Nippon Connection 2011

[HungFist]

I kinda expect a lonely topic, but might maybe someone feels like commenting at least.



Conformed Progam

A Night in Nude – Salvation (Nudo no yoru: Ai wa oshiminaku ubau), R: Takashi ISHII, J 2010
Abraxas (Aburakusasu no matsuri), R: Naoki KATO, J 2010
ANPO, R: Linda Hoaglund, J 2010
Arrietty (Karigurashi no Arrietty), R: Hiromasa YONEBAYASHI, J 2010
Beautiful Method (Utsukushii sube), R: Takamasa OOE, J 2009
Cage, R: Shinsuke KURIMOTO, J 2010
Cold Fish (Tsumetai nettaigyo), R: Sion SONO, J 2010
Colorful, R: Keiichi HARA, J 2010
Coming Future (Sinka), R: Kyuya NAKAGAWA, J 2010
Devil Has Come (Akuma ga kita), R: Shun SAKAIDA, J 2010
Doman Seman (Horikawa nakatachiuri), R: Go SHIBATA, J 2010
Door to the Sea (Umi he no tobira), R: Reiko OHASHI, J 2010
Drifting Clouds (Ukigumo), R: Daisuke HASEBE, J 2010
DumBeast, R: Mr. Hide, J 2009
Gantz, R: Shinsuke SATO, J 2011
Good for Nothing (Yakutatazu), R: Sho MIYAKE, J 2009
Heavens Story, Takahisa ZEZE, J 2010
Helldriver R: Yoshihiro NISHIMURA, J 2010
Here comes the Bride, My Mom (Okan no yomeiri), R: Mipo O, J 2010
Hero Show, R: Kazuyuki IZUTSU, J 2010
Hiroshima Nagasaki download, R: Shinpei Takeda, J 2009
Karate-Robo Zaborgar, R: Noboru IGUCHI, J 2011
Kyojima 3rd St., Sumida City (Sumidaku kyojima 3chome), R: Kota YOSHIDA, J 2010
Let’s-Make-the-Teacher-Have-a-Miscarriage Club (Sensei wo ryuzan saseru kai), R: Eisuke NAITO, J 2011
Live from Tokyo, R: Lewis Rapkin, J 2010
Love Addiction (Fuyu no kemono), R: Nobuteru UCHIDA, J 2010
Midori-ko, R: Keita KUROSAKA, J 2010
MILOCRORZE – A Love Story, Yoshimasa ISHIBASHI, J 2011
Mole’s Festival (Mogura no matsuri), R: Kishu IZUCHI, J 2010
Muddy Planet (Doro no wakusei), R: Kishu IZUCHI, J 2010
Never Let Me Go (Hanasanaide), R: Sayaka FUKUI, J 2010
Permanent Nobara, R: Daihachi YOSHIDA, J 2010
Rinco`s Restaurant (Shokudo Katatsumuri), R: Mai TOMINAGA, J 2009
Sankaku, R: Keisuke YOSHIDA, J 2010
Sheep in the Night (Mayonaka no hitsuji), R: Paul Young, J 2010
Shirome, R: Koji SHIRAISHI, J 2010
Sketches of Kaitan City (Kaitan-shi jokei), R: Kazuyoshi KUMAKIRI, J 2010
Sweet Little Lies, R: Hitoshi YAZAKI, J 2009
Teto, R: Hiroshi GOKAN, J 2010
The ABC’s of Marriage (Kekkongaku nyumon shinkonhen), R: Hisashi SATO, J 2010
The Duckling (Ahiru no ko), R: Sayaka ONO, J 2010
The Rise and Fall of the Unparalleled Band (Aosugita guilty), R: Wataru HIRANAMI, J 2010
TUESDAY GIRL, R: Rikiya IMAIZUMI, J 2011
Wandering Home (Yoi ga sametara uchi ni kaero), Yoichi HIGASHI, J 2010
Wig (Kazura), Renpei TSUKAMOTO, J 2010
Yoko, R: Kayo NARUTOMI, J 2010

+ Nippon Retro (Sion Sono)
Bicycle Sights (1990)
The Room (1992)
Dankon: The Man (1998)
Strange Circus (2005)
Noriko's Dinner Table (2006)
Exte: Hair Extensions (2007)

http://www.nipponconnection.com/WORDPRE ... -komplett/
http://www.nipponconnection.com/

[HungFist]

ok, pretty good program although a few films that I was hoping for are missing (Yakuza Weapon, KG, Good Morning to the World...)

Want to see see
Aburakusasu no matsuri
Helldriver
Sketches of Kaitan City
Karate Robo Zaborgar
Heaven's Story
Bicycle Sights
The Room
The Rise and Fall of the Unparalleled Band
Dankon: The Man
Kyojima 3rd St Sumida City
Love Addiction
Shirome
A Night in Nude - Salvation (this would be a must see had I not the Blu-Ray on order)

I'm not listing Cold Fish because I already have a ticket for the screening in Helsinki.

And perhaps
Gantz
Doman Seman
Hero Show
Let’s-Make-the-Teacher-Have-a-Miscarriage Club (this looks kinda terrible but I may watch it cause it also sound very interesting at the same time... perhaps you could call it a film you want to see just for the sake of having seen it)
Sankaku

And then
There's a big bunch of stuff I don't have any info about. I definitely want to check out some Osaka and Tokyo indie and grad works. Waiting for synopsis to appear the fest site.

[thelostdragon]

Damn, it's in Frankfurt! Times are over where I would drive 2 hours just to watch a film that I'm going to be getting on DVD/Bluray anyway.

[HungFist]

Lazy bastard, you won't drive two hours! I'm flying two hours! My bus from the airport alone take two hours

[thelostdragon]

I also don't see the point in spending so much money on it.

[HungFist]

Website updated. No timetable or film descriptions yet, but listings do reveal the Sono retrospective to be bigger than I thought

I Am Sion SONO!! (Ore wa SONO Sion da!!)
by Sion SONO, Japan 1985

Keiko desukedo
by Sion SONO, Japan 1997

Heya – The Room
by Sion SONO, Japan 1993

Bicycle Sighs (Jitensha toiki)
by Sion SONO, Japan 1988/89

Dankon – The Man
by Sion SONO, Japan 1998

Utsu-shimi
by Sion SONO, Japan 1999

Noriko’s Dinner Table (Noriko no shokutaku)
by Sion SONO, Japan 2004

Strange Circus (Kimyo na sakasu)
by Sion SONO, Japan 2005

Exte – Hair Extensions
by Sion SONO, Japan 2007

- http://www.nipponconnection.com/nippon- ... retro.html

[HungFist]

The screening schedule is pure murder!

All the afternoons are half-empty with some worthless happy go lucky dorama playing, and all the evengs are over-scheduled with 3 must-see films playing at the same time. Bye bye Sion Sono retro, I think. Bye bye half of the other films I wanted to see. Fuck fuck fuuuck!

[HungFist]

Tickets bought. Had to skip Sono retro other that Utsu-shimi (hoping for the promised R1 dvds to come reality), Let’s-Make-the-Teacher-Have-a-Miscarriage Club (this became a slow burner decision... really wanted to see this in the end), Love Addiction, and a few others.

Plus I'm gonn have to perform an "escape-from-the-cinema-10-min-prior-to-ending-and-run-like-fucking-hell" -stunt with Good for Nothing - Sketches of Kaitan City. The latter was a fucking terrorist. Two sceenings, I tried fitting it in either one, and each time it started a chain reaction that would kick out at least two films from my shedule... went for compomise and watch 85% of Good for Nothing (gotta see this as it's shot in winter Sapporo).

I may also have to skip A Demon Has Come from the Hoga Holic triple in order to make it to Helldriver. And after Helldriver it's gonna be a taxi ride to Utsu-shimi cause I can't make it by subway. If the schedule goes to hell, I'll skip Utsu-shimi and ask if they have seats left for Gantz...

Wednesday
20:15 The Rise and Fall of the Unparalleled Band (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum) **
by Wataru HIRANAMI, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (82 min)

22:15 Doman Seman (Horikawa nakatachiuri) (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Go SHIBATA, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (124 min)

Thursday
14:30 A Night in Nude – Salvation (Ai wa oshiminaku ubau) (NIPPON CINEMA, Festivalzentrum)
by Takashi ISHII, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (127 min)

18:00 Live from Tokyo (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Lewis Rapkin, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (89 min)

20:00 Heaven`s Story (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Takahisa ZEZE, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (278 min)

Friday
12:00 Focus on Cinematographer Hidetoshi SHINOMIYA: (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
The ABC's of Marriage (Kekkongaku nyumon shinkonhen) by Hisashi SATO, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (30 min)
Yoko by Kayo NARUTOMI, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (26 min)
Never Let Me Go (Hanasanaide) by Sayaka FUKUI, Japan 2010 Japanese with English subtitles (26 min)

14:00 ANPO: Art X War (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Linda Hoaglund, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (89 min)

16:00 Shirome (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Koji SHIRAISHI, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (83 min)

20:15 nobody Presents Sho MIYAKE Special: (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
Mime Lesson by Sho MIYAKE, Japan 2006, Japanese with English subtitles (10 min)
Good for Nothing (Yakutatazu) by Sho MIYAKE, Japan 2009, Japanese with English subtitles (76 min)

21:45 Sketches of Kaitan City (Kaitan-shi jokei) (NIPPON Second Screenings, Orfeo`s Erben)
by Kazuyoshi KUMAKIRI, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (152 min)

Saturday
12:00 Abraxas (Aburakusasu no matsuri) (NIPPON CINEMA, Festivalzentrum) **
by Naoki KATO, Japan 2010 (113 min)

16:00 EIGA IKKI Presents Kishu IZUCHI Special: (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
Mole’s Festival (Mogura no matsuri) by Kishu IZUCHI, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (50 min)
Muddy Planet (Doro no wakusei) by Kishu IZUCHI, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (53 min)

18:00 HOGA HOLIC Presents New Tide: (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
Kyojima 3rd St., Sumida City (Sumidaku Kyojima 3 Chome) (30 min) by Kota YOSHIDA, Japan 2010, OmeU
TUESDAY GIRL by Rikiya IMAIZUMI, Japan 2011, Japanese with English subtitles (44 min)
A Demon Has Come (Akuma ga kita) by Shun SAKAIDA, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (30 min) **

20:00 Helldriver (NIPPON Second Screenings , Orfeo`s Erben)
by Yoshihiro NISHIMURA, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (105 min)

22:00 Utsu-shimi (NIPPON RETRO, Mal Seh`n Kino) **
by Sion SONO, Japan 1999, Japanese with English subtitles (116 min)

Sunday
12:00 The Tatami Galaxy (Yojohan shinwa taikei) (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Masaaki YUASA, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (3 x 25 min)

16:00 Coming Future (Shinka) (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum) **
by Kyuya NAKAGAWA, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (73 min)

18:00 Tokyo University of the Arts Special (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
Teto by Hiroshi GOKAN, Japan 2010, Japanese with English subtitles (104 min)

20:15 Osaka CO2 Presents: Beautiful Method (Utsukushii sube) (NIPPON VISIONS Festivalzentrum)
by Takamasa OOE, Japan 2009, Japanese with English subtitles (90 min)

22:15 Karate-Robo Zaborgar (NIPPON Second Screenings , Orfeo`s Erben) **
by Noboru IGUCHI, Japan 2011, Japanese with English subtitles (101 min)

(**, director attending)

I gotta say I'm not happy with the programming. The theaters are not syncronised, especially the main screen is completely off sync compared to other screenings. A lot of time you just can't make it to the next screening in the other theater in time, or have to trade two films for one. Making it worse, the afternoons are half-empty, with all the good stuff playing in the evening at the same time. Most stuff only screens once. If you wanna see the Sono films, you will basically miss all other festival highlights. Compare to Helsinki International Film Festival that screens up to 150 feature length movies in 10 days, with multiple screenings for almost all of them (wild guess: approx. 450 screenings in total) and with almost no over-lapping at all. They are the masters of scheduling. At Nippon Connection on the other hand, they bring a ton of great movies to Germany, many of which will never be released on dvd even in Japan, but don't give the audience the possibility to see more than half of what they'd be willing to pay for.

Anyway, other than that, I'm sure the fest is gonna kick ass.

[gasteropod]

Shirome is one I wouldn't mind seeing, you'll have to let me know what it's like.

[HungFist]

Shirome is one I wouldn't mind seeing, you'll have to let me know what it's like.

It would better be good cause it kicked Love Addiction out from my schedule

It does sound very good though. I'll blame it on you if it's not

[HungFist]

I also don't see the point in spending so much money on it.

Had a facebook discussion with a friend recently, referencing this topic...

Me
it wasn't too expensive, with Ryanair

Girl From Germany
that's cool... i also went to Vienna in january cause i wanted to see an exhibition in a museum
all my friend thought I'm crazy
but it's always worth it [:)]
PLUS u can see the city [:)]

Me
but yeah, some people say "are you crazy, going to a foreign country to see movies" but they don't realize that a) it's fucking cool, especially with filmmakers attending and b) I don't sit in cinema 24/7. It's travelling, too
ah, seems like you wrote the exact same things while I was typing...

Girl From Germany
ya but it's true, people dont go anywhere nowadays.... they only download movies and sit in front of their PC
so much cooler spending money for good stuff

Me
and what would be cooler than chatting with and taking a photo with Noboru Iguchi, who was explaing me (in broken English / Japanese mixture) about his upcoming "erotikku zombie ass horror movie"

Girl From Germany
hahahahah
exactly, they miss so much

A few photos

Nippon Connection
















Iguchi

(sorry for poor photoshopping, the original has me and diceman in it too, but since I haven't asked his permission to post his photos I digitally erased both of us )

Frankfurt

[gasteropod]

Is that you in the last pic?

[HungFist]

yes, in the last pic. Not me in the 3rd last pic (which you may not want to look very carefully )

[HungFist]

Meeting Iguchi, while under the influence of various things, was definitely a highlight. It was Sunday and I took the afternoon off from movies as I went to meet a Japanese friend who was on business in Frankfurt. We were sitting outside in the sun, drinking beer, listening to a live band, drinking beer, eating bratwurst, drinking beer, watching cheerleaders, and drinking some more beer. And then I got a sunstroke . Thanks to this combination I couldn't understand a bloody thing about Teto, the film I watched at the fest as I got back.

I refrained from more beer during and between the films, and just had some sushi at the university... but in the evening I met Diceman and another friend from Vienna again, and as we went to see Zaborgar Diceman offered me a beer. Of course I wouldn't refuse the offer... and after the screening we both got the idea that we should ambus Iguchi-san, which was a success despite my beer+sunstroke+excitement which caused my Japanese level to dive Very nice guy... seen him live before (in Sapporo) but Nippon Connection was the first time I got to chat with him.

Sunday in a nutshell:


and yes, the untitled "erotikku zombie ass horror movie" Iguchi was talking about turned out to be Zombie Ass