Full Skip City Lineup Announced!
Yeah, I know that image is the 2016 edition poster of the Skip City International Digital Cinema Festival but, hey, don't let the old poster distract you from the freshly announced lineup of the 2017 edition! Here we go!
---------------------------------
Launched in 2004 as one of the world’s first film festivals to focus solely on films shot on digital in order to discover and nurture emerging talent, SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL in troduced to Japan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, winner of three awards including Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival, and numerous new Japanese talents like Kazuya Shiraishi (“Twisted Justice”) and Ryota Nakano (“Her Love Boils Bathwater”).
The 14th edition of the Festival will be held over 9 days from Saturday, July 15, to Sunday, July 23. The press conference was held on Thursday, June 1, at the Todofuken Kaikan in Nagata-cho, Tokyo, to announce its full line-up.
“Filmmakers Making Waves”:
Films by flourishing festival alumni to be screened!
In recent years, filmmakers whose previous works screened at our festival have been gaining recognition. For this special program we have selected 6 filmmakers who have become successful in the Japanese film industry.
Kazuya Shiraishi (“Twisted Justice”) received the SKIP CITY AWARD in 2009 with “Lost Paradise in Tokyo”, Ryota Nakano (“Her Love Boils Bathwater”) received the Best Director and the SKIP CITY AWARD with his first feature film “Capturing Dad”, and Yuichiro Sakashita (“Any Way the Wind Blows”) received the Special Jury Award with “Kanagawa University of Fine Arts, Office of Film Research”.
In this program, we bring back previously screened gems by festival graduates. 3 feature films and 3 short films will be screened.
After the screening of “Lost Paradise in Tokyo”, all three directors of the feature films will participate in a discussion. All other screenings are followed by Q&A sessions with the directors.
【List of films for “Filmmakers Making Waves”】
“Lost Paradise in Tokyo”: Dir. Kazuya Shiraishi <2009/Japan/115min.> SKIP CITY AWARD in the 2009 Feature Length Competition
“Capturing Dad”: Dir. Ryota Nakano <2012/Japan/74min.> Best Director and SKIP CITY AWARD in the 2012 Feature Length Competition
“Kanagawa University of Fine Arts, Office of Film Research”:
Dir. Yuichiro Sakashita <2013/Japan/70min.> Special Jury Award in the 2013 Feature Length Competition
“It’s All in the Fingers”: Dir. Kei Ishikawa <2009/Japan, Poland/10min.> Nominee for the 2009 Short Length Competition
“Strawberry Jam”: Dir. Norihiro Niwatsukino <2010/Japan/32min> Nominee for the 2010 Short Length Competition
“Ken and Kazu”: Dir. Hiroshi Shoji <2011/Japan/23min> Honorable Mention in the 2011 Short Length Competition
“D-Cinema – New Currents”:
VR (virtual reality) films from Japan and abroad screened
2016 was referred to as ‘year zero’ for the virtual reality revolution. VR became a hugely popular medium in Japan and made waves in the film industry, we screen and provide an opportunity to experience the 6 VR works from Japan and abroad for the first time for a film festival in Japan, for the 3 days from July 16 to 18, with free admission. In addition, talk events on the topics of VR film sets and the VR business are planned to be held during the festival.
【List of films for “D-Cinema – New Currents”】
“Last Anniversary”: Dir. Takashi Kubota <2017/Japan/15min.>
“ANIMA! – Special VR Version” <2017/Japan/5min.>
“Night Fall”: Dir. Jip Samhoud <2016/Netherlands/8min.>
“FEBRUAR”: Dir. Maarten Isaäk de Heer <2015/Netherlands/13min.>
“Living in Paris: At Chaillot with the Eiffel Tower” Dir. Michel Railhac <2017/France/4min.>
“Ponteio”: Dir. Michel Railhac <2017/France/5min.>
|
“Last Anniversary” Dir. Takashi Kubota Taichi is about to graduate from high school. When he appears in an empty classroom, he finds a secret admirer standing in the corner. A bittersweet tale of adolescence. Starring Rina Takeda. The very first Japanese VR film to make you cry. |
|
“ANIMA! – Special VR Version” A dance sequence from ANIMA!, this year’s Opening Gala film, is presented in VR. Enjoy the dance sequence as you have never seen it before. |
※Details of ”Night Fall”, “FEBRUAR”, “Living in Paris: At Chaillot with the Eiffel Tower” and “Ponteio” are to be announced.
Films from Armenia, Slovakia and Nepal are nominated for the first time. All international films are yet to be screened in Japan. 12 films (9 international and 3 Japanese) compete in the Feature Length Competition.
