ACF 1385: Documentary double-feature at Asia Society tomorrow

Up Close and Personal: Naomi KAWASE

(Two films screened in one program)

 When: Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Where: Asia Society

725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC
 

Asia Society's film series Extreme Private Ethos: Japanese Documentaries, curated by La Frances Hui. resumes tomorrow afternoon with these two works by Naomi Kawase. In her work family has been a central theme. Abandoned as an infant by her parents, who had already separated at the time of the filmmaker’s birth, Kawase was adopted and raised by her great uncle and aunt. The abandonment has left a major scar in the filmmaker. Many of Kawase’s documentaries confront issues of identity and family in an attempt to deal with the void she has felt since childhood.

Embracing
Directed by Naomi KAWASE

Japan. 1992, 40 minutes, Color, 16mm.
 

Against the advice of family members, filmmaker Kawase sets out to search for the father she has never met. As the filmmaker looks up old photographs and public registries to locate her father, a sense of loneliness and quiet perseverance permeates the screen. Made when Kawase was 23 years old, Embracing charts a deeply emotional journey filled with pain, emptiness and longing. (A Kumie, Inc. film. Print courtesy of Japan Foundation.)
 

Tarachime
Directed by Naomi KAWASE

Japan, 2006, 43 minutes, Color, Digibeta.
 

Bearing her own child for the first time, filmmaker Kawase reflects on the themes of motherhood, family, and the cycle of life as she films the great aunt who adopted and raised her. Called Grandma by the filmmaker, Uno is 90 years old and ailing, evident in the uncompromising exposure of her fragile body. The documentary shows the two women fighting, as Kawase complains about her lonely childhood, and their subsequent reconciliation. At once brutal and tender, the film reveals a complex mother-daughter relationship. "Tarachime" refers to "birth mother" in Japanese. (A Kumie, Inc. film.)

“[Tarachime is] a beautiful and breathtaking work of art…of the most marvelous simplicity.”—Natalia Ames, Nisimazine

“[Her films] are about life… Kawase just took your hands and led you to her garden. It is an intimate journey, a generous gesture.”—Apichatpong Weerasethakul , filmmaker (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, 2010)

ACF 1384: U.S. Premiere of TATSUMI opens 5th ContemporAsian season at Museum of Modern Art

Images courtesy of The Match Factory.

Tatsumi

Directed by Eric Khoo

Singapore, 2011,  94 minutes

With the voice of Yoshihiro Tatsumi 

In Japanese with English subtitles

When: April 4–9, 2012
Where: The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street, NYC
Info and tickets here

ContemporAsian, MoMA’s annual showcase of Asian cinema, features weeklong engagements of films that capture the various styles, histories, and changes in contemporary Asian filmmaking. This series includes recent independent gems by both new and established filmmakers whose work represent the rapidly transforming visual culture of the region. The fifth season of ContemporAsian opens with the U.S. premiere of Tatsumi, a riveting animated documentary about the life and art of celebrated graphic novelist Yoshihiro Tatsumi.

A Drifting Life, Tatsumi’s epic graphic novel memoir, forms the foundation for Khoo’s animated documentary. In postwar Japan in the late 1950s, Tatsumi brought innovation to Japanese comics through works of social commentary aimed at an adult audience. Khoo, known in his native Singapore for such live-action films as Be with Me (2005) and My Magic (2008), brings Tatsumi’s art to life by juxtaposing Tatsumi’s autobiography with his short stories that focus on the effects of World War II and urban alienation on the Japanese people. This first-ever film adaptation of Tatsumi’s work adds depth and structure to his various narratives while remaining loyal to his vivid style. Print courtesy The Match Factory.

Synopsis: In post-war occupied Japan, young Tatsumi’s passion for comics eventually becomes a means of supporting his poor family. Already published as a teenager, talented Tatsumi finds even greater inspiration after meeting his idol, famous Disneyesque animator Osamu Tezuka. Despite his steady success, Tatsumi begins to question why Japanese comics should cater to children with cute and whimsical tales and drawings. In 1957, Tatsumi coins the term gekiga (dramatic pictures) and redefines the manga landscape by encouraging an alternative genre for adults. Realistic and disquieting, Tatsumi’s work begins to grapple with the darker aspects of life.

This exhibition is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film.

Screening Schedule:
Wednesday, April 4, 7:00. (New York premiere. Introduced by Khoo and Tatsumi)
Thursday, April 5, 4:00
Friday, April 6, 7:00
Saturday, April 7, 1:30
Sunday, April 8, 5:00
Monday, April 9, 4:00

ACF 1383: VIZ Media at WonderCon

ONE PIECE © 1997 by Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA Inc.
TORIKO © 2008 by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro/SHUEISHA Inc.

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES ACTIVITIES & CONVENTION
EXCLUSIVES FOR WONDERCON 2012

VIZ Media Treats Attendees To Special “Test Drives” Of New

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Digital Manga Magazine

VIZ Media, the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, returns to WonderCon 2012 as the show comes to Anaheim, CA, March 16th-18th at the Anaheim Convention Center. WonderCon is one of the country's best comics and pop culture conventions. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 206. Complete details on WonderCon are available at: www.comic-con.org/wc.

Throughout the convention, VIZ Media will treat WonderCon attendees to special “test drives” of the company’s new WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA digital manga magazine. Drop by the VIZ Media booth, sample the new digital content, and complete a special survey to be entered to win a new Apple iPad 2! The winner will be notified following the show.

Each new digital edition of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA treats manga fans in North America to the latest chapters of some of the world’s most popular manga series only two weeks after they debut in Japan’s massively popular WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP magazine. Featured series include BAKUMAN｡, BLEACH, NARUTO, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN, ONE PIECE, and TORIKO. WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA is available through an annual membership that provides 52 weeks of access to 48 weekly issues for just $25.99; members also receive an annual collector’s yearbook, collectable YU-GI-OH! game cards four times a year, and access to exclusive content. As a show special, attendees that become new members will receive a special bonus premium (while supplies last).

Celebrate all things SHONEN JUMP at a special SHONEN JUMP Fan Meet-Up on Friday March 16th from 2:30pm - 3:30pm in Room 208 and learn about the benefits of being a WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA member! Grill the WEEKLY SJ ALPHA editors in a live Q&A session! Win prizes at the trivia contest and join in the live fan art jam! Meet editor Urian Brown, the lead hype-man of #TEAMJUMP, specializing in video games, anime, and assorted fun wacky antics. Also meet Misaki Kido, female leader of #TEAMJUMP, and challenge her manga knowledge or ask for advice about your own manga!

Finally, sit in with WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA editor Urian Brown as he joins NAMCO BANDAI Games to celebrate NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations in a special panel discussion on Sunday March, 18th from 4:00pm-5:00pm in Room 207. With over 10 million units of the popular game, based on the smash hit anime/manga series, sold worldwide, all fans of NARUTO are encouraged to attend this celebration of the series. In addition to being treated to an appearance by Production Head Director Hiroshi Matsuyama of CyberConnect 2, fans can enjoy a panel covering the exciting world of NARUTO video games, with a guest host, Urian Brown, master of all things video game-related at WEEKLY SJ ALPHA. Don't miss all of the action happening live on-stage with this exciting and breakthrough game franchise.

For more information on WEEKLY SJ ALPHA and exclusive subscriber offers, please visit SJAlpha.com or VIZManga.com. 

ACF 1382: Hong Sang-soo Film Retrospective starts tomorrow

Hong Sang-soo Film Retrospective

The Museum of the Moving Image

35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria, NY

From midtown, taxi or N/Q Train outbound to 36th Avenue

The Korea Society celebrates Asia Week with a screening of works by celebrated director Hong Sang-soo. Since his debut The Day a Pig into the Well in 1996, all of his films were invited by prestigious film festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and New York Film Festivals, and began to receive worldwide attention. This series will present five highly acclaimed films that will be shown at the newly renovated Museum of the Moving Image, home to New York City’s finest, state-of-the-art screen. This retrospective is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Below is information about the films being screened this weekend.

The Day a Pig Fell into the Well / Daijiga umule pajinnal
1996, 113 minutes 

Starring Bang Eun-hee, Cho eun-sook, Park Jin-seong
When: Saturday, March 17 at 2:00 PM

Hong Sang-soo's debut film was a critical success, winning awards at the Rotterdam and Vancouver film festivals and revealing Hong’s consistent theme of individuals desperately longing for connection. It depicts tangled and tragic relationships: Min-jae obsessed with Hyo-sub, a struggling writer; Po-kyung, a married woman, in an affair with Hyo-sub; and Dong-woo, Po-kyung's husband alone. The title is from a 1954 book by John Cheever.

Woman on the Beach / Haebyonui yeoin 
2006, 128 minutes 
Starring : Go Hyun–jung, Kim Seung–woo, Kim Tae-woo, Song Seon-mi
When: Saturday, March 17 at 5:00 PM

Joong-rae goes on a road trip with friend Chang-wook and Chang-wook's girlfriend, Moon-sook. In the beautiful beach setting of Shinduri, Joong-rae and Moon-sook find themselves attracted to each other and spend a passionate night together. But where does life go the morning after? A filmmaker, writing his latest script at a seaside resort town, becomes involved with two women. As ever, Hong is comically and painfully lucid in outlining the jealousy and self-absorption that fuel his male characters’ excess.

