Here at The Reel Bits, we put Asia in Focus. Our relative geographic closeness to the prolific filmmaking countries of Japan, China, South Korea, and Thailand puts Australia in a prime position to get the latest and greatest Asian cinema. Yet they aren’t always easy to come by.
To help you navigate your way through the often limited suburban releases, we’ve put together this handy guide to the month of June. Let’s start by saying that June is going to be huge. Between the Sydney Film Festival, MadFest, and the JFF Fringe alone, we’d be knee deep in releases this month. Add to this the list of new titles coming out, and you have yourself a month of cinema.
We should also point out that the live action adaptation of INUYASHIKI (いぬやしき) started on 31 May 2018 in cinemas across Australia, so Japanese cinema fans will know where to be during the first weekend in June.
The list below is subject to change, here’s where you can go to see current and retro screenings of films from south-east Asia in Australia this month.
MadFest Brisbane
2-3 June (Brisbane only)
Madman Entertainment continues its celebration of all things manga and anime in Brisbane with two terrific Australian premieres: MAQUIA: WHEN THE PROMISED FLOWER BLOOMS (discussed in more detail below) and LOVE, CHUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS! TAKE ON ME from the wonderful folks at Kyoto Animation (Violet Evergarden, K-On!). There’s also exhibitions based on Your Name and Cowboy Bebop, an Attack On Titan VR: The Immersion Theatre (plus a “life sized” Titan head), Japanese voice actress Yui Ishikawa, and so much cosplay.
Believer (독전)
7 June
The latest thriller from director Lee Hae-Young sees Detective Won-Ho (Cho Jin-Woong) trying to catch Mr. Lee, the biggest drug dealer in South Korea. To do so, he must work with a member of Lee’s drug ring, Rak (Ryoo Joon-Yeol). It’s a remake of Johnnie To’s 2012 crime drama Drug War. The massive cast, which also includes Kim Sung-Ryoung (Keys to the Heart) and Kim Ju-Hyeok (The Tooth and the Nail), the last role he appeared in before he died in a car accident on 30 October 30 2017.
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう)
7 June
The directorial debut from acclaimed screenwriter Mari Okada (Anohana and The Anthem of the Heart). The people of Iolph have a lifespan of hundreds of years, maintaining their teenage appearances indefinitely, but when the peace of this town is shattered by those who want the secret to their longevity, a young girl named Maquia is forced to escape. Wandering the land alone, she finds an orphaned baby. Choosing to raise him, as the boy grows older the difference in their lifespans is thrown into ever-sharper relief.
Sydney Film Festival
6 -17 June (Sydney only)
While SFF doesn’t have a specific focus on Asia this year, there is a lot of content from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. We’re super excited about Mamoru Hosoda’s latest anime, MIRAI. Jeon Soo-il’s AMERICA TOWN explores sex workers for the US military in the 1980s. Kazuya Shiraishi follows up Birds Without Names with the mob thriller THE BLOOD OF WOLVES. Still in Japan, Takaomi Ogata’s THE HUNGRY LION is a curious dissection of social media obsession. China is well represented in Pengfei Song’s THE TASTE OF RICE FLOWER, the modern noir/western stylings of Xin Yukun’s WRATH OF SILENCE, and several documentaries. There’s also some epic marathon viewing to be had: Qian Hu’s AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL, Lav Diaz’s SEASON OF THE DEVIL, and the classic Taiwanese film A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY all land around the four-hour mark. At the last minute, SFF also added Lee Chang-dong’s highly anticipated BURNING and the Palme d’Or winning SHOPLIFTERS from Hirokazu Kore-Eda.
We go deep into the selection in our article on SFF’s Asian offerings.
Akira
1-2 June, 14 June (Sydney)
What more can we say about one of the most iconic pieces of animation of the last century? For the 30th anniversary (yes, we feel old too) there are several screenings happening all around the place. At the The Ritz Cinema in Randwick, The Podcast Strikes Back will be hosting a screening of the 1988 classic, which has been beautifully restored in 2K digital especially for the big screen. Event Cinemas is also doing an Out of the Box night on 13 June.
Happiness is Coming (幸福马上来)
14 June
Continuing the onslaught of mainland comedies that have been populating our screens this year, this one follows Super Mediator Shanglai Ma, the most famous peace-maker in all of Chongqing. (NB: We have no idea how many peace-makers there are in Chongqing). He is challenged by a up-rising star Xuwang Mao right before he is about to start his own business. To become the top mediator in Chongqing, Ma and Mao ironically start a war with each other. Directed by Junjie Cui and Geng Gong, our fun fact of the day is that Huang Jianxin is a producer on the film, who previously served as co-director on the jingoistic Beginning of the Great Revival.
Secretly, Greatly (은밀하게 위대하게)
14 June (Sydney only)
This is an appropriate film for our difficult times. Originally released back in 2013, director Jang Cheol-soo (Murder at Honeymoon Hotel) explored the North/South relationship through an action comedy. Three North Koreans have been hiding in a small village in South Korea posing as a fool, an aspiring singer, and a high school student respectively. After years without contact, they are suddenly ordered to commit suicide. This massive box office hit is playing at the Korean Cultural Centre in Sydney. Check out their website for details.
The Story of Women: The Extraordinary Career of Kinuyo Tanaka
20 June – 4 July (Melbourne Cinematheque only)
The Melbourne Cinematheque highlights the work of Kinuyo Tanaka through June and July. Appearing in 250 films over the course of 50 years, Tanaka is not only one of the most prolific screen actors of Japanese cinema, but only the second woman (after Sakane Tazuko) to make it as a film director in the Japanese film industry. Her work with Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu, and of course, Tanaka’s own films will be showcased including A HEN IN THE WIND (1948), WOMEN OF THE NIGHT (1948), MISS OYU (1951), THE ETERNAL BREASTS (1955), EQUINOX FLOWER (1958), THE WANDERING PRINCESS (1960).
Starburst: Icons of Chinese Cinema
20 June – 26 August (Art Gallery of NSW)
The Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) has announced that its next film series. Running from 20 June to 26 August 2018, the program highlights the careers of four four trailblazing Chinese actresses from the 1930s through to the 21st century: Ruan Lingyu, Anna May Wong, Maggie Cheung and Zhao Tao. The series kicks off with director Wu Yonggang’s silent classic THE GODDESS (1934), which debuts on 20 June with a newly commissioned live score by acclaimed Hong Kong-born, Sydney-based musician and artist 陳雋然 Chun Yin Rainbow Chan. The incomparable Maggie Chung’s versatility is on display in Stanley Wong’s CENTRE STAGE (1991), which is the other film showing in June. Full details can be found at the AGNSW website. Each film will play a matinee and an evening session every Wednesday starting 20 June, followed by a repeat screening on the Saturday.
Honnouji Hotel (本能寺ホテル)
27 June (JFF Fringe)
Can’t stand waiting until the end of the year for your fix of new Japanese cinema? The Japanese Film Festival in Australia has announced a new off-season program called JFF Fringe 2018, which features four contemporary Japanese films to be screened once only over the period of 30 May – 29 August 2018 at Sydney’s Event Cinemas George St and Event Cinemas Brisbane City Myer Centre. Present meets past in the Australian premiere of HONNOUJI HOTEL (本能寺ホテル), an entertaining period film with a fantasy twist from the director of Princess Toyotomi and Hero. Tickets are on sale at participating Event Cinemas box offices and online.
Animal World (杨蕊菡)
27 June
Michael Douglas in a Chinese action film. Plus clowns. Not sold already? This flick comes to us from Han Yan, the director of the wonderfully titled Go Away Mr. Tumour. Based on Fukumoto Nobuyuki’s manga, Ultimate Survivor Kaiji, it follows a man who transforms into a fighting clown. Yup, we’re so in for this. If that’s not enough, the slick production has visual effects from Weta Digital. Add this to the Next Cult Classic list.
