If you were worried that special focus festivals would get lost in the rush of global pandemic closures, fear no more! The Japan Society has announced that its 14th edition of JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film will go digital for the first time.
Set for 17 – 30 July 2020, the online edition of the festival will offer a slate of around 30 feature films and shorts programs on a VOD model in partnership with Festival Scope and Shift72.
“While nothing can replace the thrill of welcoming filmmakers and audience members together into our auditorium,” says K. F. Watanabe, Deputy Director of Film at Japan Society, “we are excited by the new possibilities opened up by putting the festival online this summer.”
There will be a limited number of virtual tickets, and access geoblocked to the U.S. Some of the thematic festival sections such as Documentary Focus and Experimental Spotlight will return. A new competitive section dedicated to early-career independent filmmakers will be introduced.
The Opening Night film will be Special Actors (スペシャルアクターズ), the latest film from One Cut of the Dead director Shinichiro Ueda. Instead of a film crew fighting zombies, this time he follows an oddball acting troupe infiltrating a cult. A live virtual Q&A will be scheduled and hosted on the festival’s opening day.
“I am honored to have my film selected as the opening film among the many others included in the festival,” wrote Ueda through email. “Though we are in a situation where it is difficult to travel, I am happy that at least this film can travel and reach people overseas.”
In addition, live and pre-recorded virtual Q&As, discussion panels, and video greetings from filmmakers and programmers will round out the dynamic and interactive program.
The full program will be released towards the end of June and we look forward to covering it with you.
Don’t forget to check out our coverage of the JAPAN CUTS 2018 and JAPAN CUTS 2019 festivals, and our ongoing Asia in Focus section.
