From the heart-warming to the tear-jerking and hair-raising, the Japanese Film Festival returns across Australia for its 28th rendition from 24 September – 10 November with an ensemble of the best new features from Japanese cinema.
Proudly presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney, the festival will feature in five major cities throughout Australia, commencing in Canberra (24 September – 15 October), then in Perth (14 – 22 October), Brisbane (7 – 22 October), Melbourne (21 October – 3 November), and making its final stop in Sydney (9 October – 10 November).
“We’re excited to bring JFF 2024 back to screens across Australia. Australia has always been a second home to Japanese film, with an exponentially growing audience captivated by Japanese cinema every year,” said Manisay Oudomvilay from The Japan Foundation, Sydney.
“Each of the featured films this year dissects the common human experience from a uniquely Japanese perspective, which will resonate with everyone regardless of their familiarity with Japanese culture.”
This year’s program highlights a standout selection of ten fresh feature films from Japan and a free retrospective Special Series celebrating the works of the trailblazing filmmaker Shohei Imamura.
The festival will open with the feel-good opening night film, Mom, Is That You?! – a heart-warming ode to family and love and a timely and subtle social commentary on Japanese workplace culture, directed by legendary Yoji Yamada and starring four-time Japan Academy Award winner Sayuri Yoshinaga.
Audience can also catch Shadow of Fire – a heartfelt historical drama directed, written and produced by cult director Shinya Tsukamoto, revolving around a family of choice formed between a sex worker, a young orphan boy and a demobilised soldier as they are caught amongst the ruins of World War II.
Comedy buffs are in for a double feature of laughter with the whimsical comedy A Samurai in Time paying homage to Seizo Fukumoto, Japan’s most famous samurai stuntman with a record 50,000 on-screen deaths; and The Dancing Okami, when traditional Japanese hospitality meets modern tap dancing in a last-ditch attempt to save a beloved small town, inspired by the real-life tourism campaign Lady Kaga promoting Kaga Onsen in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Manga enthusiasts will find themselves spoiled for choices with Let’s Go Karaoke!, the 2024 Nippon Cinema Award-winning screen adaptation of Yama Wayama’s beloved manga, where a desperate yakuza and timid choir boy forge an unlikely friendship through chaotic karaoke lessons; and SAND LAND, the long-awaited epic adventure adapted from the universe of legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama, set in a mysterious desert world where demons and humans coexist.
Young moviegoers and nostalgic adults alike can catch The Imaginary, the animated masterpiece directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, who has worked on key animations for Ghibli films including Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart. This hand-drawn and hand-painted visual feast, adapted from the critically acclaimed children’s novel by A. F. Harold, explores the limitless potential of children’s imagination.
For the romantics, Our Secret Diary is a bittersweet and endearing high school love story. Starring up-and-coming actors Fumiya Takahashi and Hiyori Sakurada, the film is about two teenagers brought together through an awkward misunderstanding and a secret diary exchange.
Thrillseekers will love Japan Academy Film Prize winner Uchida Eiji’s MATCHED – a sinister story about online dating gone wrong when a wedding planner unknowingly gets matched with a charming serial killer suspect; and OUT – a chronicle based on the real-life experience of 17-year-old former gang leader, seeking redemption following his release from juvenile detention.
The free retrospective Special Series, featuring in Canberra (NFSA), Brisbane (QAGOMA), Melbourne (ACMI) and Sydney (AGNSW), will showcase works spanning three decades from Shohei Imamura, two-time Palme d’Or winner and a key figure of the Japanese New Wave, whose subversive filmography was dedicated to illustrating a raw portrait of Japan’s lower social strata.
The 2024 Japan Film Festival commences in Canberra (24 September – 15 October), followed by Perth (14 – 22 October), Brisbane (7 – 22 October), Melbourne (21 October – 3 November) and Sydney (9 October – 10 November). For more information, including full program and venues, visit: www.japanesefilmfestival.net for details.
Image: Mom, Is That You?! (supplied)