Netflix will give a May launch to “Sanctuary,” a sports drama series set in the specialized world of Japanese sumo wrestling.
Produced by the Slowtide company for the streamer, the show follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice. He soon finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret.
Netflix pitches it as “a gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo, a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame, and power […] where some may find sanctuary with a history of more than 1,500 years in Japan’s traditional culture and as a religious ceremony.”
The show is directed by Eguchi Kan from a screenplay by Kanazawa Tomoki. The producer is Fujita Daisuke and the executive producer for Netflix Sakamoto Kaata. The show will upload from May 4.
The diverse cast includes Ichinose Wataru, Sometani Shota (“Themis”), Kutsuna Shioli (“Deadpool 2”), Taguchi Tomorowo,...
Produced by the Slowtide company for the streamer, the show follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice. He soon finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret.
Netflix pitches it as “a gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo, a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame, and power […] where some may find sanctuary with a history of more than 1,500 years in Japan’s traditional culture and as a religious ceremony.”
The show is directed by Eguchi Kan from a screenplay by Kanazawa Tomoki. The producer is Fujita Daisuke and the executive producer for Netflix Sakamoto Kaata. The show will upload from May 4.
The diverse cast includes Ichinose Wataru, Sometani Shota (“Themis”), Kutsuna Shioli (“Deadpool 2”), Taguchi Tomorowo,...
- 3/29/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese film producer Umekawa Haruo has been accused of sexual harassment in a report by Bunshun Online, a sister site of the Shukan Bunshun weekly tabloid publication.
According to a shortened web version of a longer story that is set to appear in print, Umekawa has pressured actresses for sexual favors in exchange for being cast in his films.
The veteran producer has been active since the 1990s and is an associate of cult director Sono Sion. On Monday, Sono was accused of being sexual harassment by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site.
Umekawa’s credits include the 1990 indie drama “Swimming Upstream,” Sono’s 2008 international festival hit “Love Exposure” and his 2011 drama “Themis.” Umekawa’s most recent credit is Netflix’s lesbian-themed road movie “Ride or Die.”
The multiple accusations against prominent figures appear to suggest that the #MeToo movement has belatedly arrived in Japan, where the...
According to a shortened web version of a longer story that is set to appear in print, Umekawa has pressured actresses for sexual favors in exchange for being cast in his films.
The veteran producer has been active since the 1990s and is an associate of cult director Sono Sion. On Monday, Sono was accused of being sexual harassment by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site.
Umekawa’s credits include the 1990 indie drama “Swimming Upstream,” Sono’s 2008 international festival hit “Love Exposure” and his 2011 drama “Themis.” Umekawa’s most recent credit is Netflix’s lesbian-themed road movie “Ride or Die.”
The multiple accusations against prominent figures appear to suggest that the #MeToo movement has belatedly arrived in Japan, where the...
- 4/6/2022
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Written by Dan Slott, Mark Waid | Art by John Romita Jr., Paul Renauld | Published by Titan Comics
I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been woefully neglectful when it comes to reviewing Fantastic Four books. It’s odd, as I really like the characters a lot. I still think the John Byrne years are the absolute pinnacle, but there’s been a few highpoints since. Anyway, I couldn’t not review this book, celebrating 60 years of the World’s Greatest Comic Book. Yep, Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny first appeared in Fantastic Four issue 1, cover dated November 1961, meaning it was on newsstands right about now. Pixar will tell you what a great idea it was to have a family with super powers, and Stan Lee always felt it was a stroke of genius by him to have them based on the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been woefully neglectful when it comes to reviewing Fantastic Four books. It’s odd, as I really like the characters a lot. I still think the John Byrne years are the absolute pinnacle, but there’s been a few highpoints since. Anyway, I couldn’t not review this book, celebrating 60 years of the World’s Greatest Comic Book. Yep, Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny first appeared in Fantastic Four issue 1, cover dated November 1961, meaning it was on newsstands right about now. Pixar will tell you what a great idea it was to have a family with super powers, and Stan Lee always felt it was a stroke of genius by him to have them based on the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.
- 9/16/2021
- by Dean Fuller
- Nerdly
Carlos Saura, Vittorio Storaro’s ‘The King of All the World’ Closes France With Eurozoom (Exclusive)
Paris-based Eurozoom has snapped up French distribution rights to “The King of All the World,” a musical drama directed by “Carmen’s” Carlos Saura and lit by “Apocalypse Now” cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.
The deal follows on a private screening of “The King…” by sales agent Latido Films, held for European distributors in a Madrid cinema theater. Eurozoom plans a theatrical release for “The King…,” Saura’s first fiction drama since 1998’s Oscar-nominated “Tango,” at 100 locations in France.
Having held back from showing “The King…” at the Pre-Cannes Screenings, Latido will introduce the musical to more buyers at its cinema theater market premiere at Cannes.
“This is a film to be enjoyed on a big screen, and then re-thought on a smaller one. But first in cinema,” said Latido Films CEO Antonio Saura.
“When you have the talent of Vittorio Storaro, incredible music, some of the finest actors in Mexico and Spain,...
The deal follows on a private screening of “The King…” by sales agent Latido Films, held for European distributors in a Madrid cinema theater. Eurozoom plans a theatrical release for “The King…,” Saura’s first fiction drama since 1998’s Oscar-nominated “Tango,” at 100 locations in France.
Having held back from showing “The King…” at the Pre-Cannes Screenings, Latido will introduce the musical to more buyers at its cinema theater market premiere at Cannes.
“This is a film to be enjoyed on a big screen, and then re-thought on a smaller one. But first in cinema,” said Latido Films CEO Antonio Saura.
“When you have the talent of Vittorio Storaro, incredible music, some of the finest actors in Mexico and Spain,...
- 6/30/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
NomadlandBEST PICTUREThe FatherJudas and the Black MessiahMank (Review)MinariNomadland (Review) — WINNERPromising Young WomanSound of Metal (Review)The Trial of the Chicago 7Actor In A Leading ROLERiz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) (Review)Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)Anthony Hopkins (The Father) — WINNERGary Oldman (Mank) (Review)Steven Yeun (Minari)Actress In A Leading ROLECarey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)Frances McDormand (Nomadland) (Review) — WINNERVanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) (Review)Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)Actor In A Supporting ROLESacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7)Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) — WINNERLeslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami) (Review)Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) (Review)Lakeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)Actress In A Supporting ROLEMaria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy)Olivia Colman (The Father)Amanda Seyfried (Mank) (Review)Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari) — Winneranimated Feature FILMOnwardOver...
- 4/26/2021
- MUBI
Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas and singer, songwriter, and actor Nick Jonas announced the 93rd Oscars® nominations today (March 15), live from London, via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed, and broadcast media.
Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.
Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...
Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.
Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...
- 3/15/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions has partnered with newly formed outfit NoneMore Productions to produce an adaptation of Charlie Mackesy’s illustrated book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.”
