Reel Asian is excited to co-present the Made In Japan program at this year’s Hot Docs. This year Hot Docs is showcasing 6 recent films from Japan by independent documentary filmmakers. Through their artistic and filmmaking techniques they share their perspective of their homeland with a goal for reaching out to a global audience.
ABOUT MY LIBERTY
Sunday April 30th 2017 • 6:30PM • Innis Town Hall
Tuesday May 2nd 2017 • 2:30PM • Scotiabank Theatre 3
Tickets Available Here
Director: Takashi Nishihara
Japanese with English Subtitles • Trailer
The voices of Japanese millennials have never been heard this loudly before as President Abe erases a security bill of pacifism by permitting the use of Japanese military in foreign wars. Peaceful, fun, and clever in their protests, the youths use colourful brochures, catchy English slogans, and cute t-shirts, debunking the myth that millennials are lazy and do not care.
RAISE YOUR ARMS AND TWIST, DOCUMENTARY OF NMB48
Friday April 28th 2017 • 12:30PM • Hart House Theatre
Sunday April 30th 2017 • 4PM • Scotiabank Theatre 7
Tickets Available Here
Director: Atsushi Funahashi
Japanese with English Subtitles • Trailer
Japan’s music industry is a mega-industry, giving birth to Jrock, Jpop, Vocaloids, and much more. The documentary features the famous NMB48, an idol girl group that rivals other big names like AKB48, SKE48, and HKT48, and their views on fame and celebrity culture. The ranks are clearly divided as Saya, the group’s leader, and Okita, the underdog of the group, are contrasted within the public’s eye.
RAMEN HEADS
Thursday May 4th 2017 • 5:45PM • Scotiabank Theatre
Friday May 5th 2017 • 10:15AM • TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
Saturday May 6th 2017 • 10:45AM • TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Sunday May 7th 2017 • 12PM • Hart House Theatre
Tickets Available Here
Director: Koki Shigeno
Japanese with English Subtitles • Trailer
Slurp, sip, slurp – the sound of noodles and broth being soaked up by the soul. Not your ordinary cupboard instant ramen but a firecracker of flavour in your mouth, Osamu Tomita, King of Ramen and a self-described “ramen head,” teaches us his secrets to ramen success and reveals his once-in-a-lifetime batch of ramen to inspire the next generation of “ramen heads.” Go behind the scenes to his 10th anniversary restaurant and venture with Osamu to see his favourite places to eat and shop.
A ROOM OF HER OWN: REI NAITO AND LIGHT
Monday May 1st 2017 • 8:30PM • Innis Town Hall
Wednesday May 3rd 2017 • 3:45PM • Scotiabank Theatre 7
Tickets Available Here
Director: Yuko Nakamura
Japanese with English Subtitles • Trailer
Best known for her work “Matrix,” Rei Naito and her creative process have never been revealed to the public. Yuko Nakamura, a filmmaker who was inspired by Rei, works with her for two years to compose a film that promises to be an extension of Rei’s vision. Nakamura uses five intergenerational women to artistically tell the tale of the world that Rei Naito envisions.
RYUICHI HIROKAWA: HUMAN BATTLEFIELD
Wednesday May 3rd 2017 • 8:45 PM • Scotiabank Theatre 7
Friday May 5th 2017 • 6:15 PM • Scotiabank Theatre 7
Tickets Available Here
Director: Saburo Hasegawa
Japanese with English Subtitles • Trailer
A photojournalist with a deep compassion for human life shares his philosophies and experiences with the world. Being the first Western journalist allowed into Chernobyl after the nuclear warning was lifted and after documenting a brutal massacre in Lebanon, Hirokawa has now retired. He now turns his focus back to his homeland, following up after 2011’s Fukushima disaster. “Before I’m a journalist, I’m a human being”, proclaims Ryuichi Hirokawa.
UKIYO-E HEROES
Tuesday May 2nd 2017 • 9PM • TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
Thursday May 4th 2017 • 12:30PM • Scotiabank Theatre 13
Tickets Available Here
Director: Toru Tokikawa
Japanese with English Subtitles • Trailer
An old Japanese art printing tradition, traditional Ukiyo-e is carved from a wooden block with images of a famous actor, sumo wrestler, landscapes, or scenes from folk tales. This craft is a dying breed: there are only 10 artisans left in the world. American filmmaker Jed Henry teams up with self taught Canadian Ukiyo-e artist David Bull to explore techniques hundreds of years old with contemporary twists. Together, they began a Kickstarter campaign to promote this age-old tradition and fuse it with contemporary pop culture, referencing things like Dragonball and Pokemon. They carve their way into the audience’s imagination as they reveal the epic start and finish of Ukiyo-e.
Co-presented with:
