piece, screened at Vancouver International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, and many other prestigious film festivals. In Japan, it was premiered at TOKYO FILMeX and it’s now slated for theatrical release.
Ken and KazuHonorable Mention at Short Length Competition 2011
2011/Japan/23min.
Ken and Kazu are drug traffickers. Kazu wants out of the business to take care of his mother. When the organization discovers they have been stealing drugs, Kazu is taken away. Ken, who doesn’t like the idea of Kazu leaving the business, decides to take action.
<Commentary>
Mostly shot in intense close ups of Ken and Kazu, the film won Honorable Mention in the Short Length Competition in 2011 and was also invited to International Film Festival Rotterdam. Director Shoji shot a feature length version of the short film Ken and Kazu (2016) and it was screened at Tokyo International Film Festival, winning Best Picture Award in the Japanese Cinema Splash category. It was subsequently released in theaters on July 30, 2016 and became a box office hit. Director Shoji also picked up several prestigious awards including Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award.
Director: Hiroshi Shoji
Cast: Tatsuya Nomura, Katsuya Maiguma, Katsuyuki Kanja, Tomoaki Hayashi, Yusuke Soga, Takashi Hirose, Kenji Masaki
Director: Hiroshi Shoji
Born 1986 in Hiroshima, Shoji studied filmmaking at Tokyo Film Center School of Arts. He directed more than 10 films and his films screened at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 4 years in a row. Ken and Kazu (2011) received Honorable Mention at the SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTVAL 2011 and screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012 and many others. In 2016, he made his feature debut, directing a feature length version of the same title.
