J-FLICKS

The Tokyo International Film Festival held its 30th edition. And on this episode of J-FLICKS, we welcome in our studio Mr. Yoshi Yatabe, the festival's programming director. We follow him backstage for this celebrated 30th installment of Tokyo's grand cinematic event, and take a brief look at some of the features screened at the festival, starting with 2 films presented in competition: Akiko Ooku's Tremble All You Want and The Low Life, directed by Takahisa Zeze. We also check out the winner of Best Asian Future Film Award, director Akio Fujimoto's Passage of Life. Finally, we introduce the documentary Of Love and Law, winner of the award in the Japanese Cinema Splash section focusing on films by up-and-coming Japanese directors.

With over 1,200 years of history, Kyoto is also where Japanese cinema originated. Today, it's a popular place for filmmakers and movie enthusiasts alike. And this year, once again, J-FLICKS puts the spotlight on the old capital. We cover 2 festivals that took place in the city in last autumn: the Kyoto International Film and Art Festival and the Kyoto HISTORICA International Film Festival, the latter of which presented director Norihiro Niwatsukino's Suffering of Ninko, one of our featured films. Our guest choice this time is Lights of Kyoto by Keiichi Kobayashi. We also take a look at the latest edition of the Kyoto Filmmakers' Lab, a workshop in which budding film creators from around the world gather to make short period films.

This time on J-FLICKS, we explore some of the current social issues Japan is facing in an overview of documentaries that gathered attention recently at international film festivals. We start with Hikaru Toda's Of Love and Law, a film shedding light on the LGBT situation in Japan and winner of the Best Picture Award in the Japanese Cinema Splash section of the Tokyo International Film Festival. We also take a look at 2 films presented at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival: Sennan Asbestos Disaster, directed by Kazuo Hara; as well as Kazuki Agatsuma's focus on the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with Tremorings of Hope.

On this episode, we look at some of the Japanese films featured in the Berlin International Film Festival this year, including director Kazuhiro Soda's latest film, Inland Sea. Presented in the Forum section, the documentary was shot in a unique observational style. We welcome director Mr. Soda in our studio to discuss his work on this film. We also check out the adaptation of a popular manga, Isao Yukisada's River's Edge, which won the International Critics Federation Panorama Prize in the Panorama section. And we introduce Blue Wind Blows, screened in the Generation section of the festival.

We set the spotlight on the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which held its 42nd edition this year. We take an in-depth look at some of the films that garnered attention at the event, starting with the festival's opening film, Jay Chern's Omotenashi, a co-production between Japan and Taiwan presented in the main section, as well as The Lion Sleeps Tonight, directed by Nobuhiro Suwa.

The Udine Far East Film Festival held its 20th edition this year. Taking place in northern Italy every April, it is known as the largest Asian film festival in Europe. Joining us in the studio is Mr. Mark Schilling, who selected the Japanese films for the festival, offers us an inside view on the event. From this year's competition lineup, we showcase Shinsuke Sato's INUYASHIKI, along with The Blood of Wolves by Kazuya Shiraishi. Finally, for our Special Feature we take a look at TOURISM directed by Daisuke Miyazaki.

Presented in competition at this year's 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters by Hirokazu Kore-eda received the Palme d'Or. This marks the first time in 21 years that a Japanese director is given the top prize since Shohei Imamura's Unagi got the award in 1997. Mainly focusing on Kore-eda's award-winning film, we also look at another competition entry at the festival, Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Asako I & II. Finally, we introduce Vision, the latest film directed by Naomi Kawase, also a regular at Cannes.

Held in Frankfurt in early summer every year, Nippon Connection is the world's largest festival dedicated to Japanese cinema. This year's edition presented 100 films and welcomed 16,500 visitors. Among those films, we introduce 2 documentaries: TRACE OF BREATH directed by Haruka Komori and the winner of the Jury Award, as well as Sayaka Ono's LOVE AND WOLBACHIA, offering a look into the lives of sexual minorities in Japan. Finally, for our Feature Selection, we present The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine, a period drama set 100 years ago about a group of female sumo wrestlers.

One of the largest festivals in Asia focusing exclusively on short films, the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia celebrated its 20th edition this year. From about 10,000 entries, 250 selected films were screened. A word that would best describe this year's lineup would certainly be "diversity", which is also reflected in our showcase, from the adventures of a man with Down syndrome exploring Japan's capital in Shakespeare in Tokyo, to a depiction of the current state of constant change in Japanese society as a young migrant worker from China journeys through the streets of Shibuya in SIGNATURE, and more.

This time on J-FLICKS, an overview of some of the Japanese independent films that were much talked about at various international film festivals this summer. Chosen in competition at the 75th edition of the Venice International Film Festival was Shinya Tsukamoto's independent period piece ZAN (Killing). From the SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL, we take a look at She is Alone screened in the international competition section, as well as Cyclops, which was presented in the Japanese film competition. As it appears to be gaining international recognition, we discuss the future potential of Japanese independent cinema.

This time on J-FLICKS, one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia: the Busan International Film Festival. Among the Japanese films presented this year was Every Day a Good Day, featuring one of the last cinematic performances by actor Kirin Kiki, who passed away this September. We also look at a co-production between Japan and China, Complicity, a feature film by Kei Chikaura depicting with striking realism the life of a young Chinese migrant worker in Japan. Also, a glance at Ten Years Japan, an omnibus film by 5 budding cineastes under the supervision of director Hirokazu Kore-eda.