ACF 302: 12 films confirmed so far for JAPAN CUTS 2009

Image © 2008 "Crime or Punishment?!?" Production Committee

JAPAN CUTS Festival of New Japanese Film

Japan Society Confirms 12 of Nearly 20 Films for 3rd Annual Summer Festival
June 30-July 12, 2009

The one-two punch of Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival and Japan Society's JAPAN CUTS film series will again soon be upon us lovers of Asian films in and around The Big Apple. As has been the case the past couple of years, JAPAN CUTS will dove-tail with the NYAFF, co-presenting several films, then going it solo for the remainder. Here's the latest news about the films confirmed for JAPAN CUTS to date:

New York, NY -- Japan Society announces its third annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Films, the only large-scale annual film festival in North America celebrating the latest films from Japan.

With the full schedule to be announced Tuesday, May 26, the Society's Film Program has confirmed 12 of nearly 20 titles, including the final installment of Takeshi Kitano’s trilogy about an artist’s dilemma, Achilles and the Tortoise; the much-anticipated 4-hour hentai (pervert) epic Love Exposure (dir. Sion Sono); the controversial cop-crime-action flick Confessions of a Dog (dir. Gen Takahashi); Halfway (dir. Eriko Kitagawa), produced by coming-of-age film master Shunji Iwai; and the sci-fi, time travel love story Cyborg She (dir. Kwak Jae-Young).

JAPAN CUTS presents films ranging from blockbusters and art-house hits to cutting-edge independents and innovative animations, with exclusive filmmaker Q&A's, parties and other special events. Made by both established and emerging directors and starring today’s hottest actors and festival winners, all JAPAN CUTS films are world, U.S., or New York premieres. As in previous years, JAPAN CUTS launches at the tail end of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), with Japan Society and NYAFF co-presenting several of the major Japanese titles featured in both festivals. Confirmed films for 2009 include:

*20th Century Boys (dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi)

*20th Century Boys: Chapter Two – The Last Hope (dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi)

Achilles and the Tortoise (dir.Takeshi Kitano)

*All Around Us (dir. Ryosuke Hashiguchi)

Buy a Suit (dir. Jun Ichikawa)

Confessions of a Dog (dir. Gen Takahashi), with special appearance by Takahashi

Crime or Punishment?!? (dir. Keralino Sandorovich)

Cyborg She (dir. Kwak Jae-Young)

Halfway (dir. Eriko Kitagawa, produced by Shunji Iwai)

*Love Exposure (dir. Sion Sono), with special appearance by Sono

*The Magic Hour (dir. Koki Mitani)

Non-ko (dir. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri)

* co-presented with NYAFF

This year JAPAN CUTS spotlights UrumaDelvi, the artistic duo behind the hugely popular animated music video Bottom Biting Bug. UrumaDelvi Collected Shorts presents dozens of the duos' short animations, including world premiere English versions of Bottom Biting Bug and Sumiko. In addition, UrumaDelvi will create the JAPAN CUTS 2009 festival trailer.

Japanese cinema today is reaching new heights of critical and popular success, in one of the most dynamic and thriving film industries outside of Hollywood. Since 2006 over 400 Japanese films have been released theatrically in Japan every year (as reported by The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan), with domestic films taking in 50% of Japan's box office revenues. JAPAN CUTS promises U.S. audiences their first taste of the most talked about Japanese films from 2008 and 2009.

Launched in Summer 2007 to celebrate Japan Society's centennial, the first annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film was one of the most successful single events in Japan Society's 2007-08 centennial celebration. Noted for its "rich and varied selection of recent Japanese films” (David Kehr, The New York Times), the festival grew to attract nearly 6,000 audience members in 2008. In previous years, films premiered at JAPAN CUTS that have gone on to international acclaim have included The Mourning Forest, Yasukuni, Sukiyaki Western Django, United Red Army, Sway, Death Note, and Kamome Diner. Past festivals have included appearances by directors Shusuke Kaneko, Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Naoko Ogigami, Sion Sono, and Koji Wakamatsu.

The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), North America's leading festival of popular Asian films, runs June 19-July 5, 2009. Films are co-presented with Japan Society's JAPAN CUTS from July 1-5, during the opening weekend of JAPAN CUTS. To learn more, visit www.subwaycinema.com. Contact Grady Hendrix at 917-405-7477 or grady@subwaycinema.com for further details about the NYAFF.

The Japan Society Film Program offers a diverse selection of Japanese films, from classics to contemporary independent productions. Its aim is to entertain, educate and support activities in the Society's arts & culture programs. The Film Program has included retrospectives of great directors, thematic series and many U.S. premieres. Some original film series curated by the Japan Society have traveled to other U.S. venues in tours organized by the Film Program.

Established in 1907, Japan Society has evolved into North America's major producer of high-quality content on Japan for an English-speaking audience. Presenting over 100 events annually through well established Corporate, Education, Film, Gallery, Language, Lectures, Performing Arts and Innovators Network programs, the Society is an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that provides access to information on Japan, offers opportunities to experience Japanese culture, and fosters sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 and 7 subway at Grand Central or the E and V subway at Lexington Avenue). For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.

JAPAN CUTS is supported by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment Fund, The Japan Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency. Additional support is provided by Sapporo. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines.