TORONTO JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL IN HIBIYA (Hibiya Cinema Festival)
Free Open-Air Cinema Returns
Venue(s): Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, Hibiya Step Square open air screen. ※The event may be canceled in the event of a storm.Oct. 15 (Sat), 2022 – Oct. 21 (Fri), 2022: 18:30 - 21:00
Language: Evening Japanese films are with English subtitles
Official website: www.hibiya.tokyo-midtown.com/hibiya-cinema-festival/
Tariff: Free
Advance tickets: https://bit.ly/3rJ42QI
Talk event: Directors on stage 18:30〜19:00
Title: 第4回 トロント日本映画祭 (日比谷シネマフェスティバル 2022) (Dai 4 kai Toronto Nihon Eigasai (Hibiya Cinema Festival 2022))
The Hibiya Cinema Festival returns for the fifth year in an ever-expanding edition of free screenings, to be held on the giant screen in the open air at Hibiya Step Square, just steps from the iconic Godzilla statue, from October 14 – 23. Timed as the lead-in to the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival and Tokyo Filmex, the Hibiya lineup includes a package of English-subbed titles that were shown at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival in June, as well as some recent hits, several of which are highly recommended. So grab a jacket and book your chair (or take your chances with day-of ticket opportunities).
The E-subbed screenings will be preceded by brief talk sessions with the directors of each film, (in Japanese only), providing a valuable opportunity for audiences to hear from behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of their work. Acclaimed Cannes Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda will be on hand before the screening of his Oscar-nominated Shoplifters (2018), and busy up-and-comer Michihito Fujii (The Journalist) will take the stage before his spring blockbuster The Last 10 Years.
You should try to catch all the films, of course, but here are a couple of recommendations:
Ribbon (2021), 115 min
October 16 (Sun) 18:30
Director: Non
Starring: Non
In her remarkably engaging directorial debut, Non (star of Hold Me Back, Amachan) flexes all her creative muscles to write, direct, edit, star in and paint all the art for Ribbon, an intensely personal coming-of-age dramedy about Covid’s crippling effects. Non plays Itsuka, an art student who’s finishing up her graduation project in early 2020 when her college is closed and the thesis exhibition canceled due to the pandemic, snatching away the students’ moment to shine. And thus begins Itsuka’s true journey to self-awareness, as she and her friends struggle to reclaim their future promise. Ribbon is anchored by Non’s irrepressible spirit, with much of her mental anguish depicted metaphorically through ribbon art. Her special effects team was led by Shin Godzilla director Shinji Higuchi, who animates the film’s ribbons so they dance in response to Itsuka’s many moods. One of the world’s discoveries during the numerous lockdowns during the early years of the pandemic was just how essential art and other forms of cultural expression are, and Ribbon celebrates the resilience and resourcefulness of a singular artist.
One Summer Story 子供はわかってあげない (2021), 138 min
October 15 (Sat) 18:30
Director: Shuichi Okita
Starring: Moka Kamishirai, Kanata Hosoda
Another film about youthful resilience, artistic expression and the journey to adulthood is this charming live-action adaptation of Retto Tajima’s manga “Kodomo wa Wakatte Agenai” from Shuichi Okita (The Mohican Comes Home). The Toronto Japan Film Festival Director Aki Takabatake is a big fan of the director’s — she also selected his Ora Ora Be Goin’ Alone for the festival’s 2021edition. In One Summer Story, Minami (Moka Kamishiraishi) is a manga-obsessed teen whose stepdad (fan favorite Kanji Furutachi, in an uncharacteristically genial role) shares her enthusiasm. Despite her pleasant home life, she decides to search for her birth father after bonding with fellow student Moji (Kanato Hosoda), who’s in the calligraphy club and whose family created religious talismans similar to the type that Minami once received from her father. The hunt to find him is delightfully quirky, although not without some darkness, and this story of Minami’s summer is sure to please.
Last 10 Years 余命10年 (2022), 125 min
October 21 (Fri) 18:45
Director: Michihito Fujii
Starring: Nana Komatsu, Kentaro Sakaguchi
Two of Japan’s most talented, most impossibly attractive young actors, Nana Komatsu and Kentaro Sakaguchi, star in this three-hankie romance, based on a bestselling novel that is at least partially nonfiction. For those familiar with the director’s hard-hitting previous work (A Family, The Journalist) the choice of subject would seem ill suited. But Fujii is on an upward trajectory, apparently out to prove that he can inject an auteur touch into every genre (he also directed the tween fantasy The Brightest Rooftop in the Universe) — and one can’t quibble with his success. An enormous hit this spring, The Last 10 Years is a big-budget tearjerker focusing on a young woman with a terminal illness and the young man who makes her think again about never falling in love. It’s driven by a Radwimps soundtrack and achingly beautiful photography. If you’re looking for a good cry, don’t miss it.
