2016 JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO
ANNOUNCES THEATRICAL FILM PREMIERES SHOWCASING DYNAMIC JAPANESE CINEMA
The S.F. Bay Area’s 4th Annual Dedicated Japanese Film Festival Returns With Premiere Screenings And Very Special Guests Of Honor Taking Place
At NEW PEOPLE Cinema In Japantown
San Francisco, CA, June 9, 2016 – The 2016 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF),
the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film celebration for the
S.F. Bay Area, has announced a diverse roster of films that are set to
screen as part of this year’s program.
This year’s JFFSF proudly presents a broad collection of current and acclaimed Japanese cinema across
a variety of genres such as action, sci-fi, documentary, anime, shorts,
live music, kabuki theatre, crime mystery, and family drama. All films
will be presented in Japanese language with English subtitles.
The 2016 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco opens Saturday, July 23rd and runs thru Sunday, July 31st at NEW PEOPLE Cinema located inside the NEW PEOPLE in Japantown at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (www.newpeoplecinema.com).
Tickets to individual screenings are $15.00 each, unless otherwise
noted. All ticket prices include the service fee with no further extra
charge.
For
the true film aficionado, this year, the JFFSF also offers the special
JFFSF Festival Passports. Available for $150 each, a passport grants the
holder priority access and seating at all JFFSF 2016 screenings. A
complete listing of film summaries, trailers, screening times and
advance tickets as well as festival passports are available at: JFFSF.org.
Special 2016 JFFSF Guests of Honor include Director Shinsuke Sato (Gantz, The Princess Blade), who appears in person for the U.S. premiere of Library Wars: The Last Mission, Director Shunji Iwai (Love Letter, All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice), who will appear for the California premiere of A Bride for Rip Van Winkle, and Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who will appear for the screening of HAPPY HOUR.
“We
are honored to welcome three prominent directors from Japan as our
Guests of Honor this year,” says Manami Iiboshi, Executive Director of
the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco. “It is exciting to share with
our beloved audience this rare opportunity to hear about the creative
vision behind their films in person. I hope everyone enjoys exploring
diversity of Japanese cinema through this year’s program.”
This
year’s JFFSF also complements an extensive roster of entertainment also
set to take place for J-POP SUMMIT 2016, the weekend of July 23rd and 24th at Fort Mason.
The following films will play at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema on the dates noted beginning on Saturday, July 23rd with screenings continuing until Sunday, July 31st.
Library Wars: The Last Mission
Saturday, July 23rd, 12:00pm
Featuring
a special in-person appearance by Director Shinsuke Sato (Gantz, The
Princess Blade)! In this new sequel to the first Library Wars film, the
story is set in a near future where the expression of thought is
censored and the media is controlled. Under instructor Atsushi Dojo whom
she admires, Iku Kasahara is now a full-fledged member of the Library
Defense ‘Task Force’. They are ordered to guard a public exhibition
featuring ‘The Handbook of Library Law’ known as the symbol of freedom,
with no clue what fate awaits ahead.
J-POP SUMMIT 2016 Presents: IA 1st Live Concert in Japan "PARTY A GOGO!"
Saturday, July 23, 3pm
Presented
by J-POP SUMMIT 2016, the latest Vocaloid sensation “IA” 's first solo
concert film, "IA First Live Concert in JAPAN: PARTY A GO-GO," will have
its San Francisco premiere at Japan Film Festival of SF! “IA” is a
virtual artist brought to life as part of the VOCALOID™3 with its
synthesizing technology, and IA-related videos have collectively
garnered more than 100 million views online. Experience the hottest
entertainment export from Japan!
Tokyo Short Shorts 2016
Saturday, July 23, 4:15pm
JFFSF's
popular collaboration with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia teams
up to exclusively premiere a collection of special short films directed
by a new generation of filmmakers from Japan! Films include: Plan B
(Directed by Hatsuki Yokoo), Hana (Directed by Yusaku Okamoto) and Piece
of the Future (Directed by Seiki Watanabe), Drifting cloud (Directed by Yuta Sukegawa) and Kerama Blue (Directed by Tsukasa Kishimoto).
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno
Saturday, July 23 at 6:00pm; Sunday, July 24 at 6:30pm; Monday, July 25 at 8:00pm;
Tuesday, July 26 at 9:00pm
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends
are both sequels to 2012's first Rurouni Kenshin live-action theatrical
film. The live-action action movies were filmed back-to-back and cover
the Kyoto Arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original historical action manga.
Kenshin Himura is a legendary swordsman in the wars accompanying the
turbulent fall of Japan’s Shogunate in the 19th Century. Once
feared as, ‘Battosai the Killer,” he became a wanderer living
peacefully with his companions with the arrival of the ‘new age’ in
Japanese history. But now he learns that Makoto Shishio, his crazed
successor, is about to overthrow the new government. Can Kenshin stop
him without breaking his vow to kill no more and save Japan from
destruction? (**Note: This is not a double feature. Separate tickets must be bought for each screening.)
A Bride for Rip Van Winkle
Sunday July 24, 12:00pm
Screening features a special personal appearance by Director Shunji Iwai (Love Letter, All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice)!
