Japan Society introduced the complete lineup of the sixteenth annual JAPAN CUTS: Pageant of New Japanese Movie, the most important pageant of its sort in North America, set for July 26–August 6. This yr’s version will current 29 movies and marks the primary absolutely in-person JAPAN CUTS since 2019. The occasion spans 12 days and options 24 feature-length movies and 5 brief movies throughout Function Slate, Subsequent Technology, and Quick Movie Highlight sections, in addition to a particular tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto. Among the many pageant’s lineup are 5 Worldwide Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, seven U.S. Premieres, three East Coast Premieres and three New York Premieres.
Kicking off this yr’s pageant, JAPAN CUTS presents the East Coast Premiere of The First Slam Dunk as its opening movie. The First Slam Dunk was the primary film on the Japanese field workplace this yr; the primary new feature-length movie from the Slam Dunk franchise in over 33 years, additionally it is manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s directorial debut. JAPAN CUTS will current this screening in partnership with GKIDS and Toei Animation forward of the movie’s upcoming nationwide theatrical launch.
JAPAN CUTS will current acclaimed actor Yuya Yagira with this yr’s CUT ABOVE Award for Excellent Achievement in Movie for his lead function in our centerpiece movie, Underneath the Turquoise Sky from director KENTARO. Yagira was the youngest-ever winner of the Finest Actor Award on the Cannes Movie Pageant for his lead in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s No person Is aware of and has since starred in over 50 movies and tv sequence starting from industrial blockbusters to artwork home gems. He’ll obtain the CUT ABOVE Award in honor of his numerous profession and particularly for his work in Underneath the Turquoise Sky. A world co-production from director KENTARO, Underneath the Turquoise Sky sees Yagira embark on a private journey throughout the vastness of the Mongolian countryside. Each Yagira and KENTARO will make particular appearances on the movie’s premiere screening and encore presentation.
“JAPAN CUTS is again in-person!” mentioned Peter Tatara, Director of Movie at Japan Society, who organized this yr’s pageant with Japan Society Movie Programmer Alexander Charge. “JAPAN CUTS is one in all Japan Society’s hottest occasions and beloved in New York’s cinema scene. After a pause throughout the pandemic, we couldn’t be extra proud for JAPAN CUTS to return with two weeks of thrilling, thought-provoking and tear-jerking movies. We’re honored to share a fascinating slice of Japan’s cinematic world with New York!”
A further spotlight is the primary in-person iteration of the pageant’s Subsequent Technology competitors, which presents a hand-picked choice of six unbiased narrative options directed by rising administrators. The pageant’s solely juried part, Japan Society awards the Obayashi Prize to probably the most achieved movie as decided by a jury of trade professionals. This yr’s distinguished jurors are critic and essayist Moeko Fujii; Dan Sullivan, programmer at Movie at Lincoln Heart; and distributor Pearl Chan (Good Transfer Media, Kani Releasing).
Moreover, JAPAN CUTS presents two packages of SHORT CUTS which discover experimental, narrative, and animated short-length movies, together with the directorial debut of Sogo (Gakuryu) Ishii composer Hiroyuki Onogawa and Silent Film, a flexible assortment of benshi-narrated silent movies that features an adaptation primarily based on the screenplay of Sadao Yamanaka’s first movie.
Described by The New York Instances as “meticulously curated” and “an annual spotlight of New York’s movie calendar,” JAPAN CUTS brings the very best and hardest-to-find up to date movies from Japan to New York Metropolis. From blockbusters, unbiased productions, and anime, to documentaries, avant-garde works, and brief movies, the occasion presents a formidable take a look at the previous 12 months of Japanese cinema. Japan Society is a 116-year-old nonprofit group targeted on connecting the U.S. and Japan, and its JAPAN CUTS is likely one of the group’s largest and hottest packages.
All movies will likely be screened at Japan Society (333 E. forty seventh St., New York, NY 10017) and offered in Japanese with English subtitles until in any other case famous.
Discover extra info and tickets right here.
JAPAN CUTS Highlights
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (East Coast Premiere)
Wednesday, July 26 at 7:00 PM
Dir. Takehiko Inoue, 2022, 124 min., DCP, colour, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Shugo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, Shinichiro Kamio, Subaru Kimura, Kenta Miyake.
Winner of the Japan Academy Movie Prize for Finest Animation of the Yr. SLAM DUNK is a beloved manga which was serialized from 1990-1996 and has offered over 170 million copies globally. THE FIRST SLAM DUNK marks authentic manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s directorial debut and is the primary new feature-length movie from the long-lasting franchise in 33 years. The movie follows Shohoku Excessive College basketball workforce level guard Ryota Miyagi (Shugo Nakamura) as he takes the stage on the Inter-Excessive College Nationwide Championship, and the stress to problem the reigning champions is on! Can Ryota and his teammates defeat the imposing Sannoh Kogyo Excessive College? A GKIDS launch. Adopted by Opening Evening Social gathering.
Silent Film (Worldwide Premiere)
サイレントムービー
SHORT CUTS Program 1 – Thursday, July 27 at 3:30 PM
Dir. Masamichi Kawata, Satoru Hirohara, and Hiroshi Gokan, 2022, 56 min., DCP, colour, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Ichiro Kataoka, Hiroaki Kawaguchi, Ikuhiko Aoyama.
9 college students and three alumni from Tokyo College of the Arts’ Movie Division create 11 silent movies spanning samurai tales, mysteries, thrillers, animation and even big monsters. See the following era of filmmakers play with cinema’s previous. All movies narrated by famend benshi storyteller Ichiro Kataoka.
Okamoto Kitchen (East Coast Premiere)
超時空移動食堂
SHORT CUTS Program 2 – Friday, July 28 at 3:30 PM
Dir. Gerald Abraham, 2023, 12 min., DCP, colour, in English. With Cristina Vee.
A crowd-funded anime from LA’s very actual Japanese fusion consolation meals truck Okamoto Kitchen, JAPAN CUTS is proud to current the beginning of this international challenge mixing Japanese and Western expertise to create a singular cross-cultural taste. That includes character designs by Takuya Saito, animation by anime studio Magic Bus, music by Layla Lane and starring voice actress Cristina Vee.
Supply: Japan Society