The 30-minute short will feature hand-drawn animation capturing the look and spirit of the book, and will see a team of artists work alongside Mackesy to bring the project to the big screen.
The book tells the tale of a young boy who encounters a mole, a fox and a horse on a walk in the countryside, sharing with each of them profound conversations about love, life and companionship.
Mackesy teamed with “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” producer Cara Speller to form NoneMore Productions to extend the world of Mackesy’s book into new media. NoneMore will work with the author and additional partners to develop his stories for film, television and other formats.
Abrams and Bad Robot...
The 30-minute short will feature hand-drawn animation capturing the look and spirit of the book, and will see a team of artists work alongside Mackesy to bring the project to the big screen.
The book tells the tale of a young boy who encounters a mole, a fox and a horse on a walk in the countryside, sharing with each of them profound conversations about love, life and companionship.
Mackesy teamed with “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” producer Cara Speller to form NoneMore Productions to extend the world of Mackesy’s book into new media. NoneMore will work with the author and additional partners to develop his stories for film, television and other formats.
Abrams and Bad Robot...
- 12/16/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Films about various kinds of dystopias have been one of the recent trends of international cinema, although the Japanese have indulged in the genre for decades now, particularly through anime, although live action films have also had their share. Kenichi Ugana gives a go in the category in his sophomore feature, in a film that left me with mixed feelings. Let us take things from the beginning though.
Good -Bye Silence is available through Article Films
The story takes place in a futuristic Japan, where the “Pleasure Law” prohibiting any kind of entertainment, including novels, movies, and music is in effect. Furthermore, the police punish any who indulge in any kind of entertainment with immediate death, with Sugimura, a particularly violent cop being the enforcer of the police in the city the film takes place.
In this setting, boredom is one of the most common ailments, and the two protagonists,...
Good -Bye Silence is available through Article Films
The story takes place in a futuristic Japan, where the “Pleasure Law” prohibiting any kind of entertainment, including novels, movies, and music is in effect. Furthermore, the police punish any who indulge in any kind of entertainment with immediate death, with Sugimura, a particularly violent cop being the enforcer of the police in the city the film takes place.
In this setting, boredom is one of the most common ailments, and the two protagonists,...
- 2/4/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Japanese drama recently premiered at Osaka Asian Film Festival.
Japan’s Stardust Pictures (Sdp) Inc. has sold Parks, directed by Natsuki Seta(A Liar And A Broken Girl, A Letter From Elsewhere), to mainland China (Time-in-Portrait Entertainment), Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures), Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment), South Korea (Entermode), Thailand (Starlings) and worldwide in-flight (Encore Inflight Entertainment).
Set in and around Tokyo’s Inokashira Park, the drama stars Ai Hashimoto (Little Forest), Mei Nagano (Peach Girl) and Shota Sometani (Himizu) in a story about a girl who sets out to find a woman mentioned in a love letter written by her late father. Clues lead her to two other millennial friends and a damaged tape of a love song which they try to recreate.
Entermode CEO Bruce D. Lee says Parks is “a good and heartwarming movie, like a Japanese version of La La Land”, while Encore CEO Jovita Toh says, “Parks is a beautiful...
Japan’s Stardust Pictures (Sdp) Inc. has sold Parks, directed by Natsuki Seta(A Liar And A Broken Girl, A Letter From Elsewhere), to mainland China (Time-in-Portrait Entertainment), Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures), Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment), South Korea (Entermode), Thailand (Starlings) and worldwide in-flight (Encore Inflight Entertainment).
Set in and around Tokyo’s Inokashira Park, the drama stars Ai Hashimoto (Little Forest), Mei Nagano (Peach Girl) and Shota Sometani (Himizu) in a story about a girl who sets out to find a woman mentioned in a love letter written by her late father. Clues lead her to two other millennial friends and a damaged tape of a love song which they try to recreate.
Entermode CEO Bruce D. Lee says Parks is “a good and heartwarming movie, like a Japanese version of La La Land”, while Encore CEO Jovita Toh says, “Parks is a beautiful...
- 3/12/2017
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
North America’s largest festival of new Japanese cinema, and pound-for-pound one of the most consistently rewarding film festivals on the planet, Japan Cuts grows more vital with every passing year. In part, that’s because Manhattan’s Japan Society has done a stellar job of cultivating a local audience, pouring resources into the annual celebration, and programming their slates in a way that appeals equally to cinephiles, otaku, and people who just want to see a movie about a guy who falls in love with his goldfish.
Unfortunately, Japan Cuts also grows more vital with every passing year because the domestic market for foreign film is withering away at a terrible rate, lowering the odds that you’ll ever get a second chance at seeing any of these exhilarating dispatches from the Land of the Rising Sun on the big screen.
This year’s fest, which runs from July...
Unfortunately, Japan Cuts also grows more vital with every passing year because the domestic market for foreign film is withering away at a terrible rate, lowering the odds that you’ll ever get a second chance at seeing any of these exhilarating dispatches from the Land of the Rising Sun on the big screen.
This year’s fest, which runs from July...
- 7/14/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Fumi Nikaido will receive the inaugural Screen International Rising Star Award at the 13th New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), set to run from June 27-July 14.
The festival will open with the international premiere of Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s crime thriller Overheard 3 and close with the North American premiere of Park Chan-kyong’s documentary Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits.
The previously announced North American premiere of Umin Boya’s period baseball epic Kano is the Centerpiece Presentation.
Taiwan’s Jimmy Wong Yu will collect the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Star Asia Award will go to Hong Kong’s Sandra Ng and South Korea’s Sol Kyung-gu.
The roster features a spotlight on local Hong Kong cinema called Hong Kong Forever!, a Sir Run Run Shaw Tribute and a focus on South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae.
Overall the Nyaff will present 60 features, among them Lou Ye’s Blind Massage, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s My Man...
The festival will open with the international premiere of Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s crime thriller Overheard 3 and close with the North American premiere of Park Chan-kyong’s documentary Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits.
The previously announced North American premiere of Umin Boya’s period baseball epic Kano is the Centerpiece Presentation.
Taiwan’s Jimmy Wong Yu will collect the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Star Asia Award will go to Hong Kong’s Sandra Ng and South Korea’s Sol Kyung-gu.
The roster features a spotlight on local Hong Kong cinema called Hong Kong Forever!, a Sir Run Run Shaw Tribute and a focus on South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae.
Overall the Nyaff will present 60 features, among them Lou Ye’s Blind Massage, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s My Man...
- 6/3/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Fumi Nikaido will receive the inaugural Screen International Rising Star Award at the 13th New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), set to run from June 27-July 14.
The festival will open with the international premiere of Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s crime thriller Overheard 3 and close with the North American premiere of Park Chan-kyong’s documentary Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits.
The previously announced North American premiere of Umin Boya’s period baseball epic Kano is the Centerpiece Presentation.
Taiwan’s Jimmy Wong Yu will collect the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Star Asia Award will go to Hong Kong’s Sandra Ng and South Korea’s Sol Kyung-gu.
