Yubari 2014: Explore Japan's Winter Wonderland Of Classic Movie Paintings

Christopher O'Keeffe, Writer; London/Tokyo (@seven_cinemas)

Situated on Japan's snow-covered northern island of Hokkaido, the tiny city of Yubari, a ghost town since the collapse of the coal mining industry some decades ago, is host every year to one of the most unique little film festivals of the world - Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.
 
As mayhem descends on the tiny resort, with busloads of filmmakers, actors, press and students arriving from Tokyo and beyond it's easy to get sucked into the frantic film schedule and heavy drinking and forget to look into the cold whiteness around. Take a walk and keep your eyes open and you'll find there's more than just the snow covered scenery to reward you. 

Scattered along the sides of roads and the walls of shops and buildings you'll find lovingly rendered tributes to the hits of cinema's glorious past. From Japanese classics from the likes of Kurosawa and Ozu to Hollywood westerns, musicals and more, the beautiful painted posters can be found all across the snow white landscape. 

Check out the gallery below for the works spotted during this year's festival.

Kurosawa's masterpiece Seven Samurai

And it's Western remake The Magnificent Seven

Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story

Another showing for the Japanese classic

John McClane makes an appearance in the snow.

Otoko wa Tsurai yo, the first installment of a hugely popular Japanese comedy-film series, which started in 1968 and ran up to 1995. Atsumi Kiyoshi played the kindly Tora-san, as he traveled around the country unsuccessfully looking for love

More of Tora-san

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

Alan Ladd as the gunfighter Shane

James Dean in Giant

From westerns to war, John Wayne in The Longest Day

The Vivien Leigh starring Waterloo Bridge

For Whom the Bell Tolls paired up with Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady

The Sound of Music

Audrey Hepburn back again, this time with Carey Grant in Charade

and again, Roman Holiday

Time for some tough-guy loners: Takakura Ken in Abashiri Bangaichi

Charles Bronson in Death Wish

More Bronson in Violent City

Shin'ichi Chiba as ruthless assassin Golgo 13: Kûron no kubi

Purple Noon and Nihon Kyoukakuden

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton epic Cleopatra

Charlton Heston in trouble in The Planet of the Apes

Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon and Kumai Kei's The Sands of Kurobe

Random Harvest

Mifune Toshiro in Kurosawa's Rashomon
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