The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is back for a second round of fine films and moving pictures.
You may recall that this year’s IFFR is a hybrid affair. After the successful online offerings in February, which we covered in detail at the time, they have returned with a new selection for the European summer. In the first half, films like Sode Yukiko’s Aristocrats, Queena Li’s Bipolar and Taiki Sakpisit’s The Edge of Daybreak were highlights in our Asia in Focus coverage. The second part is going to be even bigger.
As we lament the loss of the Sydney Film Festival and Cannes from the May/June schedule, IFFR fills in the gaps nicely. Films from Japan, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are represented across the program, with almost two dozen films relevant to our geographic focus right here.
For a full program and screening details, check out the official festival site.
UPDATED: 19 May 2021 – Added newly announced films including Closing Night offering.
Japan
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8
Dir: Shunji Iwai
Shunji Iwai will forever have a place in our hearts thanks to 1993’s Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom? The prolific filmmaker has most recently made separate Chinese and Japanese versions of Last Letter, a film based on his own novel. Originally conceived as a 12-part internet series, this brilliantly titled film stars model/actor/director Saitō Takumi (playing himself) who cultivates three tiny capsule kaijū — Avigan, Remdesivir and Ivermectin — to fight Covid.
Ayako Tachibana Wants to Go Viral
Dir: Sato Amane
Following the Kaidan Shin Mimi Bukuro G-Men series and Shiorinoinmu (2019) — the Grand Prix winner at the Hidden Treasures of Horror festival — Sato Amane’s latest offering sounds fascinating. Described as a “quirky satire on YouTuber mores,” it starts as a spin on the pinku eiga (erotic films) era before turning into horror territory. Sounds like a must-see to us.
Battle Royale
Dir: Fukasaku Kinji
Before Hunger Games and The Hunt, there was Japan’s genre-making spin on the survival genre that’s as iconic as it is bloody. Now 21 years old, this film can legally drink in more places around the world.
Black Cat
Dir: Tanaami Keiichi
One of several classic picks in the line-up, this 1972 short animated film by Keiichi Tanaami features the slinky song ‘Fushiawase to Iu Na no Neko‘ (‘A Cat Called Happiness’) by Maki Asakawa.
The Blue Danube
Dir: Ikeda Akira
Named after the famous Strauss waltz, the Japan Times described this as a film about “finding levity in the drudgery of war.” Concerning a fictional town at a long-term war with the neighbouring village, it’s the fourth film from director Ikeda (Anatomy of a Paper Clip).
Cinephilia Now: Part 1 – Secrets Within Walls
Dir: Sasaki Yusuke
Upon taking up a job in the Tottori, filmmaker Sasaki Yusuke was disappointed to find it only had one cinema. This was, after all, the historic location of Hiroshi Teshigahara’s seminal New Wave film Woman in the Dunes. Yet in place cinemas he finds a network of small exhibitors, collectors and enthusiasts who keep cinema alive in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. So, if you love cinema — and chances are pretty good if you are reading this — then here’s the documentary for you.
MINAMATA Mandala
Dir: Hara Kazuo
Legendary documentarian Hara Kazuo, whose 1987 film The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On is on just about every list of essential Japanese films, has not been known for short films of late. His last film, Reiwa Uprising (2019), was a chunky 248 mins. Now this latest film, shot over fifteen years, is a 372 minute examination of the legal battles between the citizens of Minamata and a a chemical factory that caused an outbreak of severe mercury poisoning sixty years ago. It’s a spiritual sequel to the works of the equally recognisable documentarian Noriaki Tsuchimoto, including Minamata: The Victims and Their World (1971) and The Shiranui Sea (1975).
Poupelle of Chimney Town
Dir: Hirota Yusuke
The debut film of Hirota, the CGI director for Beyond (2003) and Harmony (2015), has been selected as the Closing Night film of IFFR 2021. It take place in a kind of Steampunk town covered by perpetual chimney ash. Everyone has given up hope of ever seeing the sky, except for Bruno the Tailor. When he disappears, his lonely son meets Poupelle, a benign monster made of garbage, and the adventure begins.
Sea Palace
Dir: Kenzō Masaoka
Kenzō Masaoka is one of Japan’s most important names in its illustruous animation history. The first to use cel animation and recorded sound in anime, he’s known for films such as The World of Power and Women (1933) and Spider and Tulip (1943), which is arguably his most famous work. Yet before he got there, there was this very early short: a live-action featurette full of special effects that was thought lost until this restoration.
Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo
Dir: Sadao Yamanaka
IFFR’s Japanese selection is rounded out with another classic from Tange Sazen series of films. Starring Denjirō Ōkōchi (A Diary of Chuji’s Travels), this 1935 film deals with the comedic misadventures of a pot which unwittingly changes several hands with a treasure map inside. It’s widely considered to be the best of the series. Two years after this film was released, Sadao Yamanaka would make his masterpiece, Humanity and Paper Balloons.
China
200 Cigarettes from Now
Dir: Tianyu Ma
It seems that Risa Bramon Garcia’s 1999 movie is not the only one to use this many cigarettes as a measurement of time. Tianyu Ma’s thesis film reflects her own experiences as an Asian-American woman as this mid-length film follows Xia and her best friend Jie as these creative ex-pats lounge about in their Boston apartment.
