Japanese Films at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2018

Japanese Films at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 20th to July 01st) and while compared to past editions of the festivals it’s disappointing, these are two top titles the event presents probably the best chance to see them in the UK.

Here they are!

Party ‘Round the Globe

地球はお祭り騒ぎ「Chikyuu wa omatsurisawagi」

Running Time: 116 mins.

Release Date: 2017

Director: Hirobumi Watanabe

Writer: Hirobumi Watanabe (Screenplay)

Starring: Gaku Imamura, Ringo, Hirobumi Watanabe, Katsumi Ino, Ryoko Ino, Akemi Watanabe, Takanori Kurosaki, Yuji Watanabe, Misao Hirayama,

Website

Hirobumi Watanabe and his small crew have been cranking out black-and-white films that find the humour and melancholy that characterise small-town life in Japan. Poolsideman was a big hit at last year’s TIFF and travelled around the world. This one is billed as another hit.

Synopsis: Hikaru Honda works at a small electronics factory in a suburban town in the north of the Kanto region. He leads a quiet life with his dog Ringo but one day, he decides to go to a Paul McCartney concert at Tokyo Dome with his fellow Beatlemaniac, Takafumi Hirayama. Thus, a road-trip movie is born!

Radiance

光「Hikari」

Running Time: 129 mins.

Release Date: May 27^th, 2017

Director: Naomi Kawase

Writer: Naomi Kawase (Screenplay),

Starring: Masatoshi Nagase, Ayame Misaki, Tatsuya Fuji, Chihiro Ohtsuka, Kazuko Shirakawa, Saori Koide, Nobumitsu Onishi, Mantaro Koichi,

Website IMDB

Naomi Kawase is a veteran filmmaker whose works are finally leaving the festival circuit and becoming widely available in the West via home distribution. Her latest was at the 2017 Cannes film festival and it radiates with some glowing praise.

Synopsis: Masaya Nakamori (Masatoshi Nagase) is a genius photographer. He meets Misako Ozaki (Ayame Misaki), a woman who is involved in a voice acting project for the visually impaired. The two initially don’t get on because Masaya has a cold attitude but when Misako sees a photograph of a sunset shot by him, she is inspired to look into Masaya’s life and discovers that he is losing his sight and their relationship changes.