Kyoto 2015 Preview: A Lineup Celebrating The City's Film History

Last year Kyoto Film Festival, which has been running since 1997, underwent a significant change when entertainment company Yoshimoto Kogyo stepped in to oversee a revamp. The company, home to many of the most popular comedians in Japan and organizers of the annual Okinawa International Film Festival, added an 'International' tag to the title while beefing up proceedings considerably. Instead of rivaling the nation's capital, after all, the massive Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off just days after this one ends, Kyoto revels in the historic city's film history in order to cut its own unique path.

Kyoto is the spiritual home of film in Japan. It's where the industry started, where the country's first ever film screening took place and where, up until very recently, most Jidaigeki (period dramas) were produced. While the industry quite naturally transitioned to the bright lights and glamorous surroundings of Tokyo, Kyoto International Film & Art Festival aims to keep at least one spotlight on the ancient capital. With that being said, the films on offer here represent the historical importance of the region's film history while also giving promise to its future. A Creators Factory aims to nurture new filmmaking talent while the Shozo Makino and Mifune Toshiro Awards celebrate stars both past and present.

Here's a rundown of the most interesting of Kyoto's mixed bag of new releases and classic Japanese cinema.

Kyoto International Film & Art Festival 2015 runs from October 15th - 18th.

 

Reminiscences

The festival’s Opening Film is something of a mystery. There’s no trailer, no website and, shockingly, no English subtitles for the screening. Directed by Ken’ichi Oguri, here’s the synopsis that's available:

"...April of this year marks 70 years since the end of World War II, in considering the many people who fell during the fierce tumult of war across the entire Pacific region, the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited the Republic of Palau to somberly remember those who did not come back from the fierce 72 day battle which occurred on Peleliu Island."

Hee

The second feature from renowned actress Momoi Kaori (Memoirs of a Geisha, Sukiyaki Western Django)

"...Relocating her work base to Hollywood since the 2006 release of “SAYURI” and active worldwide, actress Ms. Kaori Momoi works in a bizarre collaboration with Akutagawa Prize-winner, author Mr. Fuminori Nakamura! Based on Nakamura’s story, “He and She” it’s an ambitious work for Momoi who took on the multiple roles as director, scriptwriter and the main character of a mentally disturbed woman obsessed with fire."

Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay

Nakajima Sadao, Chairperson of this very festival, directed his first feature film in 1964 before churning out hits for Toei throughout the following decades. His first film in nearly twenty years, Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay is a documentary tour of the world of the sword-fight period drama and its continuing appeal. Featuring insights from actors, critics and fight choreographers, Nakajima provides insight into the genre in which he made his name.

Tokyo Olympiad

A chance to see Ichikawa Kon’s classic documentary of the Tokyo-set 1964 Summer Olympics on the big screen.

A2 Completed Version

This follow up to Mori Tatsuya’s controversial documentary work on the Aum Shinrikyo cult, 1998’s ‘A’ and 2001’s ‘A2’, includes footage excluded on previous releases.

The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On

Another classic documentary, this time from Hara Kazuo:

“…focuses on Kenzo Okazaki, an anarchist that called out the Emperor to account for his war responsibilities. Running a battery dealership with his wife in Kobe City, Kenzo Okazaki journeys across Japan as the only “Shingun byodo-hei （soldier of equal rights in God’s army）”in his car with the “Shingun” flag flying. Tracking down surviving former soldiers and listening to what they have to recount, new facts about certain incidents and the truth about war are revealed 36 years after the end of the war.”

This Country's Sky

Acclaimed screenwriter Arai Haruhiko's moving WWII drama stars Nikaido Fumi as a young women involved in a passionate affair with a married man as the devastating war tears the world around them apart.

Read our review here