Film Schedule
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Outdoor Screen
The Hibiya Cinema Festival returns for the fifth year in an ever-expanding edition of free screenings, to be held on the giant screen in the open air at Hibiya Step Square, just steps from the iconic Godzilla statue, from October 14 – 23. Timed as the lead-in to the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival and Tokyo Filmex, the Hibiya lineup includes a package of English-subbed titles that were shown at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival in June, as well as some recent hits, several of which are highly recommended. So grab a jacket and book your chair (or take your chances with day-of ticket opportunities).
The E-subbed screenings will be preceded by brief talk sessions with the directors of each film, (in Japanese only), providing a valuable opportunity for audiences to hear from behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of their work. Acclaimed Cannes Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda will be on hand before the screening of his Oscar-nominated Shoplifters (2018), and busy up-and-comer Michihito Fujii (The Journalist) will take the stage before his spring blockbuster The Last 10 Years.
You should try to catch all the films, of course, but here are a couple of recommendations:
Ribbon (2021), 115 min
October 16 (Sun) 18:30
Director: Non
Starring: Non
In her remarkably engaging directorial debut, Non (star of Hold Me Back, Amachan) flexes all her creative muscles to write, direct, edit, star in and paint all the art for Ribbon, an intensely personal coming-of-age dramedy about Covid’s crippling effects. Non plays Itsuka, an art student who’s finishing up her graduation project in early 2020 when her college is closed and the thesis exhibition canceled due to the pandemic, snatching away the students’ moment to shine. And thus begins Itsuka’s true journey to self-awareness, as she and her friends struggle to reclaim their future promise. Ribbon is anchored by Non’s irrepressible spirit, with much of her mental anguish depicted metaphorically through ribbon art. Her special effects team was led by Shin Godzilla director Shinji Higuchi, who animates the film’s ribbons so they dance in response to Itsuka’s many moods. One of the world’s discoveries during the numerous lockdowns during the early years of the pandemic was just how essential art and other forms of cultural expression are, and Ribbon celebrates the resilience and resourcefulness of a singular artist.
One Summer Story 子供はわかってあげない (2021), 138 min
October 15 (Sat) 18:30
Director: Shuichi Okita
Starring: Moka Kamishirai, Kanata Hosoda
Another film about youthful resilience, artistic expression and the journey to adulthood is this charming live-action adaptation of Retto Tajima’s manga “Kodomo wa Wakatte Agenai” from Shuichi Okita (The Mohican Comes Home). The Toronto Japan Film Festival Director Aki Takabatake is a big fan of the director’s — she also selected his Ora Ora Be Goin’ Alone for the festival’s 2021edition. In One Summer Story, Minami (Moka Kamishiraishi) is a manga-obsessed teen whose stepdad (fan favorite Kanji Furutachi, in an uncharacteristically genial role) shares her enthusiasm. Despite her pleasant home life, she decides to search for her birth father after bonding with fellow student Moji (Kanato Hosoda), who’s in the calligraphy club and whose family created religious talismans similar to the type that Minami once received from her father. The hunt to find him is delightfully quirky, although not without some darkness, and this story of Minami’s summer is sure to please.
Last 10 Years 余命10年 (2022), 125 min
October 21 (Fri) 18:45
Director: Michihito Fujii
Starring: Nana Komatsu, Kentaro Sakaguchi
Two of Japan’s most talented, most impossibly attractive young actors, Nana Komatsu and Kentaro Sakaguchi, star in this three-hankie romance, based on a bestselling novel that is at least partially nonfiction. For those familiar with the director’s hard-hitting previous work (A Family, The Journalist) the choice of subject would seem ill suited. But Fujii is on an upward trajectory, apparently out to prove that he can inject an auteur touch into every genre (he also directed the tween fantasy The Brightest Rooftop in the Universe) — and one can’t quibble with his success. An enormous hit this spring, The Last 10 Years is a big-budget tearjerker focusing on a young woman with a terminal illness and the young man who makes her think again about never falling in love. It’s driven by a Radwimps soundtrack and achingly beautiful photography. If you’re looking for a good cry, don’t miss it.
Film Schedule
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Outdoor Screen
Please be sure to check with the theater before going.