The Day Is Over
Dir: Qi Ri
“Almost too elegantly written to be a debut,” says the IFFR. “Yet it is all that.” After winning best Chinese-language film in the Firebird Young Cinema competition at the Hong Kong International Film Festival last month — playing alonside the award-winning Summer Blur — Qi Rui’s film comes with some massive expectations. A youthful road trip across country sounds like the antithesis of Daigo Matsui material, especially with words like “gothic” and “moralist” bandied about in equal measure.
A Song for You
Dir: Dukar Tserang
Dukar Tserang is described on at least one official bio as “a notorious Tibetan independent director of movies and documentaries,” which is about as good as someone’s calling card can get. This light-hearted road movie follows musician Ngawang (Damtin Tserang) as he journeys from the nomadic Tibetan plateau to the city and beyond for his shot at recording an album.
The Old Child
Dir: Felipe Esparza Pérez
This short film takes inspiration from Philosopher Zhuang Zi’s famous dream of being a butterfly, and waking up unsure of whether he was a actually a butterfly dreaming he was a man. In this contemporary spin, Perùvian born filmmaker Felipe Esparza Pérez uses VR to tackle the same existential questions.
Hong Kong
Decameron
Dir: Rita Hui Nga Shu
A number of documentaries and feature films have tried to give snapshots of Hong Kong is at this moment in history, including last year’s Hong Kong Moments. Rita Hui Nga Shu’s video essay examines the country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, years of protests against the Chinese government and an uncertain future.
Keep Rolling
Dir: Man Lim-chung
With around 30 features to her name, Ann Hui is as much a staple of Hong Kong cinema as the country itself. This documentary chronicling her life and films comes to us from debut filmmaker, and longtime collaborator, Man Lim-chung. The reviews say that this is amazing so we can’t wait to see it at IFFR this year.
Time
Dir: Ricky Ko
This might be Ricky Ko’s debut feature, but in every other way it’s got the look and feel of a throwback to Hong Kong’s past cinema greats — not least of which is the 84-year-old former matinee idol Patrick Tse. He plays a killer for hire who now takes on euthanasia cases. It sounds like this could be a dark cult classic in the making.
Malaysia
The Song of Southern Islet
Dir: Chong Keat Aun
The winner of Best New Director and the FIPRESCI Prize at Golden Horse Film Festival, Chong Keat Aun’s feature is the lone Malaysian entry at IFFR 2021. Set in 1987, this beautifully shot film is inspired by the filmmaker’s childhood.
Philippines
Fan Girl
Dir: Antoinette Jadaone
Antoinette Jadaone continues her metafictional explorations by asking what happens when a teenager meets the actor who is the object of her desires? Paulo Avelino plays a sinister version of himself in a film that is sure to resonate with a legion of online fandom. Not to be confused with Fangirls, the Australian musical.
Singapore
Faraway My Shadow Wandered
Dir: Liao Jiekai, Sudhee Liao
A co-production across Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan, filmmaker Jiekai Liao teams with choreographer and independent dance artist (and debut filmmaker) Sudhee Liao for a hybrid documentary at the intersection of dance, photography and film.
Mat Magic
Dir: Mat Sentol, John Calvert IFFR 2021
Another film playing as part of the Cinema Regained strand, this 1971 film is described by the programmers as “certainly the silliest film at IFFR 2021.” It sees Sentol play a bumpkin who promises to perform magic, but thankfully runs into magician-actor John Calvert who performs for him. “You have never seen anything like this!” adds IFFR in one of the biggest calls of the year.
South Korea
Homeless
Dir: Lim Seung-hyeun
According to a recent study, despite Seoul’s success in reducing homelessness overall by 20 per cent since 2014, “the average period of homelessness in Seoul remains high at 11.2 years.” Indeed, the Academy Award winning Parasite looked at the class strife in the country. Director Lim reflects on his own time as a child growing up in saunas by following a pair of parents who care for their baby in a similar fashion. Great to see some more social drama coming out of South Korea.
Self-portrait 2020
Dir: Lee Dongwoo
Acting as a kind of companion piece to the film above, Lee Dongwoo explores homelessness after an encounter with a homeless man on the streets of Jongno district in Seoul. The man turns out to be Lee Sang-yeol, a filmmaker whose short film, Self-portrait 2000 toured film festivals two decades earlier. Now homeless, alcoholic, and bipolar, Lee Dongwoo starts a new project with his new friend while exploring the social issues in the nation’s capital.
Modern Korea – Doing Our Best the People’s Network
Dir: Jisun Youm
One of several episodes of Modern Korea directed by Jisun Youm, the national broadcaster KBS uses archive-footage to critically examine their own history in this documentary. Of particular interest is their look at their involvement with the military dictatorship from 1963 to 1972.
Thailand
Underground Cemetery
Dir: Wisarut Sriputsomboon
Thailand’s sole entry in the second half of IFFR — following the powerful The Edge of Daybreak and memorable Lemongrass Girl in the first half — is a short film from Wisarut Sriputsomboon. It concerns Thong-Yu discovering that his house is about to collapse, leading to what the festival describes as a “sarcastic reflection on karma, guilt and Thailand’s political climate.”