The roster features a spotlight on local Hong Kong cinema called Hong Kong Forever!, a Sir Run Run Shaw Tribute and a focus on South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae.
Overall the Nyaff will present 60 features, among them Lou Ye’s Blind Massage, Kazuaki Kumakiri...
The festival will open with the international premiere of Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s crime thriller Overheard 3 and close with the North American premiere of Park Chan-kyong’s documentary Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits.
The previously announced North American premiere of Umin Boya’s period baseball epic Kano is the Centerpiece Presentation.
Taiwan’s Jimmy Wong Yu will collect the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Star Asia Award will go to Hong Kong’s Sandra Ng and South Korea’s Sol Kyung-gu.
The roster features a spotlight on local Hong Kong cinema called Hong Kong Forever!, a Sir Run Run Shaw Tribute and a focus on South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae.
Overall the Nyaff will present 60 features, among them Lou Ye’s Blind Massage, Kazuaki Kumakiri...
- 6/3/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Suffer the Children: Sono’s Social Dystopia a Melancholy Landscape
It appears that 2014 will be a year that sees a flood of Sion Sono’s back catalogue finally hitting Us theaters. A pair of 2011 titles will be released concurrently from Olive films, the cap of his hate trilogy, Guilty of Romance, and the more substantially impressive, Himizu, a manga adaptation updated to reflect the devastation of post-tsunami Japan. The flood continues with the release of one of Sono’s most restrained films ever with The Land of Hope, which closely examines a family in a fictionalized district directly affected by nuclear radiation. While Hope plays sort of like an update of Shohei Imamura’s Black Rain (1988), it’s a far cry from the desperate rage imploding the societal core clearly on display here. And while, by Sono’s standards, it seems just conservative enough with its violence to convey a...
It appears that 2014 will be a year that sees a flood of Sion Sono’s back catalogue finally hitting Us theaters. A pair of 2011 titles will be released concurrently from Olive films, the cap of his hate trilogy, Guilty of Romance, and the more substantially impressive, Himizu, a manga adaptation updated to reflect the devastation of post-tsunami Japan. The flood continues with the release of one of Sono’s most restrained films ever with The Land of Hope, which closely examines a family in a fictionalized district directly affected by nuclear radiation. While Hope plays sort of like an update of Shohei Imamura’s Black Rain (1988), it’s a far cry from the desperate rage imploding the societal core clearly on display here. And while, by Sono’s standards, it seems just conservative enough with its violence to convey a...
- 3/14/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Himizu
Directed by Shion Sono
Written by Shion Sono
2011, Japan
Acclaimed director Shion Sono may still be fresh off the debut of his Guilty Of Romance, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, but only four months later, he is back again. This time around, Sono brings an adaption of Minoru Furuya’s psychological thriller manga Himizu, a twisted tale of a middle-school boy’s state of mind and how he deals with stressful situations. The good news is, Sono’s latest most resembles his four hour long countercultural romantic masterpiece, Love Exposure. The bad news is a good portion of the film’s running time is played at an almost unbearable high volume, with most of the cast shouting their dialogue. Needless to say, either bring some ear plugs or sit far away from the loudspeakers.
Originally conceived as a straightforward adaptation, Sono altered the script to include the...
Directed by Shion Sono
Written by Shion Sono
2011, Japan
Acclaimed director Shion Sono may still be fresh off the debut of his Guilty Of Romance, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, but only four months later, he is back again. This time around, Sono brings an adaption of Minoru Furuya’s psychological thriller manga Himizu, a twisted tale of a middle-school boy’s state of mind and how he deals with stressful situations. The good news is, Sono’s latest most resembles his four hour long countercultural romantic masterpiece, Love Exposure. The bad news is a good portion of the film’s running time is played at an almost unbearable high volume, with most of the cast shouting their dialogue. Needless to say, either bring some ear plugs or sit far away from the loudspeakers.
Originally conceived as a straightforward adaptation, Sono altered the script to include the...
- 3/12/2014
- by Ricky da Conceição
- SoundOnSight
We always look forward to news of a new Sion Sono release, so colour us happy that Third Window Films has announced the arrival of The Land of Hope on U.K. shores. Prolific director Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Himizu) departs from his usual style for this movingly restrained drama of a rural family's struggle to survive in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and the resulting nuclear crisis. Starring Isao Natsuyagi (My Way) and Naoko Otani (Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters), special features include an entertaining 70 minute 'Making of' documentary. The Land of Hope arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray August 26th, 2013. We'll be reviewing it very shortly... Synopsis: In the fictional Nagashima prefecture, Yoichi Ono (Jun Murakami) lives a peaceful life with his wife Izumi (Megumi Kagurazaka), and his parents Yasuhiko (Isao Natsuyagi) and Chieko (Nakok Otani), on the family's small farm. One day, an earthquake disrupts the calm,...
- 8/21/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
What in the heck is going on in this?! Blood-splattered walls, cameras, crews, samurai fights, all packed into a Wtf 30-second teaser trailer. There's a new film from Japanese filmmaker Shion Sono (Ai, Suicide Club, Hazard, Love Exposure, Cold Fish, Lords of Chaos, The Land of Hope) called Why Don't You Play in Hell?, that he has described as "an action film about the love of 35mm." Or something like that. The movie stars Sakaguchi Tak and Kunimura Jun. This is a short teaser, but has some insanely weird, psychadelic shots in it. Including what seems to be a river of blood that some woman is sliding down like a slip 'n slide. Here's the first teaser for Shion Sono's Why Don't You Play in Hell?, found by Bloody-Disgusting: Why Don't You Play in Hell? is written and directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker Shion Sono (Ai, Bicycle Sighs, Suicide Club,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Japan Syndrome: Sono Puts Human Face to Tsunami Tragedy
The prolific and insanely busy Sion Sono returns with another tale centered on the aftermath of Japan’s devastating tsunami, The Land of Hope. While his last film, Himizu focused on two teenagers eking out a dystopic existence in their post-tsunami world, this latest is based on a family’s true story of survival in the aftermath of the nuclear reactor explosion. At times a tad overly sentimental, especially in the context of Sono’s own dark and challenging oeuvre, this is a mostly winning experience, perhaps best as a document of the ravaged landscape that still has yet to be revitalized even a year later, when this was filmed.
Sono gives us a fictional location, the Nagashima prefecture, a small town butted up against a nuclear power plant. Yoichi Ono (Jun Murakami) and his wife Izumi (Megumi Kagurazaka) lead...
The prolific and insanely busy Sion Sono returns with another tale centered on the aftermath of Japan’s devastating tsunami, The Land of Hope. While his last film, Himizu focused on two teenagers eking out a dystopic existence in their post-tsunami world, this latest is based on a family’s true story of survival in the aftermath of the nuclear reactor explosion. At times a tad overly sentimental, especially in the context of Sono’s own dark and challenging oeuvre, this is a mostly winning experience, perhaps best as a document of the ravaged landscape that still has yet to be revitalized even a year later, when this was filmed.
