Manga inspired films at Sydney Film Festival

Nifty! There's going to be a some Japanese films including anime/manga-based films showing at the Sydney Film Festival. The SFF runs from 4-22 June 2008. (PDF file of all of the Japanese films available here}


The ones of particular interest might be

urozu Zero:
Based on characters from the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi, from cult director Takashi Miike comes this number one hit in the Japanese movie charts. Shun Oguri (who features in Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django, also screening in this year's SFF) is a standout as punkish Genji Takaya, the son of a yakuza boss. Genji is determined to rule the roost at the baddest school in town, Suzuran Boys' High, but he'll have to fight everyone to do so. As fast-paced as Miike's career - he's directed more than 70 films since his 1991 debut - Crows: Episode 0 features much of the director's trademark violence, but it's also infused with his dark twisted humour which makes every blood-drenched fight an adrenaline high.

Tennen Kokekko:
Nobuhiro Yamashita (Linda Linda Linda, The Matsugane Potshot Affair) changes pace with this gorgeously filmed, pastoral coming-of-age tale based on the successful girl-manga Tennen Kokekko. Soyo is the eldest child in a rural school with just six students. Her sunny disposition and natural authority have made her indispensable and well-loved by the other students, so when older, stylish city-boy Hiromi joins the school, it's not only Soyo's emotions that are unsettled. Suddenly clumsy and vulnerable, her awakening is both sweet and tinged with an immobilising self-awareness: if she thinks about her new crush, she forgets to think about the others who depend on her. The beautiful, colour-saturated cinematography gives a comic-book dimensionality to both the reality of the rural setting and the psychic world of Soyo (newcomer Kaho won a slew of discovery awards in Japan).

Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina,
A rare opportunity to see animation on the big screen with Shinji Aramaki's Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina, the follow-up to his 2004 CG-animated feature. Derived from Masumune Shirow's iconic original manga, it follows government agents Deunan and Briareos as they battle the forces of evil. When Briareos is injured in a John Woo-inspired shootout, he's replaced by a look-alike - easily achievable when you're a human/cyborg - but Deunan isn't impressed. As the anti-government demonstrations build, the new partners battle in romance and zombies in an archetypal manga story of man versus machine. Fans as well as newcomers to the genre will be amazed by the splendid digital animation - 'the animated equivalent of going from Windows 98 to XP according to the Japan Times - with exquisite realisations of clothing, hair and cityscapes.



And these films are showing:
Kurozu Zero (Crows: Episode 0) playing at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival!
Sunday 8 June 8.00pm, Greater Union 8. Japanese. (English Subtitles)


2nd Screening - Kurozu Zero playing at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival!
Monday 9 June 8.30pm, Greater Union 9. Japanese. (English Subtitles)

Tennen Kokekko (A Gentle Breeze in the Village) playing at Sydney Film Festival!
Friday 13 June 2.00pm, Dendy Opera Quays. Japanese. (English Subtitles)

Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina playing at the Sydney Film Festival!
Saturday 14 June 8.15pm, Greater Union 9. Japanese. (English Subtitles)

2nd Screening - Tennen Kokekko playing at Sydney Film Festival!
Saturday 21 June 6.15pm, Dendy Opera Quays. Japanese. (English Subtitles)

2nd Screening - Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina at the Sydney Film Festival!
Saturday 22 June 4.45pm, Greater Union 8. Japanese. (English Subtitles)