With over 50+ films, CAMERA JAPAN Festival is proud to announce its full and diverse programme, combining films ranging from de newest and best Japanese arthouse, animation, documentaries, short films and classic cinema.
The 18th edition of the festival will be opened at Rotterdam based LantarenVenster on September 21st with a festive screening of TAKAHASHI Masaya's European premiere of The Dry Spell. One day prior, the festival unofficially kicks off at WORM with a very special screening of Spaghetti Ramen. From 28 September – 1 October, the festival moves to Amsterdam's LAB111.
With three international and ten European premieres, the festival consists of a very special and exclusive film programme. Films such as Tsugaru Lacquer Girl, Firing the Lighter Gun and The Rest of Our Lives, will have their first screenings outside of Japan, here, at CAMERA JAPAN Festival.
As if the international premieres were not special enough, the festival is honored to welcome directors SANADA Kohei (Firing the Lighter Gun) and KUMA Shinji (The Rest of Our Lives) to Rotterdam. Both filmmakers will be
present, during the screening of their respective film, for a Q&A. Keep an eye on our website for more interesting guests.
As usual, animation films will be present at CAMERA JAPAN Festival. Besides a handful of animated shorts, the festival is proud to present Dutch premieres of Blue Thermal, Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom, Komada: A Whisky Family and a special screening of Macross Plus.
Besides showcasing the newest films from Japan, audiences can expect to see Japanese classics on the big screen. The festival managed to secure copies of YAMANAKA Sadao's Priest of Darkness and Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo as well as TANAKA Noboru's The Oldest Profession and Fran RUBEL KUZUI's Tokyo Pop.
Just like many editions before, there will be two short silent classics screened accompanied by live music from the Rotterdam Kinematic Ensemble: The Frightful Era of Kurama Tengu and The Peerless Patriot.
Side programming, workshops and exhibitions
Besides offering a rich variety of Japanese films, the festival also includes several cultural and culinary workshops and art-exhibitions. Side programming consists of workshops like Origami, Koji & Wild Fermentation, Maki-e, New Kintsugi, Natural Wine & Whisky Tastings as well as multiple art-exhibitions and much more.
Organisation
CAMERA JAPAN is organised on a voluntary basis by a core group of enthusiastic employees and around 40 volunteers during the festival. Outside the festival CAMERA JAPAN organises screenings on location and with a On Tour programme in theatres nationwide.
CAMERA JAPAN has been made possible through contributions by Rotterdam Festivals, The Netherlands Film Fund and Isaac Alfred Ailion Foundation. This festival is part of the Rotterdam festival calendar. For more information and the complete calendar please check www.uitagendarotterdam.nl.
Ticket sales
Ticket sales will start on the 1st of September. More news and information about CAMERA JAPAN Festival can be found here: www.camerajapan.nl. You can follow the festival via: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Press information CAMERA JAPAN Festival: Sietz van der Aa, [email protected]
Programme CAMERA JAPAN Festival 2023
Feature Films
#Manhole (KUMAKIRI Kazuyoshi | Japan 2023 | 99 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Baby Assassins 2 Babies (SAKAMOTO Yugo | Japan 2023 | 101 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Bad Lands (HARADA Masato | Japan 2023 | 143 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Baian the Assassin, M.D. 1 (KAWAKE Shunsaku | Japan 2023 | 134 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Cafune (KINEMURA Haruki | Japan 2023 | 66 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
December (Anshul CHAUHAN | Japan 2022 | 99 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
The Dry Spell (TAKAHASHI Masaya | Japan 2022 | 100 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Egoist (MATSUNAGA Daishi | Japan 2022 | 120 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Firing the Lighter Gun (SANADA Kohei | Japan 2023 | 118 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
I Am What I Am (TAMADA Shinya | Japan 2022 | 104 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Is this Heaven? (IMAOKA Shinji | Japan 2023 | 61 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Life of Mariko in Kabukicho (UCHIDA Eiji, KATAYAMA Shinzo | Japan 2023 | 116 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (UGANA Kenichi | Japan 2023 | 87 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
MAYHEM GIRLs (FUJITA Shinichi | Japan 2022 | 98 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Mondays: See You ‘This' Week! (TAKEBAYASHI Ryo | Japan 2022 | 83 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Mountain Woman (FUKUNAGA Takeshi | Japan 2022 | 100 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
A Mother's Touch (MATSUMOTO Jumpei | Japan 2022 | 113 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Natchan's Little Secret (TANAKA Yasujiro | Japan 2023 | 97 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
New Religion (KONDO Keishi | Japan 2022 | 100 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Ninja vs Shark (SAKAMOTO Koichi | Japan 2023 | 77 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind (YURINA Kaneko | Japan 2023 | 109 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Perfect Days (Wim WENDERS | Japan/Germany 2023 | 123 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Remembering Every Night (KIYOHARA Yui | Japan 2022 | 116 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
The Rest of Our Lives (KUMA Shinji | Japan 2022 | 98 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Ripples (OGIGAMI Naoko | Japan 2023 | 120 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Sabakan (KANAZAWA Tomoki | Japan 2022 | 96 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Suncream and Windchimes (TAKAHASHI Eiichi | Japan 2023 | 108 min | Black & White | Eng. sub.)