Sono gives us a fictional location, the Nagashima prefecture, a small town butted up against a nuclear power plant. Yoichi Ono (Jun Murakami) and his wife Izumi (Megumi Kagurazaka) lead...
- 9/17/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Last week saw a great handful of international releases make their way onto our shelves, with Shion Sono’s Himizu and David and Stéphane Foenkinos’ Delicacy topping the list. And this week brings us another excellent set of international films for our enjoyment, along with a handful of classics getting the HD treatment.
We’ve also been enjoying the special Blu-ray Steelbook releases from Play.com over the past few months, in tandem with Universal’s 100th Anniversary, and now Paramount are entering the fray with two titles of their own getting a Steelbook re-packaging, for their own Centenary celebrations.
My picks of the week:
Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters.
And the Blu-ray releases of Shion Sono’s Love Exposure & the Steven Spielberg-produced Falling Skies – Season 1.
Headhunters Iframe Embed for Youtube
DVD and Blu-ray
Acclaimed and best-selling Norweign writer Jo Nesbø has had a very successful year, with not one...
We’ve also been enjoying the special Blu-ray Steelbook releases from Play.com over the past few months, in tandem with Universal’s 100th Anniversary, and now Paramount are entering the fray with two titles of their own getting a Steelbook re-packaging, for their own Centenary celebrations.
My picks of the week:
Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters.
And the Blu-ray releases of Shion Sono’s Love Exposure & the Steven Spielberg-produced Falling Skies – Season 1.
Headhunters Iframe Embed for Youtube
DVD and Blu-ray
Acclaimed and best-selling Norweign writer Jo Nesbø has had a very successful year, with not one...
- 8/13/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Himizu
Stars: Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô, Tetsu Watanabe | Written and Directed by Shion Sono
When we are teenagers as much as we don’t want to admit it we need our parents. Whether it’s to look up to them or revile them for what they do they still help to shape our view of the world and set us on the road to what will be our own life. In Himizu though Shion Song looks at what happens when there is no road to the future, when the earthquake in Japan has taken away a boys hope to the point of losing who he is.
Sumida is a fourteen year old boy who believes he does not look to the future, he just lives for the now and expects nothing from life but hatred and abuse from his parents. He feels he needs nobody and walks through life giving...
Stars: Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô, Tetsu Watanabe | Written and Directed by Shion Sono
When we are teenagers as much as we don’t want to admit it we need our parents. Whether it’s to look up to them or revile them for what they do they still help to shape our view of the world and set us on the road to what will be our own life. In Himizu though Shion Song looks at what happens when there is no road to the future, when the earthquake in Japan has taken away a boys hope to the point of losing who he is.
Sumida is a fourteen year old boy who believes he does not look to the future, he just lives for the now and expects nothing from life but hatred and abuse from his parents. He feels he needs nobody and walks through life giving...
- 8/9/2012
- by Pzomb
- Nerdly
Following last week’s release of The Players, with Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) co-starring in the lead, we have a handful of new international films reaching the shelves this week, with three more films from France and two from Asia leading the pack.
We’ve also got a few excellent films to add to Play.com’s exclusive new Blu-ray Steelbook releases, in tandem with Universal’s 100th Anniversary, so with that in mind:
My picks of the week:
Shion Sono’s Himizu & David and Stéphane Foenkinos’ Delicacy
With the Blu-ray Steelbook re-release of Serenity a must-buy for fans/collectors.
Himizu Iframe Embed for Youtube
DVD and Blu-ray
Debuting at the Venice Film Festival last year, where it came away with the Marcello Mastroianni Award, Shion Sono’s Himizu has been receiving critical acclaim ever since in its film festivals tour ever since. The film was given a limited...
We’ve also got a few excellent films to add to Play.com’s exclusive new Blu-ray Steelbook releases, in tandem with Universal’s 100th Anniversary, so with that in mind:
My picks of the week:
Shion Sono’s Himizu & David and Stéphane Foenkinos’ Delicacy
With the Blu-ray Steelbook re-release of Serenity a must-buy for fans/collectors.
Himizu Iframe Embed for Youtube
DVD and Blu-ray
Debuting at the Venice Film Festival last year, where it came away with the Marcello Mastroianni Award, Shion Sono’s Himizu has been receiving critical acclaim ever since in its film festivals tour ever since. The film was given a limited...
- 8/6/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Himizu; Revenge of the Electric Car; Delicacy
The word "maverick" is overused in modern film criticism, but Japanese avant-garde performance-poet-turned-director Sion Sono is one of the few film-makers to whom the term can be applied without fear of contradiction. From early experimental shorts such as I Am Sion Sono!!, through edgy international breakthrough features such as Suicide Club and Exte: Hair Extensions, to more recent releases such as Cold Fish and Guilty of Romance, Sono has conjured a baffling body of work spanning arthouse invention, Manga-inflected fantasy, violently explicit comedy and thought-provoking horror.
His 2008 magnum opus Love Exposure (the first instalment of his Hate Trilogy) is one of the most genuinely peculiar and unexpectedly indefinable movies I have ever seen – a tale of religious guilt, family feuds, young love, ancient curses, sinister cults, industrial pornography, covert cross-dressing and martial-arts-inspired "peek-a-panty" photography. At once insanely ramshackle yet obsessively focused, this head-scrambling...
The word "maverick" is overused in modern film criticism, but Japanese avant-garde performance-poet-turned-director Sion Sono is one of the few film-makers to whom the term can be applied without fear of contradiction. From early experimental shorts such as I Am Sion Sono!!, through edgy international breakthrough features such as Suicide Club and Exte: Hair Extensions, to more recent releases such as Cold Fish and Guilty of Romance, Sono has conjured a baffling body of work spanning arthouse invention, Manga-inflected fantasy, violently explicit comedy and thought-provoking horror.
His 2008 magnum opus Love Exposure (the first instalment of his Hate Trilogy) is one of the most genuinely peculiar and unexpectedly indefinable movies I have ever seen – a tale of religious guilt, family feuds, young love, ancient curses, sinister cults, industrial pornography, covert cross-dressing and martial-arts-inspired "peek-a-panty" photography. At once insanely ramshackle yet obsessively focused, this head-scrambling...
- 8/6/2012
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Japanese auteur, poet and cult favourite director Sono Sion (“Love Exposure”) returns with “Himizu” (which translates as ‘mole’), another tale of disaffected youth and brutal murder. Originally based on the manga of the same name by Minoru Furuya, the script was updated by Sono to reflect the disaster which struck the country on 11th March 2011, giving the film a post-apocalyptic look and feel. As with most of the director’s outings, the film is a darkly lyrical affair, and one which stands out all the more for the fact that it manages to find humanity and even an odd kind of hope amongst the rubble and violence. The film enjoyed a successful run at international festivals, screening in competition at Venice just 6 months after the tragedy, where its lead stars Shota Sometani (“Life Back Then”) and Fumi Nikaido received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor and Actress.
- 7/19/2012
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
The Angels' Share (15)
(Ken Loach, 2012, UK/Fra) Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Roger Allam, William Ruane. 101 mins
If anyone can cut it at Cannes, Ken can, and this recent surprise Jury Prize-winner sees Loach doing what he does so well: dignifying ordinary lives and chronicling social history as it happens. The tone is a little lighter this time, though, as we follow a violent young offender's potentially fruitful encounter with the whisky industry, thus bringing together the best and worst of Scotland.
Prometheus (15)
(Ridley Scott, 2012, Us) Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron. 124 mins
With all the zealous promotion and yet tight secrecy, this long-awaited Alien prequel couldn't live up to fans' expectations, could it? There's no way of telling at the time of writing, so let's just say it'll be a brilliant triumph, and a complete disaster.
The Turin Horse (15)
(Béla Tarr, 2011, Hun/Fra/Ger/Swi/Us) János Derszi,...
(Ken Loach, 2012, UK/Fra) Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Roger Allam, William Ruane. 101 mins
If anyone can cut it at Cannes, Ken can, and this recent surprise Jury Prize-winner sees Loach doing what he does so well: dignifying ordinary lives and chronicling social history as it happens. The tone is a little lighter this time, though, as we follow a violent young offender's potentially fruitful encounter with the whisky industry, thus bringing together the best and worst of Scotland.
Prometheus (15)
(Ridley Scott, 2012, Us) Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron. 124 mins
With all the zealous promotion and yet tight secrecy, this long-awaited Alien prequel couldn't live up to fans' expectations, could it? There's no way of telling at the time of writing, so let's just say it'll be a brilliant triumph, and a complete disaster.
The Turin Horse (15)
(Béla Tarr, 2011, Hun/Fra/Ger/Swi/Us) János Derszi,...
- 6/1/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Himizu quickly rushes to cement itself in our minds with a powerful opening portion, displaying the grim devastation of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March of last year. With a filmography that is littered with controversial gems like Suicide Circle and, more recently, Cold Fish, this is the sort of confronting work we should expect from director Shion Sono, but most interestingly, the manga upon which it is based predates the disaster by a full decade. Ingeniously imbuing the source material with a completely new context, Sono has crafted an uneven but worthwhile look at survival – both physical and spiritual – in light of grave circumstances.
There are no sound stages here, just the depressing reality of people sifting through the wreckage of their homes and indeed, their lives. This authentic footage is mixed into the drama unfolding between students Sumida (Shôta Sometani) and Keiko (Fumi Nikaidô), both who are neglected,...
Himizu quickly rushes to cement itself in our minds with a powerful opening portion, displaying the grim devastation of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March of last year. With a filmography that is littered with controversial gems like Suicide Circle and, more recently, Cold Fish, this is the sort of confronting work we should expect from director Shion Sono, but most interestingly, the manga upon which it is based predates the disaster by a full decade. Ingeniously imbuing the source material with a completely new context, Sono has crafted an uneven but worthwhile look at survival – both physical and spiritual – in light of grave circumstances.
There are no sound stages here, just the depressing reality of people sifting through the wreckage of their homes and indeed, their lives. This authentic footage is mixed into the drama unfolding between students Sumida (Shôta Sometani) and Keiko (Fumi Nikaidô), both who are neglected,...
- 6/1/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Director: Sion Sono. Review: Adam Wing. If you thought Sion Sono might fancy a change of pace after disturbing the world with the likes of Cold Fish and Guilty of Romance you’ve got it all wrong. Himizu starts life as a teen romance but soon descends into bitterness, violence and madness. Sono had just finished adapting the hugely popular manga ‘Himizu’ into a screenplay when the largest earthquake in recorded history struck the coast of Japan. He put the project on hold to help with the volunteer effort in Fukushima, and as a result, changed the setting of his story in order to show the world what happened. Sumida (Shota Sometani) and his schoolmate Chazawa (Fumi Nikaido) are 15-year-old school kids living a dystopian existence. Sumida wants to live an ordinary life ‘quietly like a mole’, and Chazawa dreams of living with the man she loves, believing that they...
- 5/23/2012
- 24framespersecond.net
Ezra Miller May Star In Film About Norwegian Black Metal Band Mayhem From Japanese Helmer Shion Sono
In only a few short years, 19-year-old Ezra Miller has become something of a poster child for American independent film. The young actor has had his flirtations with the mainstream -- he appeared on "Californication" and on "Royal Pains," and was courted by Warner Bros for "Akira" before the project fell apart. But for the most part, since his breakthrough in Antonio Campos' "Afterschool," he's been leaning on the independent side of the fence, with projects including "City Island," "We Need To Talk About Kevin" and the upcoming duo of "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" and "Madame Bovary." And he looks to continue in that vein, announcing that he's in discussions with one of international cinema's most uncompromising filmmakers for a picture with fascinating subject matter.
In an interview with Vulture, Miller says that he's met with Japanese helmer Shion Sono ("Love Exposure," "Cold Fish") about the possibility of collaborating on a project.
In an interview with Vulture, Miller says that he's met with Japanese helmer Shion Sono ("Love Exposure," "Cold Fish") about the possibility of collaborating on a project.
- 5/22/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Today more cast members were announced for Takashi Miike’s upcoming psychological thriller, Aku no Kyoten (Lesson of the Evil).
Most notably, Fumi Nikaido and Shota Sometani will once again appear together as students after co-starring in Shion Sono’s Himizu last year. The pair took home Marcello Mastroianni Awards for Best New Actor and Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival back in September for their respective performances.
Other cast additions include fellow Venice veterans Kento Hayashi and Takayuki Yamada.
“Aku no Kyoten” will star Hideaki Ito, who typically plays heroic characters, as an evil teacher named Seiji Hasumi who murders his students to make his life easier.
The roles of the four new cast additions have also all been revealed. Nikaido will play Reika Katagiri, a student who quickly becomes suspicious of Hasumi. Sometani will play Keisuke Hayami, who Reika suspects of being the ringleader of the cheaters in school.
Most notably, Fumi Nikaido and Shota Sometani will once again appear together as students after co-starring in Shion Sono’s Himizu last year. The pair took home Marcello Mastroianni Awards for Best New Actor and Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival back in September for their respective performances.
Other cast additions include fellow Venice veterans Kento Hayashi and Takayuki Yamada.
“Aku no Kyoten” will star Hideaki Ito, who typically plays heroic characters, as an evil teacher named Seiji Hasumi who murders his students to make his life easier.
The roles of the four new cast additions have also all been revealed. Nikaido will play Reika Katagiri, a student who quickly becomes suspicious of Hasumi. Sometani will play Keisuke Hayami, who Reika suspects of being the ringleader of the cheaters in school.
- 5/10/2012
- Nippon Cinema
After an impressive appearance at the 68th Venice Film Festival (the film’s young leads, Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor and Actress), Sion Sono’s “Himizu” continues its winning streak at the 4th Terracotta Far East Film Festival over the weekend. The film, about two teenagers in post-tsunami Japan who embark on a campaign of violence against evil wrong doers, took the fest’s Audience Award. Sion Sono’s, Himizu picks up the Audience Award at the 4th annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival, London. Legendary Japanese actor Denden, who gave a Q&A after the film, accepted the Award on behalf of the director at the Closing Drinks. Joey Leung, Festival Director says: “I am very glad that Sion Sono is gaining such recognition now in the UK and proud to have Himizu as the Closing Film to this year’s festival.
- 4/16/2012
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
The headline says it all, really. The Terracotta Far East Film Festival has wrapped up and Sion Sono's Himizu has taken the audience award.Terracotta Festival Announces Audience Award Winner 2012Sion Sono's, Himizu picks up the Audience Award at the 4th annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival, London.Legendary Japanese actor Denden, who gave a Q&A after the film, accepted the Award on behalf of the director at the Closing Drinks.Joey Leung, Festival Director says: "I am very glad that Sion Sono is gaining such recognition now in the UK and proud to have Himizu as the Closing Film to this year's festival."Third Window Films will release Himizu 1st June in the UK....
- 4/16/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Last year, director Shion Sono chose to film his live-action adaptation of Himizu in an area devastated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, incorporating the effects of disaster into the story. With his next film, The Land of Hope, he’s going a step further by making a human drama about a family living within the evacuation radius of a damaged nuclear power plant during the disaster.
It was previously known that the story would focus on three primary couples played by Isao Natsuyagi, Naoko Otani, Jun Murakami, Megumi Kagurazaka, Yutaka Shimizu, and Hikari Kajiwara—with Denden playing someone with important ties to the main family. Today it was revealed that Daikichi Sugawara, Takashi Yamanaka, and Kenzo Kawarazaki would also star.
Additionally, the film will boast a fairly large cast of established actors in smaller supporting roles including Yusuke Iseya, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Fusako Urabe, Gitan Ohtsuru, Satoshi Matsuo, Shiro Namiki,...
It was previously known that the story would focus on three primary couples played by Isao Natsuyagi, Naoko Otani, Jun Murakami, Megumi Kagurazaka, Yutaka Shimizu, and Hikari Kajiwara—with Denden playing someone with important ties to the main family. Today it was revealed that Daikichi Sugawara, Takashi Yamanaka, and Kenzo Kawarazaki would also star.
Additionally, the film will boast a fairly large cast of established actors in smaller supporting roles including Yusuke Iseya, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Fusako Urabe, Gitan Ohtsuru, Satoshi Matsuo, Shiro Namiki,...
- 4/4/2012
- Nippon Cinema
The 4th annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival is set to run April 12th -15th and will once again be hosted by PrinceCharles Cinema in the heart of London’s Chinatown.
With a stunning line-up of films hand-picked from the best of the region, encompassing diverse genres from comedy to drama to horror and everything in between, the festival will continue to hold exclusive Q&As, masterclasses and fabulous parties.
Each year the festival strives to improve on last year and to discover new talent: last year, the programme included a little known indie-comedy from China, Red Light Revolution, which ended winning the festival Audience Award.
This year, there will be a focus on Taiwan, given the strength of output in recent years. Most cineastes will be familiar with the works of Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Ang Lee already and Terracotta Festival are delighted to host the...
With a stunning line-up of films hand-picked from the best of the region, encompassing diverse genres from comedy to drama to horror and everything in between, the festival will continue to hold exclusive Q&As, masterclasses and fabulous parties.
Each year the festival strives to improve on last year and to discover new talent: last year, the programme included a little known indie-comedy from China, Red Light Revolution, which ended winning the festival Audience Award.
This year, there will be a focus on Taiwan, given the strength of output in recent years. Most cineastes will be familiar with the works of Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Ang Lee already and Terracotta Festival are delighted to host the...
- 4/4/2012
- by Tiger33
- AsianMoviePulse
Cold Fish and Suicide Club helmer Sono Sion incorporated elements of March’s tragic Tōhoku tsunami into his acclaimed Himizu, a film that hit about only six months after the occurrence. With that film complete, THR tells us that he’s now centering his next project, Land of Hope, around the ensuing panic of an event similar to the Fukushima nuclear plant incident.
But this is the real deal. Doing some online-based research for a historical topic is the norm among filmmakers these days, yet Sion claims to have snuck “into the nuclear exclusion zone around Fukushima to research the film,” while also “trying to find a way to shoot in the area.” Dedication, fellow artists. Take note.
He began production on Land of Hope just last week; the film follows “an elderly couple (Isao Natsuyagi and Naoko Otani) whose son (Jun Murakami) and his pregnant wife (Megumi Kagurazaka) have...
But this is the real deal. Doing some online-based research for a historical topic is the norm among filmmakers these days, yet Sion claims to have snuck “into the nuclear exclusion zone around Fukushima to research the film,” while also “trying to find a way to shoot in the area.” Dedication, fellow artists. Take note.
He began production on Land of Hope just last week; the film follows “an elderly couple (Isao Natsuyagi and Naoko Otani) whose son (Jun Murakami) and his pregnant wife (Megumi Kagurazaka) have...
- 1/20/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
(Ehm... warning: when clicked upon, this review becomes quite Nsfw...) Director Shion Sono is on a roll lately, churning out movies left and right in quick succession which manage to catch the eye, be the talk of festivals and are actually worth your time. Case in point: this year, just a scant few months after the release of "Cold Fish" (and only a scant few months before his release of "Himizu") Sono brought "Guilty of Romance" to festivals worldwide. Again loosely based upon a true crime event which shocked Japan, "Guilty of Romance" tells a very dark story of people striving to fall into depravity as hard as they can and succeeding at a terrible cost to all involved. And now Eureka has released this...
- 12/7/2011
- Screen Anarchy
When catastrophe struck Japan earlier this year in the form of the most powerful earthquake to ever hit the nation and a subsequent tsunami, maverick filmmaker Sion Sono was already in the afflicted region working on his latest feature Himizu. But rather than be daunted by events Sono simply adapted and incorporated them directly into the film, the results of which debuted at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.Toronto described the film like this:a rare film that evokes our present-day atmosphere with surprising immediacy. The story of a boy and a girl who are confronted with a horrific personal reality against the backdrop of the devastation caused by this year's earthquake in Japan. An adaptation of Minoru Furuya's successful manga of the same name,...
- 10/20/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Japanese auteur and explorer of the darker recesses of human behaviour Sono Sion follows up his off the wall serial killer shocker “Cold Fish” with more true crime psycho drama in “Guilty of Romance”. The film again reunites the director with gravure idol turned actress Megumi Kagurazaka, with whom he worked with on “Cold Fish”, and who also features in his upcoming “Himizu”, starring here alongside Makoto Togashi (“Memories of Matsuko”), Miki Mizuno (“Hard Revenge, Milly”) and Kanji Tsuda (“Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”) in a tale of a bored housewife falling into depravity as she explores her sexual identity. Having played in a significantly longer 144 minute form to a packed house at Cannes, the film has now been released in a director approved international version, edited to 112 minutes, presumably to more specifically focus on its themes and main protagonists. The film is framed by a murder investigation carried out...
