Do you want to send 2020 off by bashing a bunch of zombies? Or spend the first day of the New Year at a perfectly peaceful beach of a Japanese island? Five Flavours film selection has an answer for both of these needs.
The New Year’s program, available from Thursday, December 31 till Sunday, January 3, is a selection of the most joyful, colorful, energetic movies from the past editions of Five Flavours, with the addition of a cult Malaysian musical “Sell Out.” This is the perfect choice for anyone craving ambitious entertainment, absurd humor, extravagant journeys to the other side of the world, and a serious dose of film fireworks.
The perfect New Year’s Eve warm-up is a subversive ramen-western “Tampopo,” one of the greatest Japanese classics, combining absurd humor and a background permeated with umami sadness. With the recipe for the perfect ramen at stake, the gallery of peculiar characters leads us through the culinary traditions of Japan. The end of the year is also a great opportunity to join the confused protagonists of “Throw Down” in the oneiric labyrinth of the backstreets of Hong Kong and bars filled with thick cigarette smoke. The hypnotic classic by the great Johnnie To is a surprising journey through film genres, a jungle of urban tales, and a love letter to the history of cinema.
“Love & Peace,” a tour de force of one of the most eccentric directors in the world, Sion Sono, guarantees plenty of powerful New Year’s Eve experiences. It is a mix of a Christmas carol and a biting satire on the Olympics-crazed Tokyo authorities, a crossover of Godzilla and David Bowie’s concert. The program also includes a surprising zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead,” which takes place at the set of an amateur film production where nothing is what it seems, and the constantly moving camera keeps the viewers on their toes till the very last second.
For those tired of the year of home office, we prepared a daring corporate musical from Malaysia. “Sell Out” is a crazy ride through the halls of the predatory media Moloch, combined with songs about money that only loves the rich and humor as sharp as the edges of end-of-the-year report sheet. The perfect title for the beginning of the New Year is “Glasses,” a delightful comedy drama about a woman whose search for peace and quiet on the coast of one of the tiny Japanese islands get interrupted by the bizarre habits of its inhabitants. Naoko Ogigami, one of the most beloved directors of the Festival audiences, combines subtle humor with warm affection – this is the kind of film that hugs you like a fluffy blanket on a gray, winter morning.
The film screenings are complemented by the perfect music – playlists prepared by our partner festival Radio Asia are filled with unique, energetic party rhythms for the New Year’s Eve and soothing sounds for the first mornings of January! From December 30, the Radio Asia Spotify will fill up with 60s and 70s-inspired dance music from Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Laos and Thailand, alternative hip-hop tunes from India, Korea and Vietnam, sweet, catchy guitar songs, and psychedelic, hypnotic compositions – journeys to the remote corners of Asia in
their own right.
The program includes:
“One Cut of the Dead” by Shinchiro Ueda
“Love and Peace” by Sion Sono
“Glasses” by Naoko Ogigami
“Throw Down” by Johnnie To
