Directing
Arashi mixes Japanese rock, Noh Masks and the weird volcanic landscapes of Sado Island in a radical reworking of The Tempest. In this Tempest the storm has gone badly wrong and ruined the island, Caliban is now in charge and Miranda has gone crazy. Prospero is missing, presumed dead. When a singer arrives on the island, exiled to the brutal prison that Caliban overseas, he escapes into the interior where he encounters a crazed older exile, and starts to become intrigued by the ancient Demon songs of the island. The singer tries to recreate the songs of the Demons, which he learns have the power to bring Spring back to the island, or once again to bring the terrible Storm
In Edo-era Japan, a ukiyo-e artist languishes in his master’s shadow. Creatively stifled, he finds consolation in the company of a prostitute, and becomes entangled in a love triangle. A mystery emerges involving two portraits and the sudden disappearance of the artist Sharaku. Helmed by Cannes-selected director Tatsuji Yamazaki, the film employs kabuki-inspired sequences and stylised sets.
Naomi, a seventeen year-old city brat from Nagoya, finds her world turned upside down after the breakup of her parents' marriage. Packed off to the country, she reluctantly works at her aunt's inn until being asked to care for Mrs. Koide, an aging relative with Alzheimer's disease. At first, Naomi dislikes looking after the old woman, but over the course of the summer, the two develop an extraordinary friendship that transcends age and experience. The debut feature from international filmmaker John Williams (Midnight Spin), Firefly Dreams stars veteran Japanese actress Yoshie Minami (Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru) and newcomer Maho Ukai in a critically acclaimed performance.
Office drone Arisu finds his own life imitating the mystery novels of his favourite writer when his wife disappears and he finds he is being pursued by a sinister figure in a rabbit suit.
North Cormorant Island begins as an observational documentary, following the everyday life of a remote Japanese fishing village on Sado island, observing the rituals, customs and work of the people who live there. But as the filmmaker spends more time in the village, people begin to talk about their lives, and he begins to reflect on his own childhood in his father’s village in Wales and to think about time, place, mortality and human relationships with the land and the sea.
Franz Kafka’s novel moved to today’s Japan