- 10/4/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
The Toronto International Film Festival ended yesterday and I have to say, it is the most exhausting film festival I have ever attended. Even compared to Fantasia, which runs nearly four weeks long, Tiff manages to suck all my energy. Perhaps the main reason why I find it so tiring is because screenings start as early as 9:00 Am and go until midnight, and somewhere in between you have to find time to write about the festival. This year’s Cadillac People Choice Award winner was a bit of a surprise, awarded to a film that no one I know saw, Nadine Labaki’s Where do We Go Now, a film Tiff describes as: “heartwarming tale of a group of women’s determination to protect their isolated, mine-encircled community from the pervasive and divisive outside forces that threaten to destroy it from within”. Our crew posted thier list of their...
- 9/19/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Himizu
Directed by Shion Sono
Written by Shion Sono
2011, Japan
Acclaimed director Shion Sono may still be fresh off the debut of his Guilty Of Romance, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, but only four months later, he is back again. This time around, Sono brings an adaption of Minoru Furuya’s psychological thriller manga Himizu, a twisted tale of a middle-school boy’s state of mind and how he deals with stressful situations. The good news is, Sono’s latest most resembles his four hour long countercultural romantic masterpiece, Love Exposure. The bad news is a good portion of the film’s running time is played at an almost unbearable high volume, with most of the cast shouting their dialogue. Needless to say, either bring some ear plugs or sit far away from the loudspeakers.
Originally conceived as a straightforward adaptation, Sono altered the script to include the...
Directed by Shion Sono
Written by Shion Sono
2011, Japan
Acclaimed director Shion Sono may still be fresh off the debut of his Guilty Of Romance, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, but only four months later, he is back again. This time around, Sono brings an adaption of Minoru Furuya’s psychological thriller manga Himizu, a twisted tale of a middle-school boy’s state of mind and how he deals with stressful situations. The good news is, Sono’s latest most resembles his four hour long countercultural romantic masterpiece, Love Exposure. The bad news is a good portion of the film’s running time is played at an almost unbearable high volume, with most of the cast shouting their dialogue. Needless to say, either bring some ear plugs or sit far away from the loudspeakers.
Originally conceived as a straightforward adaptation, Sono altered the script to include the...
- 9/17/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Oscar Season Officially Begins! Check Out Complete List of Winners of the 68th Venice Film Festival!
Official Awards of the 68th Venice Film Festival
Venezia 68
Golden Lion for Best Film
Faust by Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Shangjun Cai for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai (People Mountain People Sea) (China - Hong Kong)
Special Jury Prize
Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in the film Shame by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress
Deanie Yip in the film Tao jie (A Simple Life) by Ann Hui (China - Hong Kong)
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress
Shôta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidô in the film Himizu by Sion Sono (Japan)
Osella for the Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan for the film Wuthering Heights by Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)
Osella for Best Screenplay
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for the film Alpis (Alps) by Yorgos Lanthimos (Grecia)
Lion of the Future -...
Venezia 68
Golden Lion for Best Film
Faust by Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Shangjun Cai for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai (People Mountain People Sea) (China - Hong Kong)
Special Jury Prize
Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in the film Shame by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress
Deanie Yip in the film Tao jie (A Simple Life) by Ann Hui (China - Hong Kong)
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress
Shôta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidô in the film Himizu by Sion Sono (Japan)
Osella for the Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan for the film Wuthering Heights by Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)
Osella for Best Screenplay
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for the film Alpis (Alps) by Yorgos Lanthimos (Grecia)
Lion of the Future -...
- 9/12/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Faust directed by Aleksander Sokurov of Russia won the Golden Lion for the Best Film at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. The festival came to a close on September 10 with the award ceremony.
The Special Jury prize went to Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese of Italy.
Fipresci Prizes went to Shame directed by Steve McQueen of UK and Two Years at Sea directed by Ben Rivers of UK.
The Indian films that were presented at the festival are Amit Dutta’s Sonchidi and Gurvinder Singh’s Anhey Ghore Da Daan (Alms of the Blind Horse).
Official Awards of the 68th Venice Film Festival
Golden Lion for Best Film
Faust by Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Shangjun Cai for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai (People Mountain People Sea) (China – Hong Kong)
Special Jury Prize
Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in...
The Special Jury prize went to Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese of Italy.
Fipresci Prizes went to Shame directed by Steve McQueen of UK and Two Years at Sea directed by Ben Rivers of UK.
The Indian films that were presented at the festival are Amit Dutta’s Sonchidi and Gurvinder Singh’s Anhey Ghore Da Daan (Alms of the Blind Horse).
Official Awards of the 68th Venice Film Festival
Golden Lion for Best Film
Faust by Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Shangjun Cai for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai (People Mountain People Sea) (China – Hong Kong)
Special Jury Prize
Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in...
- 9/11/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Jose here.
Earlier today the 68th Venice Film Festival came to an end. Awards were given out to what seem to be some strange choices (gotta love when quriky jury members choose the most obscure people, no?)
with the Golden Lion (Best Picture) going to Alexander Sokurov's Faust.
Just yesterday, our awesome correspondent from Venice mentioned how people expected this one to win and yet it doesn't even show up in the critical consensus. That must've been a dark horse if there ever was one. Apologies to the actual Dark Horse which came out empty handed.
The complete list of winners:
Golden Lion - Faust (Alexander Sokurov, Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director - Shangjun Cai for Ren shan ren hai/People Mountain People Sea (China)
Special jury Prize - Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese, Italy)
Volpi Cup for Best Actor - Michael Fassbender for Shame (Steve McQueen, UK)
Volpi Cup...
Earlier today the 68th Venice Film Festival came to an end. Awards were given out to what seem to be some strange choices (gotta love when quriky jury members choose the most obscure people, no?)
with the Golden Lion (Best Picture) going to Alexander Sokurov's Faust.
Just yesterday, our awesome correspondent from Venice mentioned how people expected this one to win and yet it doesn't even show up in the critical consensus. That must've been a dark horse if there ever was one. Apologies to the actual Dark Horse which came out empty handed.
The complete list of winners:
Golden Lion - Faust (Alexander Sokurov, Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director - Shangjun Cai for Ren shan ren hai/People Mountain People Sea (China)
Special jury Prize - Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese, Italy)
Volpi Cup for Best Actor - Michael Fassbender for Shame (Steve McQueen, UK)
Volpi Cup...
- 9/10/2011
- by Jose
- FilmExperience
Getty Actors Anton Adasinskiy, Johannes Zeiler, director Aleksander Sokurov, Festival Director Marco Muller, producer Andrey Sigle and guests attend the ‘Faust’ premiere during the 68th Venice Film Festival at Palazzo del Cinema on September 8, 2011 in Venice, Italy.
Russian director Aleksander Sokurov’s “Faust” won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday night.
