Asian Cinema Selection
The Asian Cinema Selection will present free screenings of eighteen masterpieces specially selected for this event from a wide range of short and full-length films and anime works produced in various Asian countries. Do not miss this appealing selection, which features such films as Bonsai directed by Alfonso Torre III of the Philippines, the winner of the Best Short Award (Asia International Competition) and the Tokyo Governor Award at the Short Shorts Film Festival & ASIA held in June this year, and the full-length documentary film Mysterious Object at Noon directed by the high-profile Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul who won the Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes International Film Festival held in May this year.
We invite you to visit the event and enjoy the fine selection of Asian films together with your family and friends.
- Dates :
- November 6 (Saturday) and 7 (Sunday), 2010
- Venue :
- Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building 1F, Citizens’ Hall
- Fee :
- Free of charge
- Entry :
- The capacity for each screening is up to 250 people, seated on a first-come-first-serve basis. (Theater cleared after each screening.)
Numbered tickets for each showing will be distributed beginning at 9 am on the day of the showing.
Entrance to each showing will begin 15 minutes prior to start time.
*Please note that food and drinks are not permitted within Citizens’ Hall.
Access to the venue
| Dates | Start Time | Film Showings （Film Length） |
|---|---|---|
| 11/6（Sat.） | 10:00 |
TOKYO Fantasia（8 min）※non-replaceable |
| 12:15 |
DUST KID（10 min）※non-replaceable |
|
| 15:15 | Tokyo Taxi (Director’s Cut)（76min） | |
| 17:00 | Tomorrow May Not Be（186 min） | |
| 11/7（Sun.） | 10:00 | Orz Boyz！（104 min） |
| 12:15 | Winds of September（107 min） | |
| 15:15 | Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2010 Special Screening（about 90 min） | |
| 17:45 | Mysterious Object at Noon（83min） | |
| 19:40 | Eye in the Sky（90 min） |
※All films shown will be subtitled in Japanese.
Bonsai
Philippines/2009
Director: Alfonso Torre III
“Bonsai” tells the story of a security guard named Romy and his search for love. He falls in love with Daisy, a cheerful woman who works at a neighborhood launderette, but is insecure because of his weight. Can Romy overcome his insecurities for the sake of love?
The rest of the line-up is as follows:
・The Matchmaker (Indonesia/Director Cinzia Puspita)
・His Wedding (Korea/Director Kwon Ho-Yeong/2008)
・Sauna (Japan/Director Junya Nishioka/2007)
・Color of Paradise (China/Director Jie Zhu/2007)
・Printed Rainbow (India/Director Gitanajali Rao/2006)
・D.I.Y. (Singapore/Director Roystan Tan/2005)
・Time (Thailand/Directors Noppadol Suneta & Teerapol
Suneta/2008)
Mysterious Object at Noon
Thailand/2000/83 minutes
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
The 1st Tokyo FILMex (2000) –Competition Section
Award of Excellence in the International Competition at the 2001 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
Director Weerasethakul travels the length and breadth of Thailand, asking the people he meets along the way to tell the next chapter in a story – but they don’t know what story. Thai people from all over the country appear on the screen before a microphone telling viewers about a “mysterious object,” and the story eventually winds into an inextricable skein of tales. With the addition of each storyteller, the story morphs into something new – towards a conclusion not even the director, himself, imagined. The fresh approach and bewitching black-and-white film enthrall viewers, signaling the birth of a unique and suspenseful, new-age film from Asia.
Picture courtesy of Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Office
Pao’s Story
Vietnam/2006/97 minutes
Director: Quang Hai Ngo
The 4th Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam) – Best Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography (2006)
The 79th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film – Vietnamese Nomination (2006)
The 7th NHK Asian Film Festival (2006)
This family drama revolves around a woman of the Hmong people who occupy the northernmost reaches of Vietnam. In his first sortie as director, actor Quang Hai Ngo captures the strong image of women living in a markedly strong patriarchal society. Vietnamese celebrity of wide acclaim, Do Thi Hai Yen stars as the main character.
The Western Trunk Line
China, Japan/2007/101 minutes
Director: Li Jixian
The 20th Tokyo International Film Festival (2007) Competition Section – Special Jury Prize - Winner
It bloomed in our hearts, that one winter day—
Set in 1978, The Western Trunk Line depicts a family living in the small rural town of Xigandao in northwest China. Hailed as the best Chinese film of 2007, this family drama takes a plaintive look at the youth of two brothers greatly separated in age.
(c) 2007 China Film Group Corporation & Wako Company Limited
Tokyo Taxi (Director’s Cut)
Korea, Japan/2009/76 minutes
Director: Kim Tae-sik
The 14th Pusan International Film Festival (2009) – Korean Cinema Today Panorama Section
Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2010 – Yubari Choice Section
Osaka Asian Film Festival 2010 – Closing Film
The 9th International Film Festival of Marrakech -- Competition Section (2009)
A youth in a rock band of no significance in Japan receives a request to appear at a rock festival in Korea. Except he is terrified of flying.
Nonplussed, he decides to somehow make his way to Seoul, Korea by taxi – only to entangle the poor, middle-aged driver along the way. A unique road movie overflowing with heartbreak, laughter, and surprise that crosses generations and borders.
Eye in the Sky
Hong Kong/2007/90 minutes
Director: Yau Nai-Hoi
The 8th Tokyo FILMex (2007) –Competition Section / Special Jury Prize Kodak VISION Award
The 27th Hong Kong Film Award – Best New Director and Best New Performer
The 2nd Asian Film Awards – Best Editor
This crime-action thriller marks the directorial debut of Yau Nai-Hoi, the long-time screenwriter for Director Johnnie To. This breathtaking game of cat-and-mouse stars Election’s Simon Yam and Leung Ka-Fai: the former is the leader of an elite surveillance unit and latter the ringleader of a band of jewelry thieves. The film’s realism and imagery make it a must-see!
© 2007 Sundream Motion Pictures Limited
Orz Boyz！
Taiwan/2008/104 minutes
Director: Yang Ya-Che
The 45th Taiwan Golden Horse Awards – Best Supporting Actress (2008)
The 9th NHK Asian Film Festival (2008)
Two mischievous boys dubbed Liar No. 1 and Liar No. 2 by their elementary school teachers are sent to the library to repair books as punishment for a prank. But their exile only serves to feed their imagination and open their eyes to the world of adventure around them. It is dedicated to all the kids who can’t wait to grow up, and all the grownups who want to be kids again.
Picture courtesy of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
Winds of September
Taiwan, Hong Kong/2008/107 minutes
Director: Tom Shu-Yu Lin
The 21st Tokyo International Film Festival (2008): Nominated for Best Asian-Middle Eastern Film Award
Third year high school student Tang (Chang Chen) heads out to watch a baseball game with his group of friends in September 1996. Their gang of seven, including Yen (Rhydian Vaughan), his best friend, Yao-Hsin (Wang Po-Chieh), a second year student who also happens to be the oldest, and Chih-Sheng (Chiu Yi-Cheng), a first year student, incessantly finds itself in a maelstrom of trouble. As usual, they are making a ruckus on the baseball field; but this time, they are called to the teacher’s office…
(c）2008 Mei Ah Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved. Picture courtesy of Asia Republic Entertainment, Inc.
Tomorrow May Not Be
India/2003/186 minutes
Director: Nikhil Advani
The 5th Tokyo FILMex (2004) –Special Screening
Bereaved of her father, New York-resident Naina lends a helping hand to her mother, Jennifer, who runs a restaurant, and looks after her younger brother and sister. Her mother and paternal grandmother’s rocky relationship is exacerbated by the fact that they share a roof. To make matters worse, her grandmother despises her foster daughter and tries to hurry Naina into a marriage. It feels nigh onto forever since her face has beamed with happiness. And into the next-door house moves Aman, a cheerful youth with a big secret.
©2003DHARMA PRODUCTIONS
“Tomorrow May Not Be”
TOKYO Fantasia
Japan/2005/8 minutes
Director: G9+1
Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010 – Open Entry / Grand Prize
G9+1 is an advanced-age animation production team made up of ten members with a combined age of 660 years who have each traversed the history of Japanese animation. This piece is a nine-act animated fantasy set against a Yagibushi rhythm with a modern feel.
(C) G9＋1
Picture courtesy of Tokyo International Anime Fair Organizing Committee
DUST KID
Korea/2009/10 minutes
Director: Jung Yumi
Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010 – General Category / Notable Entry
Reposing in bed until late one cold winter afternoon, Eujin’s eyes settle on several dust kids. She decides to clean – something she has neglected to do for a very long time. And although she cleans the room spick-and-span, she stumbles yet again into the dust kids.
(C)Cinema Platform & Jung Yumi
Picture courtesy of Tokyo International Anime Fair Organizing Committee
Contact information for inquiries on the Asian Cinema Selection event: 03-5321-1111 (main number) Extension 21-431