The maxim that all good things must eventually come to an end proves itself true time and again, no matter how painful, and Nippon Connection is no exception. Today, Sunday, May 28th, is the last day of this year’s festival, so if you are able to, please come and share the final moments of this year’s remarkable festival with us!
Special Events:
Our last filmmaker talk of the festival will be with Koji YAKUSHO, this year’s winner of the Nippon Honor Award.
Video Games in Japan: Brain Refreshment or Danger to Society?
Do video games lead children to murder? Or do they simply experience more joy, the more Pokémon they catch? The effects of video gaming have been discussed in Japan for a long time; longer than the startling school massacres at the end of the 1990s; longer than the casual-gaming trends centered around brain training or virtual fitness. The lecture gives an insight in this topic that has been largely neglected in Western academia.
The presentation will be given in German.
Special Premiers:
Poetic Landscapes: Recent Gems in Japanese Indie Animation
This year’s selection of Japanese indie animation, curated by film scholar and journalist Dr. Catherine Munroe Hotes, features works that look upon the world through a poetic lens. Whether inspired directly from poetry like DATUM POINT or poetic in manner of expression, each artist uses animation to depict their own unique view of the world.
Starring Tadanobu ASANO, this twisted version of the traditional Japanese family drama will have its one and only festival screening this afternoon.
The Emperor in August by Masato HARADA
Out final Nippon Cinema screening, this movie will be preceded by the official announcements of the recipients of the Nippon Cinema Award, Nippon Visions Jury Award, and Nippon Visions Audience Award. Koji YAKUSHO, star of the film, will also be on hand to receive this year’s Nippon Honor Award.
The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always The Densest Shade of Blue by Yuya ISHII
Out final Nippon Visions entry is a poetic examination of the loneliness of city live in the modern world, and what it means for the individual.
Meet the Guests:
Dynamite Wolf by Kohei TANIGUCHI
This remarkable coming-of-age comedy will be attended by the film’s director, as well as its cinematographer and one of the CO2 employees.
If You Haven’t Been:
If you haven’t already been, the Mousonturm and Naxoshalle both play host throughout the entire festival to a series of stands offering various types of merchandise, with a focus on Japan- and festival-related goods. Check any of them out today, as it will be your last chance until next year!
-Noah Franc
NIPPON CONNECTION BLOG 