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© 2006 NTV/ Kowa / VAP / YTV / Yomiuri Shimbun/ Hochi Shimbun/ Yomiuri Agency/ Shochiku |
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| © 2005 The Glass Rabbit Production Committee |
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Glass Rabbit
ガラスのうさぎ |
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| Twelve-year old Toshiko loses her mother, father and two sisters as a result of the air raids in Tokyo and neighbouring areas during WWII. Her most treasured possession is the half-melted glass rabbit she retrieves from the rubble of her father's bombed glass factory. This highly moving animated feature is based on the best selling novel by Toshiko Takagi, which has been translated into eight languages, and closely mirrors her own experience of wartime Japan. |
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| Director: Setsuko Shibuichi | 2005 | 86 min | Animation/War/Family |
| Screening in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. |
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| © 2003 Josee, The Tiger and the Fish Film Partners |
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Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
ジョゼと虎と魚たち |
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| Tsuneo, a good looking university student, has a chance meeting with a mysterious young woman who travels around the neighbourhood in a pram because she can't walk. The girl calls herself 'Josee' after the heroine of her favourite novel. From their first meeting, Tsuneo falls under the spell of Josee's unusual charm, growing more and more attracted to her. Based on a short story by best-selling author Seiko Tanabe, this is an offbeat love story in collision with the real world. |
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| Director: Isshin Inudo | 2003 | 116min | Drama/Romance |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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| © 2004 Shimotsuma Story Media Partners |
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| Wishing to escape the boredom of her humdrum rural hometown Shimotsuma, in yakuza heartland, Momoko (Kyoko Fukada) loses herself in the dreamy, doll-like fashions of the 'Lolita' scene. One day she meets her diametrical fashion opposite, the surly biker chick Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya), and the two form an unlikely friendship. This is a mildly surreal, frenetically comic journey into Japan's youth subcultures based on the novel by cult manga creator Novala Takemoto. |
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| Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | 2004 | 103min | Comedy/Pop culture |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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| © 2005 La Maison de HIMIKO Film Partners |
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La Maison de HIMIKO
メゾン・ド・ヒミコ |
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| Saori has spent most of her life denying the existence of her estranged gay father Himiko. One day, her father's young, attractive lover, Haruhiko, appears saying that Himiko is dying of cancer. Filled with repulsion but desperate for money, Saori arrives unexpectedly at Maison de HIMIKO, a nursing home for gay men established by her father. In time, a delicate and intriguing relationship starts to form among the three who could not possibly have understood one another before. |
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| Director: Isshin Inudo | 2005 | 131min | Drama/Comedy |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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| © 2005 Princess Raccoon Production Committee |
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Princess Raccoon
オペレッタ狸御殿 |
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| Directed by Japanese cinema cult-figure, Seijun Suzuki, this is a visually sumptuous modern musical/kabuki drama like you've never seen before. Inspired by ancient Japanese folklore, it tells the story of forbidden love between Tanukihime (Zhang Ziyi), a shape-shifting raccoon dog princess, and Amachiyo (Joe Odagiri), the banished prince of Garasa Castle. Be drawn into a romantic wonderland, filled with spectacular song and dance routines. |
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| Director: Seijun Suzuki | 2004 | 111min | Musical/Romance/Pop culture |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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| © 2004 Fuji Television//Toho/ Dentsu |
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Swing Girls
スウィングガールズ |
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| This is an uplifting music comedy from Shinobu Yaguchi (Water Boys) about a group of high school girls who become stand-in musicians for the school jazz band after they are sidelined by a severe bout of food poisoning. Lacking musical ability, the girls reluctantly undergo an intensive regime of physical and musical training. Just as they are beginning to enjoy themselves, the band members recover and the girls are left to find a way to continue playing... |
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| Director: Shinobu Yaguchi | 2004 | 105 min | Comedy/School/Music |
| Screening in all states. |
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| © 1974 Shochiku, Co. Ltd. |
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The Castle of Sand [Digitally remastered]
砂の器 |
