Talk Series Announced - The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

Date: 2021 February 17 21:01

Posted by Joe

The good folks from the Japan Foundation in the UK have sent us a reminder about their Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021. As we've mentioned before in addition to the eighteen finest and most talked about recently released Japanese films, the programme will host 7 online talks where 8 Japanese directors in total will talk about their work and explore issues existing in Japanese society.

They've curated 18 Japanese titles under the theme of This is My Place - Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.

You can sign up to watch the films and talks at home check out https://onlinecinema.jpf-film.org.uk.

As always we've they some really good titles.
The live action adaptation of Little Miss Period stands out. If you enjoyed the manga or are curious about personifications of that time of the month, then it's well worth catching!

For anime fans they'll be showing HELLO WORLD, a romantic story with a sci-fi twist.

Full Story

Press release as follows:

Immediate PRESS RELEASE
February 16, 2021

The Japan Foundation presents:

The Japan Foundation
Touring Film Programme 2021
Online Special
Experience Japan through Cinema

Free film screenings and online talks with many Japanese directors

This is My Place:
Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme,
the largest film festival dedicated entirely to Japanese cinema,
goes online!

With an inspiring selection of recently released features - many of which have not received a UK release before - this online special will provide something for everyone. Free to watch within the UK.

19 February - 10 March 2021, nationwide (online)

"---a unique and sometimes once-only opportunity to see a selection of rare films that otherwise have a very
limited distribution in the west."
（Noel Megahey, The Digital Fix website, January 2019）

For full programme details as they become available:

www.jpf-film.org.uk


About the curation of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

This is My Place:
Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema
In light of the current circumstances surrounding Covid-19, for the first time ever, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme goes online in this special edition, offering free screenings across the UK.

Everybody wants to be part of something, no matter what you do or who you are. The sense of acceptance and connection is a powerful emotion felt by humankind which can provide security as well as comfort, yet in the modern world where our way of living has become diverse and more complicated than ever, establishing a solid grounding and a sense of belonging can be difficult to attain. Every so often the world we thought we belonged collapses or reveals itself to be a mirage, to be replaced by an altogether different reality. Simply put, we can find ourselves in captivating yet uncertain environments. But what is it that people mean when they say 'my place'; when they refer to their sense of existence and belonging?

With this question in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021 has curated 18 Japanese titles (TBC) which attempt to tackle these topics in different landscapes.

From comedies to crime themes, period dramas to films centring on LGBT issues, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021 will explore the universal and perpetual issues existing in society, with an assortment of narratives shedding light on people from different walks of life. The programme showcases voices belonging to a diverse group of filmmakers, including internationally recognised directors as well as emerging talent, all representing different styles and forms.

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme will offer something for everyone, wherever you may be in the UK.


Online Programme information:

All screenings as part of the 2021 edition will be available to watch for free, to all residents of the UK only, at the below website. There is a limited availability of tickets for all screenings which are reserved on a first come, first served basis.

https://onlinecinema.jpf-film.org.uk/

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme is produced and organised by the Japan Foundation, London.

About the Japan Foundation
The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and became an Independent Administrative Institution in 2003. The organisation promotes international cultural exchange between Japan and the rest of the world by organising projects as well as providing financial support through grant programmes in the fields of Arts and Culture, Japanese language and Japanese studies. The Japan Foundation currently has its Head Office in Tokyo, with offices and centres in 24 countries outside of Japan. The Japan Foundation London is the Foundation's only office in the UK, and one of the first overseas offices to be established, opening in 1972. www.jpf.go.jp (Head Office), www.jpf.org.uk (London)

About the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

Since 2004, the Japan Foundation has put together films under a carefully chosen theme to highlight trends in Japanese cinema, and showcased, in close partnership with distinguished film venues such as the ICA, some of the finest Japanese films in order to introduce their versatility and uniqueness. Most of films selected for the Japan Foundation Touring Programme have slipped under the radar of other film festivals or programmes despite their quality or have previously only received one-off screenings in the UK. This is the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme's 18th edition.

For details please visit: www.jpf-film.org.uk