Sokurov has described “Faust” — a new interpretation of Goethe’s tragedy — as the last installment of his four films exploring the “nature of power,...
Russian director Aleksander Sokurov’s “Faust” won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday night.
Sokurov has described “Faust” — a new interpretation of Goethe’s tragedy — as the last installment of his four films exploring the “nature of power,...
- 9/10/2011
- by Dean Napolitano
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
What it lacked in controversy it more than made up for in starpower like Madonna and George Clooney, whose political film The Ides Of March was blanked up against nearly the two dozen movies in competition this year. The 68th Venice Film Festival ended today with the award of the coveted Golden Lion for Best Film to Faust by Aleksander Sokurov, the Russian director’s reworking of Goethe’s literary work. Silver Lion for Best Director to Shangjun Cai for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai. Special Jury Prize to Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese. Coppa Volpi to Michael Fassbender (for his star turn as a sex addict in the film Shame) and to Deanie Yip (in the film Tao Jie). Marcello Mastroianni Award to Shôta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidô (in the film Himizu). Other award winners included Best Screenplay to Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for Greece’s odd-ball, low-budget tragedy Alps.
- 9/10/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
Following his cinematic masterpiece Love Exposure, Sion Sono has been one busy man. His Guilty Of Romance debuted in Cannes earlier this year, while his Himizu premiered in Venice recently with an appearance in Toronto just around the corner. Now a 7-minute clip from Himizu has become available, and you can check it out below. Here's what the Toronto Film Festival said about the film: 'A rare film that evokes our present-day atmosphere with surprising immediacy. The story of a boy and a girl who are confronted with a horrific personal reality against the backdrop of the devastation caused by this year's earthquake in Japan. An adaptation of Minoru Furuya's successful manga of the same name, Himizu is the latest film by Sion Sono,...
- 9/7/2011
- Screen Anarchy
By Mike Collett-White
Venice, Italy (Reuters) - Japanese movie "Himizu" is a twisted tale of abuse, violence and lost youth set against the backdrop of the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Director Sion Sono, renowned for hard-hitting, anarchic film making, wove real-life events into a screenplay he had just completed when the catastrophe struck.
"Every scene changed drastically," he told trade publication Variety ahead of Himizu's world premiere at the Venice film festival on Tuesday.
"The original manga had no hope in it, but after March 11, I didn't think I should make a film with no hope. I felt that I had to convey it in the film."
The narrative is interspersed with wide shots of flattened towns and mangled buildings destroyed by the tsunami, bringing the disaster to the big screen less than six months after it happened.
The immediacy of those images, visceral performances by...
Venice, Italy (Reuters) - Japanese movie "Himizu" is a twisted tale of abuse, violence and lost youth set against the backdrop of the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Director Sion Sono, renowned for hard-hitting, anarchic film making, wove real-life events into a screenplay he had just completed when the catastrophe struck.
"Every scene changed drastically," he told trade publication Variety ahead of Himizu's world premiere at the Venice film festival on Tuesday.
"The original manga had no hope in it, but after March 11, I didn't think I should make a film with no hope. I felt that I had to convey it in the film."
The narrative is interspersed with wide shots of flattened towns and mangled buildings destroyed by the tsunami, bringing the disaster to the big screen less than six months after it happened.
The immediacy of those images, visceral performances by...
- 9/6/2011
- by Reuters
- Huffington Post
Today marks the first day of the 68thVenice Film Festival (La Biennale di Venezia 2011). The festival continues through September 10th and will include films from all over the world making their debut before curious eyes. This year’s line-up includes a wide range of films from talented directors that have worked in genre films before or are taking the first step into the world of horror, sci-fi, cult, or bizarre cinema. Some of these directors include David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome), William Friedkin (The Exorcist, Bug), Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In), Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven), Roman Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion), and Abel Ferrara (The Driller Killer, Ms. 45, Bad Lieutenant). All of these directors have clearly made an impact on the genres that we know and love, and I look forward to seeing what they have to offer us this year. Keep reading to hear...
- 8/31/2011
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
Ultra-prolific Japanese auteur Sion Sono may still be fresh off the debut of his Guilty Of Romance in Cannes but now, just a few short months later, he is already preparing to premiere another picture in Toronto.The story is about a teenager who aspires to be 'ordinary' within a world of chaos. Following an incident that can never be erased from his life, his wish becomes something impossible to achieve, turning him into a person obsessed to sanction evil people in society.Adapted from Minoru Furuya's manga, Himizu promises to hit themes of hidden urban darkness that seem to drive most of Sono's best work. Check the first images below....
- 8/17/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, The Ides of March Tomas Alfredson – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy UK, Germany, 127' Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt Andrea Arnold – Wuthering Heights UK, 128' Kaya Scodelario, Nichola Burley, Steve Evets, Oliver Milburn Ami Canaan Mann – Texas Killing Fields USA, 109' Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jeffrey Dean Morgan George Clooney – The Ides Of March [Opening Film] USA, 98' Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood Cristina Comencini – Quando La Notte Italy, 116' Claudia Pandolfi, Filippo Timi, Michela Cescon, Thomas Trabacchi Emanuele Crialese – Terraferma Italy, France, 88' Filippo Pucillo, Donatella Finocchiaro, Giuseppe Fiorello, Claudio Santamaria David Cronenberg – A Dangerous Method Germany, Canada, 99' Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel Abel Ferrara – 4:44 Last Day On Earth USA, 82' Willem Dafoe, Shanyn Leigh, Paz de la Huerta, Natasha Lyonne William Friedkin – Killer Joe USA, 103' Matthew McConaughey,...
- 7/28/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
On Monday, it was announced that creator Minoru Furuya’s manga Himizu will be adapted to a live-action film written and directed by Shion Sono (Love Exposure, Cold Fish).
Published serially in Young Magazine from 2001-2003, “Himizu” took a serious tone and represented a departure from Furuya’s previous comedy work such as his popular gag manga “Ping-Pong Club”. It featured a gloomy story which highlighted the darkness and cruelty of the human mind by showing how the main character reacts to various stressful situations.
Sono has re-read the manga many times and is particularly enthusiastic about the project, telling Young Magazine, “It’s a great honor to be filming this. It’s a risky venture I think.”
“Himizu” will be released in Japan sometime next year. Cast information has not yet been revealed.
Sources: Cinema Today, @ryuganji...
Published serially in Young Magazine from 2001-2003, “Himizu” took a serious tone and represented a departure from Furuya’s previous comedy work such as his popular gag manga “Ping-Pong Club”. It featured a gloomy story which highlighted the darkness and cruelty of the human mind by showing how the main character reacts to various stressful situations.
Sono has re-read the manga many times and is particularly enthusiastic about the project, telling Young Magazine, “It’s a great honor to be filming this. It’s a risky venture I think.”
“Himizu” will be released in Japan sometime next year. Cast information has not yet been revealed.
Sources: Cinema Today, @ryuganji...
- 4/18/2011
- Nippon Cinema
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.