During its 13th edition, the Camera Japan Festival serves its 8000+ visitors with over 40 recent Japanese film titles, ranging from arthouse drama to crowd-pleasing blockbusters and comedy to out-of-bounds horror. The official kick-off of the festival will take place Wednesday September 26 at Worm Rotterdam. After that the festival will continue in the art-house cinemas of LantarenVenster in Rotterdam and Kriterion and Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam. Ticket sales will start August 30.
Film programme 2018
Among the highlights of this year's film programme (the largest in the history of Camera Japan!) are screenings of Tokyo Vampire Hotel by renowned Filmmaker/artist and poet Sono Sion, The Trial by John Williams (a modern Japanese adaptation of Franz Kafka's novel with the same title) and Ueda Shinichiro's zombie festival hit: One Cut of the Dead. Several films will have their European premiere at the festival, including the tender drama Call Boy by Miura Daisuke and the low- budget omnibus film Rokuroku: The Promise of the Witch by Yamaguchi Yudai.
Nakagawa Nobuo retrospective, benshi & more
The special theme program of Camera Japan 2018 is called ‘Superstitious?', wherein the focus lays on superstition, yokai and the supernatural. Part of this theme program are four classics by Nakagawa Nobuo (1905-1984), who is sometimes called the father of J-Horror. Nakagawa is mostly known for his stylish and atmospheric horror-folk tale stories made in the 1950s and 60s. Another highlight of the theme program is benshi Kataoka Ichiro, who will perform the traditional art of live narration for a special selection of short films.
Exhibitions, events & culinary workshops
Before and after the film screenings, festival visitors can also visit two art-exhibitions, various ‘interventions' (a series of short performances), a pop-up market for Japanese products, the legendary Camera Japan Nilmbrunch or join the Kids' Day. Additionally, various culinary events, ranging from a matcha workshop to a sake tasting are organized as well.
Ticket sales
For the latest news about Camera Japan and box office information visit: www.camerajapan.nl. Ticket sales will start on August 30. The festival can also be followed on facebook.com/camerajapan, Instagram or Twitter: #camerajapan.
About Camera Japan
Camera Japan is organised by a group of enthusiastic volunteers and is supported by Rotterdam Festivals, the Dutch Film Fund, the Isaac Alfred Ailion Foundation, Japan Foundation, FedEx and Stichting Elise Mathilde Fonds. This festival is also part of the agenda of Rotterdam Festivals. For a complete list go to: www.rotterdamfestivals.nl.
Camera Japan 2018 Programme
FEATURE FILMS
Being Natural (Nagayama Tadashi)
blank 13 (Saitoh Takumi)
The Blood of Wolves (Shiraishi Kazuya)
Brave Storm (Okabe Junya)
Call Boy (Miura Daisuke)
Cyclops (Oba Norichika)
Death Row Family (KobaiashiI Yuki)
Dear Etranger (Mishima Yukiko)
Destiny, The Tale of Kamakura Destiny (Yamazaki Takashi)
Dynamite Graffiti (Tominaga Masanori)
Flower and Sword (Shinohara Tetsuo)
Foreboding (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops (Matsui Daigo)
Inuyashiki (Sato Shinsuke)
Kanazawa Shutter Girl (Terauchi Kotaro)
Liverleaf (Naito Eisuke)
Moon and Thunder (Ando Hiroshi)
Mori, the Artist's Habitat (Okita Shuichi)
The Name (Toda Akihiro)
One Cut of the Dead (Ueda Shinichiro)
Pumpkin and Mayonnaise (Tominaga Masanori)
Ramen Shop (Eric Khoo)
Recall (Motoki Katsuhide)
River's Edge (Yukisada Isao)
Rokuroku: The Promise of the Witch (Yamaguci Yudai)
Room Laundering (Katagiri Kenji)
The Scythian Lamb (Yoshida Daihachi)
Think Again, Junpei (Morioka Toshiyuki)
Tokyo Vampire Hotel (Sono Sion)
Tremble All You Want (Ooku Akiko)
The Trial (John Williams)
DOCUMENTARIES
Of Love & Law (Toda Hikaru)
Vibration: The Yellow Monkey (Matsunaga Daishi)
ANIME
A Letter to Momo (Okiura Hiroyuki)
Mary and the Witch's Flower (Yonebayashi Hiromasa)
Okko's Inn (Kosaka Kitaro)
Pom Poko (Takahata Isao)
SHORTS
Hirofumi's Suitcase (Natasja Pattipeilohy)
36 Views + A Day in the Life (Pieter-Rim De Kroon)
Animation shorts (Various directors)
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia selection (Various directors)
Tama Art University – Best Of (Superstitious selection) (Various directors)
Japan Media Arts Festival with Murata Works (Various directors)
Yamamura Koji selection
NAKAGAWA NOBUO RETROSPECTIVE
The Adventure of Tobisuke Black Cat Mansion
The Ghost of Yotsuya Jigoku
ART & EXHIBITIONS
Tokyo Seclusion – Victor Borst Yokai Bentbacks – Stef Bastiàn
PERFORMANCES
‘Live Narrations' by benshi Katoaka Ichiro: Sarayasiki, The Ghost Residence in Banshu（1929 / 8min)
The Stolen Lump（1929 / 11min)
The Monkey Masamune（猿正宗（1928 / 10min)
The Bat (1930 / 11min)
Jiraiya the hero (1921 / 19min)
VARIOUS ACTIVITIES
Kids' Day – Camera Japan – Quiz Butoh Workshop – Culinary Filmbrunch – Market – Sake Tasting – Pickle Workshop – Matcha Workshop