Director Iwai returns with a deceptively beautiful film about a
struggling teacher obsessed with a new social-media site, where she
meets people that lead her life to an unexpected place. With the wedding
with a boyfriend she met online approaching, and with no relatives
except for her divorced parents, she makes a questionable decision
encouraged by Amuro, a jack-of-all-trades whom she had also met online.
Cinema Kabuki "NEZUMI KOZO: Noda Version"
Sunday July 24, 4:00pm
Don't
miss the rare opportunity to experience the authentic and unique beauty
of contemporary kabuki performed by some of Japan's greatest kabuki
actors and presented in vivid HD on the big screen! Nezumi Kozo is based on the story of a real-life bandit from the Edo period (19th
Century). After his execution, a legend grew that he had been a kind of
Robin Hood, sharing his ill-gotten gains with the poor. Written and
directed by Hideki Noda and starring Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII.
Dou kyu sei - Classmates –
Monday, July 25, 6:30pm
Based
on a popular yaoi (Boys' Love) manga by Asumiko Nakamura, the film
portrays the tantalizingly pure romance between two male high school
students, Hikaru Kusakabe, a popular student in a band, and Lichit Sajo,
an honor student. These boys would have never crossed paths until they
begin to talk through preparing for an upcoming chorus festival
together. A sensitive yet refined romantic masterpiece is brought to
life.
The Anthem of the Heart
Tuesday, July 26, 6:30pm
Creators behind the popular Anohana Movie return with the original anime feature film, The Anthem of the Heart
an all-new ode to youth set in the beautiful city of Chichibu, located
in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The story unfolds around Jun Naruse, a
girl who is unable to speak from trauma in the past. Through happening
to join a musical act with an unexpected mix of students, Jun gradually
starts to regain her lost voice.
Solomon's Perjury (Part 1: Suspicion & Part 2: Judgment)
Wednesday, July 27, 6:30pm
A
special double-feature presentation.Court commenced with the death of a
14 year-old, and concluded with perjury. On a Christmas morning, the
body of a student is discovered on the snow-covered schoolyard below a
high rooftop. His death stirred up the latent malice that existed within
the school, leading to accusations by an anonymous source claiming to
be an eyewitness. A scheme for a new murder, sensational coverage by the
mass media, then another victim and yet another... When the teachers
have forsaken the students, concerned only with protecting themselves,
one female student takes a stand to expose the hidden truth by holding a
court trial within the school! Several collaborators come forward who
are not intimidated by the pressure exerted by the teachers. Then, a
defense counselor from another school comes forward to offer support.
And finally, the 5-day trail begins.
The Boy and the Beast
Thursday, July 28, 6:30pm
The latest feature film from award-winning director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children)!
When Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya, stumbles
into a fantastic world of beasts, he’s taken in by Kumatetsu, a gruff,
rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who’s been searching for the
perfect apprentice. Despite their constant bickering, Kyuta and
Kumatetsu begin training together and slowly form a bond as surrogate
father and son.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends
Thursday, July 28 at 9:00pm; Friday, July 29, 9:00pm; Saturday, July 30 at 3:00pm;
Sunday, July 31 at 6:30pm
Don’t miss the exciting finale in the action-packed Rurouni Kenshin live-action saga!
Being Good
Friday, July 29, 6:30pm
Awarded NETPAC Jury Prize at the 37th
Moscow International Film Festival, this film is a heart-wrenching
portrayal of isolated people caught in downward spirals that also shows
how simple acts of kindness can make a difference. Tasuku is a school
teacher struggling to deal with his homeroom and his students’
over-protective parents. When he discovers that one of his students is
being abused by their parents, he decides to stand up to make a
difference.
DASHI & SHOYU: Essence of Japan
Saturday, July 30, 12:00pm
This
visually striking food documentary is focused on two crucial essence of
Japanese cuisine: the delicate soup stock, ‘Dashi,’ and the golden soy
sauce, ‘Shoyu.’ Dashi is the bedrock of Japanese cuisine and a
distillation of the natural resources of Japan. ‘Shoyu’ is a pillar of
Japanese cuisine, which is made of soy that is transformed by a type of
mold that exists only in Japan. History and secrets of Umami will be
revealed. Screening will feature a special Dashi stock tasting.
Happy Hour
Sunday, July 31, 12:00pm
Screening to feature a special personal appearance by Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi! Japan’s up-and-coming director Hamaguchi’s award-winning epic Happy Hour
returns to SF Bay Area with the filmmaker himself. This
5-hours-and-17-minutes-long film about the unstable lives of four girl
friends in their thirties, played by real women with no acting
experience in the past, should be surprisingly gratifying for any movie
lover.
About JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO
Launched
in 2013, Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is the first and only
fully dedicated Japanese film event for the SF Bay Area. This year’s
edition will feature a colorful mix of narratives, anime and documentary
film premieres and exclusive screenings with special guest appearance
at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema in San Francisco’s Japantown from July 23rd (Sat) through August 31st (Sun), 2016. More details and ticket information is available at jffsf.org.
About NEW PEOPLE CINEMA
NEW
PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat cinema located in the underground floor of
NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital
projection and THX®-certified sound system, NEW PEOPLE Cinema is home for local film festivals and creative events. newpeoplecinema.com
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