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April 30, 2024
 

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TIFF

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2016
A cinematic view from overseas
The 29th edition of the TIFF, like every other festival, has suffered from content bloat over the years, but scanning the schedule carefully is worth the effort. A good place to start is usually the World Focus section; this category doesn't require that films be exclusive to TIFF, so it can draw from a range films that are currently hot on the festival circuit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2016
When to speak and when to shut up: the art of a Japanese 'benshi'
The silent films screened in Japan from the 1920s to '40s were never completely silent. Katsudo-shashin benshi, or benshi for short, delivered live narration that provided everything an audience might need to appreciate a film — from commentary to translation. Derived from Japan's many narrative art forms, benshi were an effective way to introduce cinema to Japanese audiences.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 27, 2016
French director Jean-Jacques Beineix to head jury for 29th Tokyo International Film Festival
More than 200 films will be screened, with 16 taking part in the competition section, at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) running from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 4, 2015
Tokyo International Film Festival awards Brazilian film 'Nise' best film and actress prizes
Brazilian Roberto Berliner was so elated when his film "Nise — The Heart of Madness" won the top prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival over the weekend that he wished he could freely express his joy in his native Portuguese when giving his acceptance remarks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2015
Killing time at the Tokyo International Film Festival
Covering a film festival can turn anyone into a stickler for scheduling. Key screenings and Q&A sessions always seem to overlap and priorities collide. Do you stick with the stodgy Japanese biopic that you're supposed to be writing about, or sneak out halfway through to go watch something more entertaining? Is it wrong to skip that new Frederick Wiseman documentary simply because it's three hours long?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 28, 2015
Scream queen festival arrives in Tokyo
The point is to scream — a lot.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Oct 23, 2015
Rolling out the red carpet for the 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival
Overseas and domestic stars did the red carpet stroll near Roppongi Hills on Thursday ahead of the opening ceremony of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs until Oct. 31.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2015
Tokyo film festival ups its domestic fare
The 28th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival, which began yesterday, is the biggest event on the Japanese film calendar. And like any such event, TIFF has had its share of critics over the years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2015
Spotlight on Harada films is well-deserved
Following last year's embrace of anime and "content," 2015 sees the Tokyo International Film Festival reassert its credentials as an event, first and foremost, for cineastes. One particularly welcome addition is the new Japan Now section, a roundup of recent and upcoming movies from the likes of Hirokazu Koreeda, Shinya Tsukamoto and Yoji Yamada.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2015
Female fears at the dead center of J-horror
Japan is a scary place. It has inspired masters of horror over three centuries, from Akinari Ueda in the 1700s ("Ugetsu Monogatari") to Lafcadio Hearn ("Kwaidan") in the late 1800s, all the way to the 1990s, when Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Cure" and Hideo Nakata's "Ringu" were released, spawning a new homgreown genre that came to be known as "J-horror."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2015
Androids and the avant-garde: The best Japanese films screening at TIFF
The Tokyo International Film Festival offers a once-a-year chance to see Japanese movies, both new and classic, with English subtitles. Getting tickets, however, especially for the films in the Competition and Special Screenings sections, may not be easy. With that caveat, here are my personal picks among the Japanese films this year:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2015
Women are in trouble at the Tokyo International Film Festival
Bad things can happen to good women, especially in the movies. For me, the most intriguing films at TIFF this year feature women in trouble. Yes, men may be a lot harder to take down on-screen than women — requiring explosives, monsters and extremely fit assassins — but, in reality, girls are more resilient than guys. They often have more ideas and gumption, and can make do with less. Here are four films showing at TIFF that demonstrate how women reveal their powers when pushed into a corner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2015
Rare orchids and misfit sex workers at the Tokyo International Film Festival
Some of the hottest tickets at TIFF each year are for films that have already secured a commercial release date in Japan. For all the high-minded talk about artistry and creativity, most viewers just want to see the big movies before everyone else. But spare a thought for the less commercial offerings on the lineup. These rare orchids and oddities are unlikely ever to see the inside of a multiplex and are worth catching on what might be their only cinematic outing in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 14, 2015
Restored and rediscovered Kon Ichikawa films to screen at TIFF
With the centennial of his birth this year, Promethean director Kon Ichikawa (1915-2008) is due for a revival. The upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival is accordingly screening three of his films in its new Japanese Cinema Classics section.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Sep 30, 2015
Tokyo International Film Festival showcases classic anime, J-horror and yakuza films
The Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan's biggest film fest and a showcase for foreign movies that otherwise might never see the light of day here, will run from Oct. 22 to 31 this year. Opening the festival is Robert Zemekis' "The Walk," and the closer is local tearjerker "Kishuten Eki Taminaru" ("Terminal"), which features megastar Koichi Sato.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jul 29, 2015
Tokyo International Film Festival promises a more diverse selection this year
Second-guessing the programming of the annual Tokyo International Film Festival is a favorite sport of movie types in Japan — I've been doing it myself for years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 27, 2014
Scenes from Tokyo International Film Festival 2014
The made-in-Japan anime moves into the spotlight for the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival. Accordingly Ultraman and Doraeman and other less famous characters dropped by the festival on opening day to take part in the red carpet event.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2014
Vision of anime's future at Tokyo International Film Festival
The Tokyo International Film Festival, running through Oct. 31, is no longer Asia's biggest or most important festival — that honor is now claimed by the recently held rival Busan film festival. But its 27th edition — the first to reflect the full influence of TIFF's current director-general, Yasushi Shiina — has both a new hub in the Toho Cinemas Nihonbashi theater complex and a new focus on a made-in-Japan genre: anime.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2014
TIFF Critic's Picks: Films from countries famed for unrest and oppression
According to TIFF's visual programming director Yoshihiko Yatabe, the semiofficial theme for this year's festival is "People on the Edge." They may be pursued, stuck in a rut, in dire trouble or just plain confused, but their stories are some of the most compelling at this years festival. These films are coming out of countries that aren't known for their thriving film industries — places such as Colombia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and the Philippines. The global economy has spawned some interesting byproducts and these examples of budding film scenes in countries famed for unrest and repression are among the festival's happy surprises.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2014
TIFF Critic's Picks: Japanese directors to watch
Despite TIFF's anime focus this year, its lineup of live-action Japanese films is as wide ranging as ever, with one glaring exception: Classic Japanese movies are almost nowhere on the program, and only one Japanese film, Daisuke Yoshida's "Kami no Tsuki (Pale Moon)," is being shown in the competition. But the Japanese Cinema Splash section, with eight films this year by mainly up-and-coming directors, will no doubt yield its share of discoveries, as will the Special Screenings section, despite its clearly commercial slant. There are also live-action Japanese films subtitled in English scattered elsewhere in the program. Seek and ye shall find.
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JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

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