SHORT FILMS
Omnibus of six short films: Return; Ken-do star; Hana to oji-san; Adagietto Sehr, langsam; Nakayoki koto wa yoki koto ka na; Slow is Beautiful. Third installment of "SF" series produced by Hiroyuki Nakano.
Also Directed by Hiroyuki Nakano
Three centuries ago, a precious sword has been stolen by Kazamatsuri -- the sword, which historic and symbolic value is priceless for the clan (Shogun Tokugawa donated it to clan 80 years before that, at the same time that he established them as the local rulers). Lord's counselor's young son Heishiro goes to retrieve the sword himself to protect the clan from the shame or possible demise. He is accompanied with two friends, Shintaro and Tadasuke, and followed by the ninjas of the clan. After Kazamatsuri wounds Heishiro and kills one of his friends, the young aristocrat still wants revenge more than sword itself, but meanwhile have to recover from his wounds, in the small forest house of a lonely samurai and his daughter. At the same time, Kamazatsuri stays in nearby town in the entertainment center run by Okatsu and falls into her. The older samurai tries to dissuade Heishiro from fighting with Kamazatsuri, but is himself gradually drawn into the conflict.
TAJOMARU is the famous 'bandit' of the forest from RASHOMON. Whoever kills Tajomaru inherits his name, status and sword. A royal brother leaves his kingdom to protect the princess he loves, only to find a series of harrowing adventures along the way which lead him back to where he came from, and then disinheriting his past to become the bandit TAJOMARU.
Keisuke, an aspiring samurai-movie actor lands a major role in a new film, but must contend with a director who has nothing but scorn for him, but who continually fawns over the film's obnoxious ham of a star. Meanwhile, Keisuke has been dumped by his girlfriend, Eri, after she becomes heartbroken when he considers working full-time as a bar manager rather than pursuing his dream. Through her job as a translator, she meets an Italian professor who claims to talk to trees, and who immediately starts trying to woo her.
Collection of short films: Spaghetti Napolitan (Atsushi Kaneshige) 3:15 PM (Hiroyuki Nakano) Iron (Hiroyuki Nakano) Lighthouse (Hiroyuki Nakano) Fuji & Donuts (Yasuhisa Serizawa)
The secret warriors of feudal Japan were the Ninja. Sent on impossible missions, the Ninja were trained to work in shadows, gather information and defeat the enemy to build a world of peace. Red Shadow, Blue Shadow and Aska are neophyte ninjas under the tutelage of White Shadow. Their life is a series of perilous missions that entail intrigue, deception and intimidation.
Compilation film featuring short works from directors Hitoshi Yasaki ("Short Cakes"), Yuki Tanada (scriptwriter "Sakuran," "Tsuki to Cherry"), Hiroyuki Nakano ("Stereo Future," "Samurai Fiction"), Masahiko Nagasawa ("Yoru no Picnic"), Masaya Kakehi ("Bijokan), and more for a total of 18 shorts. This time around the theme is "24 hours," where filming for each work must have been completed in 24 hours in order to appear in this film.
Why do they arouse enthusiasm in Japanese audiences? How can they attract audiences from all over the world? Here is the answer
Also Directed by Pierre Taki
Three 10-minute videos present a trippy view into the minds of their creators. Scientific Attack Force features three shorts done in very different styles. PLASTIC GUN MAN, a 3D Western spoof, WORLD MECCANO TRIANGLE, a music video reminiscent of '90s era screensavers. HAIIROGAOKA NO SORIDAIJIN (translated as "Prime Minister of Gray Hill"), an anime-style animated video parody of Akira Mochizuki's famous 1977 manga, Yuuhi ga Oka no Souri Daijin.
Also Directed by Yasuhisa Serizawa
Collection of short films: Spaghetti Napolitan (Atsushi Kaneshige) 3:15 PM (Hiroyuki Nakano) Iron (Hiroyuki Nakano) Lighthouse (Hiroyuki Nakano) Fuji & Donuts (Yasuhisa Serizawa)