Night and Day / Bamgua nat
2008, 144 minutes
Starring : Kim Yeong-ho, Park Eun-hye, Seo Min-jung
When: Sunday, March 18 at 2:00 PM

Kim Sung-nam, a married 40-something painter in Seoul, flees Korea after he's caught smoking marijuana while drunk at a gathering. In Paris, he takes refuge at a run-down lodge owned by a Korean, calls his abandoned wife, and hits the streets looking for action. Night and Day premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008 and screened at the 46th New York Film Festival.

 Like You Know It All / Jal aljido mothamyeonseo
2009, 126 minutes
Starring: Kim Tae-woo, Uhm Ji-won, Go Hyun-Jung
When: Sunday, March 18 at 5:30 PM

In this entrant into the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight, Kim Tae-woo (Women on the Beach, Woman is the Future of Man) plays a critics’ filmmaker, often drunk and confused as his work takes him across the country and into contact with the past. Director Ku attends a festival in a small town and bumps into old friend, Bu. Over drinks, he meets Bu’s wife. Soon after, Ku goes to Jeju Island to give a lecture. There he meets his college senior and finds out that his new wife is Ku’s love from his twenties. 

ACF 1381: Nagisa Oshima's IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES at Japan Society tomorrow night

Tatsuya Fuji, left, and Eiko Matsuda) as the two lovers

In The Realm of the Senses / Ai no Korida

Directed by Nagisa Oshima

With Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima

Japan, 1976, 102 minutes

When: Friday, March 16th at 10:00 PM

Where: Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, NYC

Between 1st and 2nd Avenues

Tickets here

Like some of Oshima's other films (Death by Hanging, 1968, and Boy, 1969), In the Realm of the Senses was based on an actual event. In 1936, as Japanese militarism was on the rise, a couple had a intensely "passionate, obsessive, and finally self destructive love affair." (I've appropriated this phrase from Donald Spoto's characterization of the novel upon which Alfred Hitchcock's film Suspicion was based; see Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and his Leading Ladies, Three Rivers Press, 2008, page 107.) Their story was widely known to Japanese at that time and subsequently. However, since some potential viewers do not know the story, I will not spoil it by giving away what happens to the pair. Suffice it to say, what came to pass is disquieting in the extreme.

This film is one of the most controversial Japanese movies ever made. Traditionally, the depiction of genitalia or even pubic hair was not just taboo in Japan but illegal. Actresses in the so-called "Pink Films" had to endure wearing "maebari," a skin-colored tape which fight snugly between their legs and over their vaginas. (See Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films by Thomas Weisser and Yuko Mihara Weisser, Vital Books, 1998, page 23.)

Oshima flaunted convention and defied Japan's obscenity laws by making a film that graphically, explicitly depicted sex acts, both fellatio and penetration during intercourse. He was only able to shoot these scenes (on a closed set with just him and the actors) because the film was technically a French production by Anatole Dauman. Oshima was subsequently tried for obscenity in conjunction with his publishing the scenario for the film, but was ultimately acquitted.

Clearly In the Realm of the Senses is adult-only fare. One can argue, and many have, as to whether or not the film is pornographic. I contend that it is not. Pornography, particularly hard core porn, is intended primarily to provide a visual aid for masturbation by a solitary viewer. Whatever "dialogue" it may include is intended merely as a brief bridge between sex scenes. And for a porn movie, multiple "money shots" (i.e., male ejaculations) are de rigueur. None of these are the case with In the Realm of the Senses.

Oshima, left, and the cast of In the Realm of the Senses

Still, it's explicitness makes it problematic viewing for some, whether at a public screening, such as the one this Friday evening at Japan Society, or at a private viewing (the film is available on a fine Criterion release).

In the Realm of the Senses would be worth seeing if only because its significant place in the history of Japanese cinema. (Even today, the genitalia in the film  are "fogged" when it is screened in Japan, although some scenes that were once banned are now permitted to be shown.) Beyond that, the film is a fascinating, well-told and acted story of two people who flew in opposition to the currents of their time and experienced an incredibly intense, if ultimate brief, love affair.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars, highly recommended.

In The Realm of the Senses is being shown as part of Japan Society's Globus Film Series Love Will Tear us Apart. Series info here. Prior to Senses, there will be a screening of Snakes and Earrings at 7:30 PM Friday evening. Info about that film here. There are separate admission charges for each film.