Kazushi Watanabe
Documentary covering the horror and fantasy centered Sitges Film Festival 2018. Includes making of bits, interviews and photo calls.
On a journey to witness the final performance of a mythical musician thought long dead, a group of misfits navigate the barren terrain of a dystopian future, while constantly connected to the nihilistic DJ of radio station FNTN / Fonotune. Influenced by Japanese cinema, graphic design and Manga Comics, Fonotune: An Electric Fairytale is a film about strange encounters, lost connections and, maybe, the end of the world!
Hanpeita Takeichi, a samurai, finds that he has travelled through time to modern-day Japan. He's taken in by an old man who runs a cram school, and begins to work as a teacher there.
As the end approaches for Japan’s age of military rule, the Tokugawa shogunate brings together a squad of ruthless assassins to defend its representatives in Kyoto. These men were known as the Shinsengumi. Formidable swordsmen with unswerving dedication to their cause, the Shinsengumi think nothing of slashing down their enemies…but what happens when the enemy is the undead?
The silent scandal of a utility pole, secretly lighting the outskirts of the city. The story is set during the nostalgic time before cellular phones in Japan, and tells the love story of a human and a utility pole. Elemi the power pole becomes infatuated with electrician Mr.Takahashi. Pretending she is human, she decides to ring him. But this contact is forbidden in the law of power poles. Eventually, rumors spread all over town and Elemi is summoned to court.
For 60 years, the group of detectives known as "Detective Office 5" has raised the bar for detective work. The agents of Detective Office 5 are a group of stellar detectives lead by the genius code breaker Detective 507. When an unknown client enlists 507 to crack his most difficult programming code yet, the detective embarks for Shanghai where he crosses paths with a sniper, an informant, the head of the Blue-Dragon Mafia, and beautiful singer on the run, Meilan. As 507 stumbles deeper into a twisted quagmire of intrigue he discovers the sad truth behind the mystery.
In the year 20XX, anarchy reigns over Tokyo after a devastating earthquake destroyed the city. Isolated from the rest of the country, the chaos-ridden city is ruled over by an autocratic governor (Izumiya Shigeru) who has forbidden all forms of entertainment including cinema. Timid movie lover Furuta (Wentz Eiji) and mischievous rocker Nitta (Nakao Akiyoshi), two peddling high school boys lost in the city's wasteland, gather forces and lead a youth rebellion against the governor.
Munakata has an unrelenting guilt from killing his mother when he was 15 years old. After being imprisoned for 10 years, he is released and heads to Yako, a small industrial town, to work as a machinist. Living in a tiny apartment, he is tasked with secretly creating a gun out of an old TV remote control and unknowingly destroys the fragile balance of the town.
In a small nook of Kawasaki Private investigator 591 and adultry specialist investigator 522 embark on separate investigations that leads them both to the same beautifician.
A father, who is a failed former television reporter, tries to mount a documentary about violence and sex among youths. He proceeds to have sex with his daughter who is now a prostitute, and films his son being humiliated and hit by classmates. "Q", a perfect stranger, somehow gets involved and enters the bizarre family whose son beats his mom, who in turn is also a prostitute and a heroin addict.
A university student is kidnapped by young men in a car. No ransom is asked as the men are just bored roving thugs who have nothing better to do nor do they have any specific mission or purpose. Fascinated by the men's close bonds, the abused student slowly turns from victim to accomplice.
Probably the film in which more people are kidnapped in the shortest amount of time than any other film in cinema history. The antics and light-heartedness that run throughout the film, including the storyline, make it worthy of being called a 'violent film', despite the fact that there are no violent scenes at all. It is also a 'hero film' in that the protagonist has style and sticks to it whether he is hurt or not.
A short film made before the feature adaptation four years later. A group of men are travelling aimlessly, repeating the chaotic behaviour of "stealing what they want and throwing it away when they don't need it". They kidnap a university student in broad daylight on the streets. The university student is taken in without knowing why, and although he is frightened at first, he gradually becomes fascinated by the pace of the three men, who are somewhat unlikeable. Then, one of the university students accidentally shoots and kills someone. The four set off to dump the body, but their car gets caught at a checkpoint...