Tea Friends (SOTOYAMA Bunji | Japan 2023 | 134 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Tocka (KAMADA Yoshitaka | Japan 2022 | 119 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Tsugaru Lacquer Girl (TSURUOKA Keiko | Japan 2023 | 118 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Your Lovely Smile (LIM Kah Wai | Japan 2022 | 103 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Yudo (SUZUKI Masayuki | Japan 2023 | 126 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Documentaries
Origami (KOTANI Tadasuke | Japan 2022 | 53 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Polan (NAKAMURA Kota | Japan 2022 | 75 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
The Night Before Upheaval (KAMEYAMA Mutsuki | Japan 2022 | 113 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
UMUI – Guardians of Traditions (Daniel LÓPEZ | Japan 2022 | 75 min | Colour | Eng. Sub.)
Anime
Blue Thermal (TACHIBANA Masaki | Japan 2022 | 103 minutes | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom (WATANABE Kotono | Japan 2022 | 117 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Komada: A Whisky Family (YOSHIHARA Masayuki | Japan 2023 | 91 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Macross Plus (WATANABE Shinichirō, KAWAMORI Shōji | Japan 1995 | 115 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Short Animation selection (various directors | Japan 2020/21/22/23 | 85 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Special Screenings
The Oldest Profession (TANAKA Noboru | Japan 1974 | 83 min | Colour and Black & White | Eng. sub.)
Priest of Darkness (YAMANAKA Sadao | Japan 1936 | 87 min | Black & White | Eng. sub.)
Spaghetti Ramen (OZAWA Kikuno | Japan 2018 | 98 min | Colour | Eng. Sub.)
Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo (YAMANAKA Sadao | Japan 1935 | 92 min | Black & White | Eng. sub.)
Tokyo Pop (Fran RUBEL KUZUI | USA & Japan 1988 | 100 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Film + Live Music
The Frightful Era of Kurama Tengu (YAMAGUCHI Teppei | Japan 1928 | 30 min | Black & White | Eng. sub.)
The Peerless Patriot (ITAMI Mansaku | Japan 1932 | 24 min | Black & White | Eng. sub.)
Shorts
Flashback Before Death (ISHIHARA Rii, ONOGAWA Hiroyuki | Japan 2022 | 30 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Quoting Masterpieces (Koert DAVIDSE | Netherlands 2023 | 12 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Salaryman (Robin KIKIC | Netherlands 2022 | 15 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
TRACÉ (Olivier KAZUMA | Japan 2023 | 17 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
New Directions in Japanese Cinema (various directors | Japan 2022 | 90 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Workshops
Origami Workshop: Kusudama Koji & Wild Fermentation
New Kintsugi
Maki-e
GUBI GUBI: Japanese Natural Wine Tasting Japanese Whisky Tasting
Japanese Lacquer Tsukemono
Exhibitions
Maiko/Geisha stories