In the Feature Length Competition, as the core program of our festival, we received over 617 entries from 85 regions and countries all over the world. We selected 12 nominees to compete including the first ever nominees from Armenia, Slovakia, and Nepal. This is a good opportunity for the audience to be able to watch films from countries whose films are rarely screened in Japan.
A powerful film on the refugee crisis “The Citizen” from Hungary, recently hailed around the international film industry, the Crystal Bear winner of this year’s Berlinale Generation “Little Harbour” from Slovakia, “Irreplaceable”, starring François Cluzet, from France, a Chinese documentary about a man living in Dafen who draws replicas of Van Gogh’s paintings, and more films are nominated in this year’s Feature Length Competition.
All 9 international films in the Feature Length Competition are screened in Japan for the first time.
The Opening Gala Film starring newcomer Saika Hattori, and Yu Koyanagi.
The world premiere of “ANIMA!” directed by Takahiro Horie will open the Festival.
In its 3rd year since the launch, the Opening Gala section screens feature films produced by the Festival Committee in order to discover and nurture emerging talent. This year, we are proud to present “ANIMA!”, a story about a female dancer, directed by Takahiro Horie, whose “Hurt” was nominated in the Feature Length Competition at our festival last year.
A female dancer who belongs to a ballet company but is yet to find her own dance and a man who gave up his dream of being a drummer collaborate to create moves and rhythm in the Opening Gala Film, “ANIMA!”. The film was shot in Kawaguchi and Tokorozawa in Saitama. Emerging actress Saika Hattori shows off her dance skills in the film. Her partner is played by Yu Koyanagi of “Tokyo Sonata” and “Gajimaru Shokudo no Koi”. A refreshing drama from two young and promising talents.
“ANIMA!”＜２０１７／Japan＞
Pounding Beat Leads My Next Move. Soul Starts Beating to the Rhythm!
Kaho is a member of BAN, a classical ballet company. She wants to take an audition in order to be selected to study abroad, but hasn’t found the moves she likes. She discovers that Ito, who works at the dance hall, used to drum, and decides to combine contemporary dance and drums for the final audition.
Director：Takahiro Horie
Cast：Saika Hattori, Yu Koyanagi, Eriko Nakamura, Haruka Kurosawa, Umi Todo / Gitan Otsuru
Presentation of Saitama Prefecture / SKIP CITY Sai-no-Kuni Visual Plaza
©2017 Saitama Prefecture/SKIP CITY Sai-no-Kuni Visual Plaza
A strong line-up of the young Japanese filmmakers for the Short Length Competition. Films range from “After Hours” from Tatsuo Kobayashi (“Gassoh”) and “The light Dances” from Hajime Izuki (“Minus by Minus“), through to costume musical drama.
We have received over 153 entries this year and screen a total of 12 films in the Short Length Competition, which is a domestic competition. Tatsuo Kobayashi, whose “Country Girl” and “Gassoh” were critically acclaimed, explores the changing Shibuya City in “After Hours” starring in Yohta Kawase, “Minus by Minus“’s Hajime Izuki depicts the runaway of a young boy and girl, “SIREN” with Masahiko Tsugawa tells a story between an Arabian man and an old Japanese man, skillfully portrayed in short film format, and “Mitokomon Z” entertains the audience as a costume musical inspired by the famous Mito Komon drama. A variety of short films compete for the Best Picture award.
|
『After Hours』 Director：Tatsuo Kobayashi ＜2016／Japan／15min.＞ © Tatsuo Kobayashi / Happy Tent |
|
『The Light Dances』 Director：Hajime Izuki ＜2016／Japan／24min.＞ © Hajime Izuki / Happy Tent |
|
『Mitokomon Z』 Director：Shogo Okawa ＜2016／Japan／25min.＞ ©Mitokomon Z |
|
『SIREN』 Director：Nobuyuki Miyake ＜2017／Japan／17min.＞ ©クロマリズム |
Two acclaimed animation films feature in the Animation Screening and the award-sweeping “Her Love Boils Bathwater” is screened with Japanese subtitles and audio guidance.
In the famous “Barrier Free Screening” with Japanese subtitles and audio guidance, Ryota Nakano’s commercial film debut “Her Love Boils Bathwater” is screened. The film swept lots of awards including the Best Actress Award of Japan Academy Film Prize.
In addition, animated masterpiece, “In This Corner of the World”, which went on to become a big box-office success after its theatrical release in November, and “Song of the Sea”, which received recognition from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, are featured in the “Animation Screening”.
