Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow and VCinema Podcast Unite!

Hello all. I wanted to squeeze in one last post before August comes to an end. A little over a month ago, I attended and saw many excellent Japanese independent films at the second Shinsedai Cinema Festival, which was put together by co-programmers Chris MaGee of the Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow and Midnight Eye's Jasper Sharp. Also in attendance was Jon Jung, who co-hosts the VCinema Podcast, which delves into Asian cinema on a regular basis. It was great to actually meet and hang out with Jon over the course of the festival - as well as record a few podcast episodes with him that cover the various films shown at this year's Shinsedai Festival. While these episodes went into the wee hours of the morning, sometimes run a bit on the lengthy side and were more than a little, erm, enhanced by a fair share of beverages, they were a great deal of fun to make and (I hope) give a fairly comprehensive summary of what the fest had to offer.

Click the links below to download the special VCinema Podcast episodes. Two of them also feature interviews Jon conducted with two of the filmmakers who were in attendance: Momoko Ando (Kakera: A Piece of Our Life) and Yasunobu Takahashi (Locked Out).

Shinsedai Special Podcast Report #1: Director's Spotlight: Momoko Ando

Shinsedai Special Podcast Report #2: The First Half

Shinsedai Special Podcast Report #3: Director's Spotlight: Yasunobu Takahashi

Shinsedai Special Podcast Report #4: The Second Half

Also, click here and here to check out my summaries of the Shinsedai Cinema Festival over at the Pow-Wow.

Enjoy!

Travels 'n' Books

Hello all. Within the next few days, I'll be embarking on a fresh new adventure - namely, the 10th annual Nippon Connection film festival in Frankfurt, Germany, which I'll be attending alongside my Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow boss and friend Chris MaGee. Stay tuned to that site for daily updates and reviews from both of us during the fest (running from April 14th-18th). Reviews will also be cross-posted over at Twitch.

After Nippon wraps up, I'll be spending a week in Paris, France, which I'm also pretty excited about. Expect pictures from both Frankfurt and Paris to be posted up here sometime in early May.

Also, I wanted to highlight an exciting upcoming event: the publication of the Directory of World Cinema: Japan from Intellect, edited by John Berra (who, I'm pleased to learn, will be attending Nippon Connection). Already released in the UK and hitting North American stores on April 15th, it features reviews and essays on a number of different films, filmmakers and subjects from several contributors, including myself and fellow Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow writers Bob Turnbull and Matthew Hardstaff. You can currently obtain a free PDF download of the book at the provided link. I got my copy a few weeks ago, and can honestly say that it is quite nicely put together and should be a pretty spiffy volume for Japanese cinema fans to add to their bookshelves.


Here is some information about and links where you can purchase the Japan volume:

ISBN 9781841503356
Volume 1
Paperback 350 pages
240x170mm
Published February 2010
Imprint: Intellect

Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Intellect

Now, this book is part of a new series, the Directory of World Cinema, that will dedicate each volume to a different area of world cinema. I am currently contributing to the France volume, and some of the others being put together (and looking for other contributors) will look at Australia and New Zealand, Spain, Germany, Eastern Europe and many more areas of the world. Right now, you can download the American Independent volume (also edited by John Berra) for free right here.

Shinsedai Cinema Festival

Ladies and gents, there is a new film festival in Toronto.



My good friend Chris MaGee, founder of the Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow (to which I contribute on a regular basis), has just announced the Shinsedai Cinema Festival, which will run from August 21st-23rd. Co-programmed with Jasper Sharp of Midnight Eye, the festival will feature a slew of new films from Japan (many of which making their Canadian premieres here) screened at the Japanese Canadian Culture Centre in their brand new Kobayashi Hall, which can seat 450.


Those curious about the lineup can check it out here. It looks like quite a diverse bunch of fascinating new films to check out, and the fest is a great way to catch a first peek at the upcoming wave of talent fresh from Japan's shores (shinsedai translates as "new generation").

Be sure to give this fest a look come August!