The Kanazawa Film Festival 2024 will take place this year from September 04th to the 08th at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Theatre 21.
There is a heavy international presence and a section dedicated to indie Japanese films. All works come with Japanese and English subtitles.
Established last year, the Choice of Kanazawa section features international films, all of which are in competition for the Grand Prix award. 41 films were selected from 335 submissions. A surprise name pops up in the form of Michael Cudlitz, whom I watched in The Walking Dead.
This preview is about Japanese films and so we turn to the Rising New Directors programme section which is dedicated to discovering Japanese indie directors. This is the 14th year of its existence and four works were selected from 132 submissions.
Someone Just Kill Me Already. Life Is All a Lie.
いっそもう誰か俺を殺してくれ 人生なんか全部嘘っぱちじゃないか 「Isso mou dare ka boku wo koroshitekure Jinsei nanka zenbu usoppachi janai ka」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 8 mins.
Director: Yusuke Okuda
Writer: Kanna Kimura (Screenplay),
Starring: Shun Hayakari, Goro Fukutani, Kazuto Shouno, Moeru Akazome,
Okuda overcame childhood illnesses and shyness by applying himself to art.
Synopsis: A colourful and hellish picture scroll of a lonely young man who can’t fit into society.
Killmageddon
キルマゲドン「Kirumagedon」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 29 mins.
Director: Nozomi Tomaki, Kyosuke Koizumi
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
The directors met at Toho Gakuen Film School and bonded over their mutual love for violent films. Their shared passion and desire to push boundaries has resulted in this work.
Synopsis: A devilish couple who record their gruesome murders on camera get their biggest moment yet.
A Woman 
女 「Onna」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 60 mins.
Director: Yota Kitano
Writer: Yota Kitano (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuchi Konishi, Moeka Hagiwara, Sotaro Otomo, Miyatani, Atsushi Utsumi,
Kitano is a student at Waseda University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and is active in the university’s cinema club.
Synopsis: Satoru wants to propose to Misa, who he has been dating since they were university students. When she shows a photo of her to some old friends from his hometown, one of them claims to have been dating a woman named Misa who looks exactly like Satoru’s beloved until four years ago. However, one was in Osaka and one in rural Chiba, and Satoru was in Tokyo. The distances don’t add up and the identities are a blur and Satoru is left in a state of disbelief…
Pneuma
ニューマ 「Nyu-ma」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 45 mins.
Director: Yuto Ichi
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
According to his biography, Ichi comes from Gunma Prefecture and his favourite author is Jorge Luis Borges.
Trailer here.
Synopsis: A man with one eye has been invited by a heretical scholar to visit his house which is located deep in the mountains. The reason for the invitation is connected to the meaning of the word “Pneuma,” which is derived from Greek and signifies “breath,” “spirit,” or “soul.”
Tickets are on sales break down like this:
Advance – 1,500 yen
On the Door – 1,800 yen
Free Pass – 25,000 yen (free pass holders get priority entry)
No refunds
You can enter the awards ceremony with a ticket stub.
Previous festival coverage: