'Lust in a Karaoke Box': Celebrating the joys of student life
When I taught at colleges here in the 1980s, I marveled at my students' freedom, including freedom from study. They could spend most of their waking hours at part-time jobs or club activities and still, somehow, graduate. But, as Shinya Tamada's ensemble drama, "Lust in ...
French film 'Amanda' takes top prize at Tokyo International Film Festival
French director Mikhael Hers' family drama, "Amanda," was awarded the Grand Prix at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival on Friday. Edoardo De Angelis, meanwhile, took top directing honors for his emotional Italian drama "The Vice of Hope," a film that also won his wife, ...
The faces of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2018: Competition
The 31st Tokyo International Film Festival, which opened on Thursday, is screening a variety of cinema from all over the world at various venues in Tokyo. The festival runs until Nov. 3, when the jury will announce the winning films from the competition. In collaboration ...
The faces of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2018: Special screenings
The 31st Tokyo International Film Festival, which opened on Thursday, is screening a variety of cinema from all over the world at various venues in Tokyo. The festival runs until Nov. 3, when the jury will announce the winning films from the competition. In collaboration ...
Asian presence dominates Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet
The 31st Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off Thursday with a notable dearth of Hollywood stars, namely the two who star in the opening movie. Despite Lady Gaga's professed love of Japan, the American singer didn't show up as had been rumored to promote "A ...
Masaaki Yuasa: Anime for the discerning fan
Masaaki Yuasa is one of the most exciting directors working in Japanese animation today, with a three-decade career behind him. Yet until last year, you may not even have heard of him. Long the filmmaker of choice for discerning anime fans, the 53-year-old has ...
Actor Tommy Lee Jones reveals what goes on in the mind of a film festival juror.
When you go to a film festival, all you can do is roll the dice and pray for gold
Covering a film festival is what's known in the profession as a crapshoot. No matter how many screenings you manage to clock, you're probably going to miss half of the flicks that end up winning prizes. For casual moviegoers attempting to navigate Tokyo International Film ...
Tokyo International Film Festival closes with social issues in the spotlight
The Tokyo International Film Festival has always struggled to distinguish itself from other big film events. It doesn't have the cultural cachet of Venice, Cannes or Toronto, and even within Asia it falls behind Busan and Hong Kong in terms of the caliber of ...
The 30th Tokyo International Film Festival, which opened on Wednesday, is screening a variety of cinema from all over the world at various venues in Tokyo. The festival runs until Nov. 3, when the jury will announce the winning films from the competition. In collaboration ...
Ebizo urges non-Japanese fans to savor beauty of kabuki and not worry about language barrier
While words may be a barrier to fully understanding an artistic performance abroad, Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo on Thursday urged spectators from overseas to enjoy the traditional Japanese art for the beauty of its "form." "There is the language barrier. When I go abroad and ...
Getting close to Ryuichi Sakamoto
Stephen Nomura Schible refrains from saying whether he and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto are friends, or even close, despite having filmed a documentary about him. "When I'm in the U.S., everyone refers to him by his first name, but in my mind and when I'm in ...
