SKIP CITY 2024: Takeshi Kushida's ACTING FOR BEGINNERS to Open Festival
Our friends at Skip CIty International D-Cinema Festival are celebrating their 21st anniversary this year. Starting back in 2004 the festival is located in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
This year the festival is hosting a hybrid edition and they announced the full line-up on Friday. Takeshi Kushida's (My Mother's Eyes, Woman of the Photographs) new film Acting for Beginners will have its World Premiere and open the festival at the same time. The Japanese films in the competitions are mostly World Premiere (14 out of 15 films).
The festival will be held next month, from July 13 to 21 (for physical) and from July 20 to 24 (for online).
All the films playing at this year's festival are noted in the full announcement below.
SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL which started in 2004 in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, has been held every year as a "gateway for emerging talent" centered on the International Competition and the Japanese Film Competition (features and shorts). The festival launched the careers of Kazuya Shiraishi (Lesson in Murder), Ryota Nakano (The Asadas), Shinichiro Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), Shinzo Katayama (Missing) and many other directors who are leading the Japanese film industry as top runners and whose new movies audiences are looking forward to seeing. The 21st edition will be held both at theaters and online as a hybrid festival again.On Friday, June 7th, we held a press conference to announce the full line-up consisting of the titles of the whole line-up. This year’s festival will open with Acting for Beginners, directed by Takeshi Kushida, who won the 2020 Skip City Award for Woman of the Photographs, the nomination of which for the International Competition was followed last year by Kushida’s film My Mother’s Eyes, which also screened in that category.In the international competition, 10 works carefully selected from 1,201 films submitted from 102 countries and regions, are nominated. A lineup of gems includes films from countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkey that are rarely seen in Japan, as well as films by new directors from around the world, including Europe, India, and Japan! Director Kazuya Shiraishi who won the SKIP CITY AWARD in the 2009 edition with Lost Paradise in Tokyo, and is emerging as one of the best directors in Japanese cinema, will make a return as President of jury for the International Competition.In the domestic competition, 6 feature length films and 8 short films were nominated. Director Satoko Yokohama, who has become an indispensable presence in Japanese films, will lead the Japanese Film Competition Jury.Furthermore, in a special feature: Pathways to Directing Commercial Films, we are pleased to welcome Kazuya Shiraishi and Satoko Yokohama—presidents of the International Competition Jury and Japanese Film Competition Jury, respectively—to screen their films and share with young filmmakers their experience as directors of commercial films. In addition, we carried out a survey to select four classics that have deeply moved the audience for the special screenings: Films You Love. Whether they are among your favorites, or this will be your first time, you are sure to enjoy viewing them on the big screen.Our festival will continue to discover new talent that will play a leading role in the future of cinema.The details are as follows.Press Release | June 7, 2024Opening GalaWorld Premiere of Acting for BeginnersThis year’s festival will open with Acting for Beginners, directed by Takeshi Kushida, who won the 2020 Skip City Award for Woman of the Photographs, the nomination of which for the International Competition was followed last year by Kushida’s film My Mother’s Eyes, which also screened in that category. Katsuya Maiguma, from 2011 Short Length Competition Honorable Mention Ken and Kazu, also stars in the film, with Ayaka Onishi, from the 2014 Short Length Competition nominee A Piece of Dogu, in a supporting role. We know you’ll love this film, which weaves together strands of the festival’s history.International CompetitionAll films are Japan Premiere at least!(1 World Premiere, 3 Asian Premiere, and 6 Japan Premiere)President of the Jury: Kazuya Shiraishi, alumni of SKIP CITY and one of the best directors in Japanese cinemaBefore It Ends Director: Anders WALTER / 2023 / Denmark / 101min. Asian PremiereHappy life Director: Yoshihiko TANIGUCHI / 2024 / Japan / 91min. World PremiereLove Alone Can’t Make A Child Director: Judith BEUTH / 2024 / Germany, Norway / 105min. Japan PremiereMaria Montessori Director: Léa TODOROV / 2023 / France, Italy / 100min. Japan PremiereMastergame Director: Barnabás TÓTH / 2023 / Hungary / 91min. Japan PremiereMICHEL GONDRY – DO IT YOURSELF! Director: François NEMETA / 2023 / France / 80min. Japan PremiereSeparation Director: Hasan DEMIRTAS / 2023 / Turkey / 90min. Asian PremiereStolen Director: Karan TEJPAL / 2023 / India / 94min. Japan PremiereStriking the Palace Director: Nessim CHIKHAOUI / 2024 / France / 87min. Asian PremiereSUNDAY Director: Shokir KHOLIKOV / 2023 / Uzbekistan / 97min. Japan PremiereJapanese Film Competition (Feature Length and Short Length)6 feature films (5 world premieres) and 8 short films (all world premieres).President of the Jury: Satoko YOKOHAMA, directorFeature LengthLost in Reminiscence Director: Tomohiro HIROTA / 2024 / Japan / 82min. World PremiereA Wasted Night Director: ZHANG Suming / 2023 / Japan / 60min. Japan PremierePoems of flower rain Director: Jengil PARK / 2024 / Japan / 79min. World PremiereThe Midnight Sun Director: Hina MURATA / 2024 / Japan / 80min. World PremiereThe Next Day Director: Hiroyuki SHINTANI / 2023 / Japan / 67min. World PremiereWinter Stuff Director: Yuki ITO / 2024 / Japan / 74min. World PremiereShort LengthLIFE IS SNOW Director: ZHANG Yaoyuan / 2024 / Japan, China / 31min. World PremiereLoudness Director: Go JIBIKI / 2024 / Japan / 22min. World PremiereStand Up and Roll Director: Jun HOSOI / 2024 / Japan / 48min. World PremiereTULIP-chan Director: Saki WATANABE / 2024 / Japan / 19min. World PremiereDANGO Director: Tomoya TAGUCHI / 2024 / Japan / 29min. World PremiereMatsuzaka-san Director: Taiyo KUROYANAGI / 2024 / Japan / 40min. World PremiereLook at Me Director: Cocone YAMAGUCHI / 2023 / Japan / 17min. World PremiereHana and Koto Director: Hiromi TANOUE / 2024 / Japan / 42min. World PremierePress Release | June 7, 2024Special Feature: Pathways to Directing Commercial FilmsWe are pleased to welcome Kazuya Shiraishi and Satoko Yokohama—presidents of the International Competition Jury and Japanese Film Competition Jury, respectively—to screen their films and share with young filmmakers their experience as directors of commercial films.Dare To Stop Us Director: Kazuya SHIRAISHI / 2018 / Japan / 119min.Bare Essence of Life Director: Satoko YOKOHAMA / 2009 / Japan / 120min.*The film will be screened in 35mm print.Films You LoveWe carried out a survey to select four classics that have deeply moved the audience for these special screenings. Whether they are among your favorites, or this will be your first time, you are sure to enjoy viewing them on the big screen.Stand by Me Director: Rob REINER / 1986 / USA / 89min. / PG12Drive My Car Director: Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI / 2021 / Japan / 179min. / PG12The Shawshank Redemption Director: Frank DARABONT / 1994 / USA / 142min.Top Gun: Maverick Director: Joseph KOSINSKI / 2022 / USA / 130min.
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