Japanese Film Competition (Feature Length)
A Wasted Night
- Onsite
- 7.16 (Tue) 10:30 Convention Hall
- 7.20 (Sat) 16:30 Audio Visual Hall
- Online
- 7.20 (Sat) 10:00 - 7.24 (Wed) 23:00
Director: ZHANG Suming
Cast : Setsu KOHINATA, Aki KIGOSHI, Takao SHIBATA, Reika MATSUBARA, Yuki OSHIMA, Akira TAKEUCHI
2023 / Japan / 60min.
Aya and Asuka work in the sex industry. Despite clashing personalities, they somehow get along, spending every spare moment chatting aimlessly as they hang out in coffee shops, smoke together outside, or ride together in their work van. One day, the van breaks down, and they find themselves walking through the city at night. Wandering aimlessly and talking, their trivial chatter gradually takes on a greater depth. Zhang Suming’s first feature film is a realistic portrayal of the hidden agency of sex workers, within their transitory lives in the interstices of the city. Watching their meandering reminds us of Shintoto’s nighttime walk in Yoshimitsu Morita’s Something Like It. Indeed, A Wasted Night can be seen as Zhang’s homage to Morita, a figure he holds in the highest esteem. It will have its Japan premiere at the festival.
Director: ZHANG Suming
Director and cinematographer. While studying in Japan as an international student, Zhang Suming was influenced by directors Edward Yang and Yoshimitsu Morita, and set his sights on becoming a film director. After graduating from the Japan Institute of the Moving Image, he went on to study under Tetsuya Matsushima at the Nihon University Graduate School of Art. In 2022, Zhang’s independent short film Toshi no ue ni ukandamono was selected for the Gottani Film Festival, in which it screened at the Shimokitazawa Tollywood movie theater.
Message
I focused on sex workers in an effort to bring into sharp relief the powerlessness of young people in their ephemeral lives, and the obsessive desires that exist within society. These women choose their path not solely for financial gain, but also as a way to escape social constraints. It may seem that the protagonists, Aya and Asuka, are just young people living in the present, blindly following their desires, but beneath the surface they are making decisions. Advancing steadily towards tomorrow in the midst of their everyday lives, they reflect on themselves and think about the future. I wanted to convey the burning passion that smolders beneath Tokyo’s cold facade, based on my own experience of the city.
