The Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet of Paris will show, at the Jean-François Jarrige auditorium, on April 21, 22 and 23, 2023, four of the eighty-five films selected for the 29th Vesoul IFF of Asian Cinema (Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul): two films presented in French and international premiere in competition and award-winning, and two masterpieces of Japanese animation :
- Friday, April 21, 8:00 pm: COLD AS MARBLE, by Asif Rustamov (Azerbaijan): Grand Prize of the International Jury, NETPAC Jury Prize, Marc Haaz Jury Prize, will be presented by Jean-Marc Thérouanne, General Delegate, Artistic Director and co-founder of Vesoul IFF Asian Cinema:
A young man, 30, and his girlfriend, 35, married to another man, have a secret relationship in a house-museum in Baku where she works as a guide. He is a modern painter who earns his living by carving portraits of the deceased on tombstones, which is common in Azerbaijan. One morning, he finds his father in the kitchen, who has just been released from prison after being pardoned for good behavior. He killed his wife but no one has ever known why…
- Saturday April 22, 4pm : A LETTER FROM KYOTO, by KIM Min-ju (South Korea) : International Jury Prize and Inalco Jury Favorite.
Hwa-ja has raised her three daughters alone after the death of her husband. One day, the second daughter, Hye-young, who dreams of becoming a writer, returns to Yeongdo in Busan after having experienced setbacks in Seoul. Yeongdo is a lively neighborhood where many foreigners settle and a legend says that once you enter it, you can’t escape easily. The eldest daughter, Hye-jin, provides for the family and the youngest daughter, Hye-joo, dreams of going to Seoul after high school. While Hye-young is spending time with her mother, she stumbles upon a letter written in Japanese that arouses her curiosity. She begins to question Hwa-ja about her past life and learns new stories she had never heard of. Meanwhile, something in Hwa-ja’s heart, buried for decades, slowly opens up.
- Sunday, April 23, at 2:00 p.m.: THE KINGDOM OF CATS, by Morita Hirokuyi (Japan)
That day, everything goes wrong for young Haru. Because she didn’t wake up, she arrives late at school. Then, because she is humiliated in front of Machida, the boy she is secretly in love with…
But on her way back home, she saves the life of a cat that is almost run over by a truck. It is in fact the Prince of the Kingdom of Cats! The cats are now indebted to Haru. They shower her with gifts and invite her to their Kingdom. There, she must marry Prince Loon. But does she really want to? In her adventure, three characters will prove to be precious friends: the very elegant cat Baron, Mouta, a large stray tomcat, and the raven Toto. Initiated by Miazaki Hayao, The Kingdom of Cats, directed by a young director at Studios Ghibli, is a humanist film that will appeal to everyone, young and old.
Sunday, April 23, at 4pm: LIZ AND THE BLUE BIRD, by Yamada Naoko (Japan)
Nozomi is an outgoing young woman who is very popular with her classmates and a talented flutist. Mizore, more discreet and shy, plays the oboe. She feels very close to and dependent on Nozomi, whom she loves and admires. She fears that the end of their last year of high school is also the end of their story, between musical rivalry and admiration. The two friends are preparing to perform as a duet for the Kita Uji High School music competition. When their orchestra begins working on the music for Liz and the Bluebird, they believe that the bucolic work reflects their teenage history. Will reality meet the story?
More info:
https://www.guimet.fr/event/bientot-le- festival-international-des-cinemas-dasie-de-vesoul-a-paris/
Or: www.cinemas-asie.com
Come in large numbers!
