After much thought, and taking into consideration the health of our guests and viewers, Nihon Media announced that Japan Filmfest Hamburg cannot take place this year as a traditional film festival – and will be online instead. Under the motto ‘Breaking Free – From Japan with Love', Nihon Media will collaborate with Videocity to stream its entire programme of 70+ films in around 40 blocks globally from 19th of August to the 2nd of September.
The 2020 film programme features 70 current productions, from full-length feature films to experimental short films, including many German, European, and international premieres. Most of the films are shown in the original Japanese language with English subtitles. One special highlight of our programme is the gangster-ballad originally planned as the opening film for the 21st JFFH, “Paradise Next” (2018) from director and film composer Yoshihiro Hanno (“Flowers of Shanghai”). An atmospheric road-movie about the travels of three lost souls living on the edges of society, Hanno has created, in no small part due to immersive camerawork and a thickly atmospheric soundtrack, a thought-provoking masterpiece. Enriched by the main theme of the soundtrack from music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto (“Furyo – Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, “The Last Emperor”), “Paradise Next” will kick off festival week.
Other highlights include the historical drama “A Town and a Tall Chimney” (2019) from Katsuya Matsumura, based on a novel by Jiro Nitta and with performances by Dai Watanabe and acting legend Tatsuya Nakadai (“The Human Condition”, “Harakiri”, “Kagemusha”, “Ran”), the dark coming of age masterpiece “Forgiven Children” (2020) from Eisuke Naito, the grim yakuza thriller Unfinished (2020) from the directors Yûki Kobayashi, Kiyoto Naruse, Yûgo Sakamoto and Yoshihiro Nishimura (“Tokyo Gore Police”, “Kodoku Meatball Machine”), and “Roar go On” (2019) from Ryo Katayama.
Japanese anime are especially loved by our fans, and for good reason. That's why we're showing, alongside a series of anime short films, the visually breathtaking ocean drama “Children of the Sea” (2019) from Ayumu Watanabe as well as the witty teenage sci-fi grotesque “Cencoroll Connect” (2019) from Uki Atsuya, the surreal fantasy drama “Penguin Highway” by Hiroyasu Ishida and the touching fantasy love drama “Ride Your Wave” by Masaaki Yuasa, four current standouts in the area of animated films.
2020 is also a year not to be missed for friends of Japanese genre mainstays. With a film following the tongue-in-cheek tradition of Japanese Kaiju films, “Attack of the Giant Teacher” (2019) from Yoshikazu Ishii, the splatter-grotesque produced by Hiro Kunado, Ghost Master (2019) from Paul Young, and the new atmospherically directed horror-drama “Mimicry Freaks” (2019) by cult-classic director Shugo Fujii, we can show the current gems of genre cinema. Due to their great success, we will also be showing “Kodoku Meatball Machine” (2017) from Yoshihiro Nishimura and “Meatball Machine” (2005) from Yūdai Yamaguchi and Yunichi Yamamoto, two modern classics of Japanese splatterfilms that made an impact at the 2017 FGGH. This is a second chance for anyone who missed these showstoppers in the past.
2020 will also see Nihon Media e. V. distribute various prizes to the best films and filmmakers of the festival-year. These include the jury prize for the best independent production, the special prize for the best genre production, as well as the prize for exceptional artistic performance. Viewers can also vote on the audience prize from home, and have a direct effect on which submission earns the privilege of being named the best film of the festival.
Online tickets will cost 5 euro per block, and may be purchased from their website. A large portion of ticket sales will go directly to the Japanese filmmakers, many of whom are facing hardships due to the corona crisis. The purchase of a ticket therefore not only helps support the festival, but also the filmmakers who make it possible. To accompany the line-up, JFFH will also show free, daily video content as part of the film festival as well interviews with Japanese filmmakers. The videos will be available on the JFFH Youtube channel. The Youtube channel will also release live interviews to connect their German viewers with filmmakers from Japan as a special feature. From Japan and Hamburg with love!