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| The dead body of a man in his fifties is discovered at a railway yard in Tokyo. An intense investigation is launched, led by veteran officer, Imanishi, and rookie, Yoshimura, which at first offers few leads and no motive for the death of a man who by all accounts was well liked. See this digitally remastered Japanese classic, which superbly weaves together three seemingly unconnected stories as it builds towards its unforgettable ending. |
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| Director: Yoshitaro Nomura | 1974 | 143 min | Classic/Drama/Suspense |
| Screening in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. |
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| © 2004 "The Face of Jizo" Partners |
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The Face of Jizo
父と暮せば |
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| This is the final installation in Kazuo Kuroki's trilogy on wartime Japan (Tomorrow, Kirishima 1945). Mitsue is struggling with the overwhelming guilt of having survived the Hiroshima bomb, while her father Takezo and other loved ones died in the blast. Three years on, Takezo comes back to life to tell his daughter that she must go on living... Featuring superb performances, this is a poignant film which makes a powerful statement about the destruction of life by nuclear weapons. |
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| Director: Kazuo Kuroki | 2004 | 99 min | Drama/War/Romance |
| Screening in all states. |
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| © 2006 The Mamiya Brothers Film Partners |
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The Mamiya Brothers
間宮兄弟 |
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| The Mamiya brothers have lived together for over thirty years. Whether it be marking baseball scorecards in front of the TV or solving crossword puzzles, the two do everything together. When it comes to romance however, they are totally inexperienced. To kick-start their love lives they organise a 'curry party' at their apartment, inviting two girls they know... Are they really ready to sacrifice their fun times together for some intricate relationship? |
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| Director: Yoshimitsu Morita | 2006 | 119min | Drama/Comedy |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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| © 2005 Inoue Santa/Rinjin Partners |
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The Neighbor No. Thirteen
隣人13号 |
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| As a child, Juzo suffered years of bullying at the hands of his classmate Akai. Now in his twenties, Juzo encounters Akai again when he begins work at the same company and moves into the same apartment building. Akai doesn't recognise Juzo but Juzo still bares a grudge towards his tormentor. When the cycle of bullying begins all over again, Juzo's violent alter ego, ‘No. 13' emerges. No matter how nice Juzo may seem, no one is safe now that ‘No. 13' has been let loose... |
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| Director: Yasuo Inoue | 2005 | 115min | Horror |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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| © 2003 The Stars Converge Production Committee |
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The Stars Converge
チルソクの夏 |
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| Set over three decades, this is a nostalgic tale about cross-cultural love. In 1977, Japanese student, Ikuko, and Korean student, Ahn, meet and fall in love during the goodwill track and field competition between Pusan and Shimonoseki. Before parting, they decide to meet again on July the 7th, just like the mythical lovers of the night sky do in the tanabata legend. A year later they are reunited and vow to meet again in four years time... |
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| Director: Kiyoshi Sasabe | 2003 | 114 min | Drama/Romance/School |
| Screening in Sydney and Perth. |
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| © 2005 Ubume Production Committee |
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Ubume
姑獲鳥の夏 |
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| In Tokyo in the late 1950s, people are terrified about the supernatural happenings at an eerie hospital where a woman has been pregnant for eighteen months and her husband has mysteriously disappeared. As they get closer to the truth new enigmas emerge: the mysterious death of an ex-nurse, missing newborn babies and a family curse. The case seems impossible, until the eccentric occultist detective, Kyogokudo, joins the investigation and begins to unravel the mystery. |
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| Director: Akio Jissoji | 2004 | 123min | Mystery |
| Screening in Sydney only. |
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Parental guidance recommended |
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Recommended for mature audiences |
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Australian Premiere |
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| All festival films (unless otherwise stated) are restricted to persons 18 years of age and over unless specified. This relates to the censorship requirements of holding a Film Festival, as set by the Office of Film and Literature Classification and is not necessarily a reflection of the content of the films themselves. |
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| Copyright
© The Japan Foundation, Sydney |
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