Zenzen Daijobu (Fine, Totally Fine) Wins Top Honors at the 2008 Nippon Connection
One of the most immersive and Japanese cinema rich film festivals in the world, the Nippon Connection has just wrapped once again in Frankfurt, Germany. Winning top honors this year was Yosuke Fujita's Zenzen Daijobu (Fine, Totally Fine). This offbeat film certainly seems to be getting a lot of good buzz. Mark Schilling proclaimed it, "totemo, totemo subarashii!" Certainly it's now more than ever on everyone's radar to check out. Full press release on this years top winner and conclusion report of the 2008 Nippon Connection follows after the link bump.
Nippon Cinema Award CeremonyA fine, totally fine finish
After five days of exciting festival was held the Japanese film festival Nippon connection with the awarding of the Nippon Cinema Award its peak. The prize money in the amount of 2,000 euros, donated by the bank Metzler, went this year to the comedy Fine, Fine Totally by Yosuke FUJITA. This film, about an unusual threesome, and the peculiar hobby, the fellow einzujagen horrors, the audience was the price.
Then there was Nippon Connection with the Cannes winning film The Mourning Forest by Naomi KAWASE its completion.16,000 Japan-enthusiastic spectators dived into the culture of Japan. With more than 150 films shown from the entire spectrum of Japanese cinema and an extensive cultural program has been a huge selection for every taste warranted.
With the films United Red Army by Kôji WAKAMATSU, the Yasukuni hochkontroversen of LI Ying (whose performance various cinemas in Tokyo these days for fear of the threats of nationalist groups zurückzogen) and Wings of Defeat by Risa MORIMOTO, which is critical with the Japanese past , was the focus this year on political film.
In interesting panel discussions and filmmaker talks could deepen this aspect, and a look at the development of the Japanese film of the present thrown. Even social issues such as part-time workers in a Permanent Part timers in Distress of Hiroki IWABUCHI and Now, I. .. by Yasutomo CHIKUMA about NEETs (not engaged in employment, education or training), a phenomenon among young people in Japan, were illuminated.
Pink was not only the design but also the film A TENDER THROBBING TWILIGHT, a Softsexfilm by Shinji IMAOKA on a late again aufgeflammte love. The director attended this year already for the third time in the festival
In contrast, again many young directors arrived, their works for the first time outside Japan imagined. For example, some students at the elite Waseda University in Musashino Art School, as Ziehstätten for some of the most innovative young directors in Japan are known.
But not only in the movies, but also in the varied programme came under the spectators at your expense. From culinary delights, on Tattoos Body Suit to Japanese Gagaku court music was the audience numerous opportunities the Japanese culture to discover.
As always, this year's festival only thanks to its many volunteers for this result.
For all that is not enough of Japanese films can get, Nippon Connection goes on tour and displays a selection of the program in cities around the world. Until it in spring next year is: Youkoso, welcome to the Nippon Connection Film Festival!
Press Release translated from German to English via Google, so there maybe some errors in it.
