Japanese films featured in cultural exchange drive

Eight new Japanese film productions will be screened in Shanghai and Hangzhou cinemas as part of the Japanese Film Festival, hosted from December 11 to 27.

Organized by Shanghai International Film Festival and Shanghai Art Film Federation, the gala of cinema aims to promote cultural exchanges among Chinese and Japanese filmmakers.

The festival will present the latest Japanese films, covering a diverse range of genres, while several movies will be premiered.

The movies include the biopic “HOKUSAI,” suspense thriller “Silent Tokyo,” youth movie “Our Story,” comedy film “From Today, It’s My Turn,” and drama films “Hope,” “The Brightest Roof In the Universe,” “A Balance,” and “Any Crybabies Around?”

“HOKUSAI,” the closing movie of the 2020 Tokyo International Film Festival, provides a fascinating insight into the brilliant life of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) of Ukiyo-e — a genre of Japanese art depicting subjects from everyday life which flourished in the 17th-19th centuries. Many of his colored woodblock prints were a massive influence in the art world.

“Silent Tokyo” gets its international premiere at the festival. Based on a novel by Takehiko Hata, the movie is set in Christmas when a bomb threatens to blow up in Tokyo. A video demands a conversation with the prime minister while police are rushing to the site to stop the explosion.

“Hope,” the latest offering of well-known director Yukihiko Tsutsumi points its lens at a sweet family that is unexpectedly involved in violence on a student campus. It is the first time the movie will be screened in Chinese mainland.

“The Brightest Roof in the Universe,” tells a heartwarming tale of a 14-year-old girl and an unusual granny. The girl is troubled by a relationship with her parents after falling in love with a university student. She makes friends with a granny at a calligraphy class and shares her feelings and story.

“Any Crybabies Around?” which received the Best Cinematography award at the 2020 San Sebastian International Film Festival, will also be shown for the first time in China. The film is about the changes in a man’s relationship with his wife after a newly born daughter arrives on the scene.

“Our Story,” another film to be internationally premiered at the festival, tells an inspiring story about two high school novelists’ collaboration on a bestselling work. 

“From Today, It’s My Turn” is the film adaptation of a campus comedy series, following lives and emotions of a group of teenagers. 

Director Yujiro Harumoto’s “A Balance,” which won the top prize in the competitive New Currents section of the 25th Busan International Film Festival, is centered on the changes in a female documentary director’s work and life after she uncovers a scandal.

From December 11, the eight films will be shown at the city’s Tianshan Cinema and the Grand Cinema. Following the Shanghai tour, the movies will go to Hangzhou starting December 18. 

Ticket information and screening schedules are available on www.siff.com and SIFF’s official WeChat account: SIFFinShanghai.