Hibiya Cinema Festival 2023
Free Open-Air Cinema Celebrates a Handful of Recent Titles
Venue: Hibiya Step Square, Tokyo Midtown HibiyaOct. 13 (Fri), 2023 – Oct. 20 (Fri), 2023: 18:30 - around 21:00
Official website: www.hibiya.tokyo-midtown.com/hibiya-cinema-festival/en/
Theater website: www.hibiya.tokyo-midtown.com/hibiya-cinema-festival/assets/img/schedule.pdf
Tariff: Free
Advance tickets: https://bit.ly/3rEr7aQ
Talk event: Directors on stage 18:30〜19:00
Title: 第5回 トロント日本映画祭 (日比谷シネマフェスティバル 2023) (Dai 5 kai Toronto Nihon Eigasai (Hibiya Cinema Festival 2023))
The Toronto Japanese Film Festival in Hibiya returns for the sixth year with the free screening of eight Japanese films, to be held on the giant screen under the night sky at Hibiya Step Square, just across from the iconic Godzilla statue, from October 13 – 20. Timed to overlap sligtly with the Tokyo International Film Festival, the lineup includes English-subbed titles that were shown at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival in June. This is an offer you should not refuse, so grab your jacket and reserve your chair (or take your chances with day-of ticket opportunities)!
Each screening will be preceded by 30-minute talk sessions with the directors of each film (in Japanese only), providing a valuable opportunity for audiences to hear behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of their work.
You should try to catch all the films, of course, but here are a couple of recommendations:
Offbeat Cops / 異動辞令は音楽隊！
Offbeat Cops / 異動辞令は音楽隊！
Director: Eiji Uchida
2022, 119 min
The Naked Director helmer Eiji Uchida may be best known for his hard-R films, but he has also demonstrated his affinity for heartwarming films about troubled souls, like the megahit Midnight Swan. Offbeat Cops is one of those — both a tender comedic caper and a chronicle of failure and second chances. The film follows an overbearing, loose-cannon detective (Hiroshi Abe), whose Dirty Harry style lands him in purgatory: the police band, which needs a drummer for its final concert. Humiliated, he does everything he can to sabotage the reassignment, until he’s starts feeling that beat… and what a toe-tapper it proves to be!
Talking the Pictures/カツベン！
Talking the Pictures / カツベン！
Director: Masayuki Suo
2019, 127 min
Acclaimed helmer Masayuki Suo (Shall We Dance?) plumbs the past for this riveting crime caper about a young man (Ryo Narita, really having fun) who really wants to become a benshi narrator for silent films. On the run from his former partners in crime as well as the law, he discovers the cinematheque is a great place to hide — until his childhood crush (Yuina Kuroshima) shows up and recognizes him. From its opening frames, as children and weather disrupt the filming of a silent swashbuckler, to the hilarious bicycle chase in its final reel, Talking the Pictures exuberantly proclaims its love for the movies. Endlessly inventive, quirkily evocative, chockfull of clever period detail and driven by a jaunty ragtime score, it is guaranteed to be the most fun you've had at a theater in many moons, whether you're young, old or in between. And if you've not had the pleasure of watching a live katsudo benshi narrator, this is the next best thing.
Anime Supremacy! /ハケンアニメ !
Anime Supremacy! / ハケンアニメ !
Director: Kohei Yoshino
2022, 128 min
If you’re interested in knowing more about Japan’s highly competitive TV-animation industry, this is your ticket. Based on the novel “Haken Anime!” by Mizuki Tsujimura, Anime Supremacy! follows Hitomi (Riho Yoshioka) who’s struggling to direct her first anime series, after spending years toiling her way up the ladder. Meanwhile, Chiharu (Tomoya Nakamura) is a onetime hit anime director who teams up with a new producer (Machiko Ono) to make his first new work in 8 years. Hitomi discovers that the “genius” Chiharu’s anime is set for release on the same date as her premiere… and is nearly crushed by the weight of everyone’s expectations. The film is thrilling in its behind-the-scenes views of craftspeople on the production staff, dueling towards the top. There are also exciting anime sequences in the film, created by the likes of Production I.G.
The Zen Diary / 土を喰らう十二ヵ月
The Zen Diary / 土を喰らう十二ヵ月
Director: Yuji Nakae
2022, 111 min
Based on a true story, writer Tsutomu (Kenji Sawada) takes a break from his too-busy life to move alone to a mountain cabin in Nagano for a cycle of seasons. There, he raises his own food, farming vegetables and collecting herbs and mushrooms on the mountainside. He then carefully prepares simple-yet-extravagant meals with these natural ingredients, based on childhood memories in a Zen temple. As he makes slow progress on his book, his editor/girlfriend Machiko (Takako Matsu) visits him occasionally and the locals drop by to chat. Tsutomu seems to be enjoying this slow-moving rural life, but his mind is still stuck in the past, when his beloved wife was still alive. If you like food, this is one you should not miss. It may be slow paced, but it is not without memorable incident.
Father of the Milky Way Railroad / 銀河鉄道の父
Father of the Milky Way Railroad / 銀河鉄道の父
Director: Izuru Narushima
2023, 128 min
Although this is a film resolutely aimed at the Japanese audience, with an overabundance of pathos and not enough focus on the famed 20th-century novelist/poet of children's literature and utopian social activist Kenji Miyazawa (“Night on the Galactic Railroad”). While he is a central figure in the narrative, played by star Masaki Suda, the film essentially tells his short life story through his father, wealthy pawnshop owner Masajiro (the legendary Koji Yakusho, who’s starring in this year’s Japanese Oscar submission, Perfect Days). Kenji is supposed to take over the shop, but he is only interested in learning and leaves home to study, while his beloved sister Toshi (Nana Mori) holds things together… until she gets sick. A ten-hanky weepie, watch Father of the Milky Way Railroad for the actorly interactions between the great Yakusho and Suda, whom many still view as a potential successor.
Screening Schedule
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Outdoor Screen
Please be sure to check with the theater before going.