The Japanese Film Festival (JFF), now in its 6th edition, returns to bring the best of new Japanese cinema to Irish audiences from the 3-17 April, 2014.
The busy screening schedule begins this year in Cork on April 3rd before touring to Galway, Limerick, Dublin and Waterford. The festival will this year screen 20 films, almost all of which are Irish premieres. The most acclaimed filmmakers from contemporary Japanese cinema are featured, with a variety of themes, genres and topics to appeal to all audiences.
The festival’s packed programme includes the Irish premieres of ‘The Great Passage’, Japan’s official submission to the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category, and the visually stunning ‘Unforgiven’, a remake of the classic Clint Eastwood western starring the Oscar nominated Ken Watanabe.
The anime programme of JFF will this year include the highly anticipated ‘Patema Inverted’, an animated tale which sees gravity obstructing the course of true love, and the Academy Award nominated ‘The Wind Rises’ from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away). It’s reported that ‘The Wind Rises’ to set be the master animator’s final film.
The Embassy of Japan, Access Cinema and the Ireland Japan Association are the co-organisers of the Festival, with the support of The Japan Foundation. Maeve Cooke, Director of Access Cinema, said: “We’re aware of the appetite around the country for world cinema through our day-to-day work with film clubs. Japan has always been known as a country that boasts great filmmakers, and this year’s JFF programme proves that Japanese cinema is every bit as exciting now as it ever has been.”
JFF will also present an opportunity to see Hiroshi Teshigahara’s 1964 masterpiece ‘Woman of the Dunes’ on vintage 35mm. The classic psychological drama depicts the rich heritage of Japan’s cinematic culture. Box office hit ‘Library Wars’ will screen as well as the comedy ‘The Story of Yonosuke’ and the latest from the inventive director Takashi Miike, ‘Lesson of Evil’.
The JFF screening schedule is as follows:
- Cork - Gate Multiplex and Triskel Christchurch: April 3-9
- Galway - EYE Cinema: April 6-10
- Limerick – University of Limerick: April 7-8
- Dublin - Light House Cinema: April 9-17; DCU: April 17
- Waterford - Garter Lane Arts Centre: April 15-17
For more information on the upcoming Japanese Film Festival check out their
Facebook page or follow them on Twitter at @JFF_Ireland
