The time is already starting to slip away! Today is the first full day of the festival after last night’s opening, so make sure to get here nice and early to pack in as much as you can!
Special Events:
Banzai! Japanese Cult Movie Posters
Armin Junge, whose collection of vintage Japanese movie posters is one of the largest outside of Japan, provides an overview of the oft-overlooked field of Japanese movie poster design, a far more demanding job than most might realize. The presentation is in German and entry is free.
Many Japanese think of themselves as part of an ethnically homogenous nation, despite the fact that numerous minorities do live in different parts of the country. Ethnologist and Japan expert Dr. Hans-Dieter Oelschleger will use the Ainu as a particular example of the sort of discrimination that continues to exist in Japanese society. The presentation will be in German and entry is free.
Nippon Open Air: Jim Franklin and Hiroko Sugino
There will be a series of open-air concerts throughout the festival for our guest’s enjoyment. Tonight’s performance will feature the Shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese instrument, at 7 o’clock in front of Naxoshalle.
Cult director Jörg Buttgereit will once more preside over an evening viewing and commenting on some of the finer examples of Japanese trash cinema.
There’s nothing more Japanese that over-the-top karaoke, and tonight at 10 the Mousonturm Café will not only have the karaoke system set up and ready to go, there will also be a singing contest!
A number of guests from Japan have planned to provide us some of their time to discuss their craft and the various films of theirs that are being screened this year. Tonight, at 10 o’clock in Mousonturm Studio 3, the director of Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops will be available to answer audience questions about his film following its premier.
Special Premiers:
Foreboding by Kiyoshi KUROSAWA
This dystopian, horror-scifi tale of people trying to stave off global catastrophe is the latest by the renowned director KUROSAWA, who was the Nippon Honor Award recipient in 2016.
Party ‘Round The Globe by Hirobumi WATANABE
This will be the third film of WATANABE’s to be screened at Nippon, following the trail blazed by 2014’s And The Mud Ship Sails Away and 2016’s Poolsideman (which was last year’s winner of the Nippon Visions Audience Award).
Birds Without Names by Kazuya SHIRAISHI
Tonight’s screening of this powerfully-acted drama will be the German premier of SHIRAISHI’s latest film.
Breath of Rokkasho by Bunyo KIMURA
The international premier of the latest film by KIMURA will be the director’s third film to be shown at Nippon Connection, following Goodbye and Where Does Love Go.
Meet the Guests:
One Cut Of The Dead by Shinichiro UEDA
Shinichiro UEDA will be present for the screening of his debut feature film, as will his producer Koji ICHIHASHI.
Tremble All You Want by Akiko OKU
This evening’s screening is the German premier of Akiko OKU’s latest work, and she herself will be in attendance.
Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops by Daigo MATSUI
The director will be at tonight’s European premiere of this unique, one-take film.
The director will be at the festival as a guest and is attending tonight’s screening.
If You Haven’t Been:
This year we are featuring a special exhibit in the Café in the Naxoshalle. Famed for the shapes she makes using only a pair of scissors, the Kirigami artist Michiyo ARAKAWA will daily expand a collection of flowers and blossoms on display throughout the festival, making this one worth more than just one visit over the course of your stay.
-Noah Franc
NIPPON CONNECTION BLOG 