Unique Movies and Arts Gathered Together! Announcing the Program of the 2nd Kyoto International Film and Art Festival
2015年9月7日(月) Report
Last year, the Kyoto International Film and Art Festival was relaunched to create a new movie culture, as a film festival inheriting the tradition and aspirations of the Kyoto Film Festival under the theme of “Movies, Art, and Everything Else.” The festival earned a great reputation because of a program covering art and movies, and the second edition will take place from Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th October at various places across Kyoto city, including Yoshimoto Gion Kagetsu. The program introducing screenings, exhibitions and events was announced on Monday 7th September.
Firstly, Kyoto City Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa gave the opening speech. Kadokawa said, “Kyoto is a holy place of Japanese movies and has been called the Hollywood in Asia. Former Rissei Elementary School Kyoto City is the place where the first movie screening in Japan was held.” He introduced the history of “the film city of Kyoto” and explained how Kyoto was selected as the no.1 city that people want to visit in the world in the last two years. “We believe that our work is a continuation and development, so our mission is creative activities with the recognition of the importance of traditions”, the mayor said.
Then Fukayuki Kimura, the CEO of Kyonoyoshimoto that is organizing the festival, appeared. He explained how the team discussed this year’s program to develop it further, and spoke of his aspirations; “We’d like to connect people to create the movie festival beloved as ‘film city Kyoto’.”
The President of Kyoto International Film and Art Festival Executive Committee
Sadao Nakajima next gave his greeting. He picked up the theme last year “Movies, Art, and Everything Else”, and commented “When we talk about the film history in Kyoto, especially about period dramas, we cannot ignore traditional handicrafts. With this point of view, I have made a documentary film ‘Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay’ and focused on how the traditional crafts have supported the film industry in Kyoto.”
Next, Kazuyoshi Okuyama, the producer of the festival, explained the festival program. He took examples such as opening premiere screening of “Memories”, a documentary film “We want to laugh (tentative name)” by Yuichi Kimura, and “Hee” in which Kaori Momoi was script writer, director and lead actor. “We would like to collect rare movies that you cannot see anywhere except Kyoto and let the festival find and help new artists. To use potential of Kyoto, I’d like to introduce avant-garde movies more in the future.”
Kenta Oka, the planner of art section appeared with a joke and said “I focused more about the integration between art and movies in this year.” Then he explained about the exhibition of display props of “Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay” by Sadao Nakajima. Also he mentioned about Theo Jansen’s gigantic artwork: “Strandbeest, ‘Animaris Siamesis’” which runs by itself using wind power at Kyoto City Hall Square.
The details of each section followed afterwards. In the Movie section, the “Special Screening in Kyoto” that shows documentary and non-fiction films was introduced. Then Shiro Mifune, Sadao Nakajima, Yuichi Kimura and Kiki Sugino came up to the stage. The chairman of the judges for the 2nd Toshiro Mifune Award, Shiro Mifune said, “It’s the 50 year anniversary since my father Toshiro Mifune won the Best Actor Awards twice in Venice Film Festival. So this year, the film ‘Red Beard’ will be showed in Venice and KIFF, please check it out.”
Kimura has interviewed 107 comedian groups as the director of “We Want to Laugh (tentative name)”. “I have started the interviews from February in 2013 and finally it has been completed yesterday. Showing personal issues usually hidden from the public, they reveal the “life” of an entertainer, frankly talking of the conflicts and pride they have in their work.”
Kiki Sugino, winner of the Best Actor and the Best New Creators Award at the 1st Creator’s Factory of Okinawa International Movie Festival in 2013, has a screening of her first film as a director “Kyoto Elegy”. “I have special feeling for Kyoto and think Kyoto is the holy place of films. In my films, sites or places only known by locals will appear, so I believe many people can enjoy it, not only Kyoto residents.”
In the art section, Shoji Murakami, Hiroki Furukawa, Seiji Hatta, and Naoki Matayoshi of comedian duo Peace introduced the exhibitions, events and art works at various venues. Shoji Murakami has an exhibition of ink brush paintings at Sohonzan Seiganji. He uses Japanese paper made of bamboo and created pieces using the theme of Kyoto.
Also Naoki Matayoshi will have an exhibition titled “Naoki Matayoshi and his world of literature” at the same venue. His novel, Hibana won the Akutagawa Award. Art relating to his work is exhibited for first time in Kansai area, including the painting “Imasuka”, which has decorated the cover of the book, painted by Miho Nishikawa, the calligraphy of four-character idiomatic compounds devised by Matayoshi and drawn by the calligrapher Syou U Tanaka, and other works that will help guests imagine the world of Matayoshi’s literature.
Finally there was a notice of the Creators Factory competition, with the aim of discovering and developing new talent in 3 categories: Entertainment Film, Art Section, and Art: Children’s Section. Taichi Kasuga, who is a specialist of film history and the director and judge of the Entertainment Film section commented; “We changed the name from Film Section to Entertainment Film one to divide it clearly from Art. We are looking for works to entertain the audience, and especially I’m looking forward to see at least one period drama.” Next, Kasuga, and designer Masaya Kushino who are judges of the Art Section: Children expressed his hopes to find new artists.
Actress Kaori Momoi and comedian Itsuji Itao were chosen to be ambassadors of the festival. Momoi sent a video message from Latvia where she is shooting her movie. She expressed her expectation that the festival create opportunities and support up and coming artists, and Itao who joined the last year’s festival, followed her comments and told the audience he will do his best.
At the end of the conference, Ikuyo Ima, a comedian from Kyoto appeared on stage. She shared her own memories related to movies and showed her determination to be a bridge of culture, film and comedy.
