“New Wave” at the 11th Japanese-Serbian Film Festival
The traditional 11th Japanese-Serbian Film Festival (JSFF) will be held from December 2 to 6, 2024, bringing together two cultures in search of new trends in cinematography. This year’s program brings premieres of films from Japan, as well as award-winning titles by talented Serbian authors in the feature and short film categories.
The festival will be officially opened in to the Yugoslav CinemathequeUzun Mirkova 1, on Tuesday, December 2 u 6:30 p.mwith free admission. For five days, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a rich program that will be held in to the Yugoslav Cinematheque (Uzun Mirkova 1) i Cineplexx Gallery cinemawith the presence of numerous guests from Japan and the world. They are among them Toru Kizua well-known actor and producer, one of the main actors of last year’s Japanese winner “December”, an artist Raura Suzukidirector Juju Yamaguchi and many others.
Featured Movies and Themes
This year’s film program explores innovative Japanese trends and provides insight into the sociological circumstances of the land of the rising sun. Among the most notable titles is award-winning documentary “Johatsu: Into Thin Air” the director Andreas Hartman i Show Morijawhich follows the work of a company specializing in enabling identity “erasing” to people in search of a new beginning.
Another interesting title is the movie „Matter of Sharing,“ in which the actress from the movie “Minamata” (starring Johnny Depp) appears, and which explores the noble side of collective housing and overcoming life’s difficulties together.
The program includes topics such as the changing role of the yakuza in contemporary Japanese societythe challenges of family relationships, and the evolution of love relationships, opening up new thoughts through films.
3.12. at 5:15 p.m. in the Yugoslav Cinematheque, film professionals and the audience can expect a free screening Moon Sushi Masteclass which will be held by actor Toru Kizu and director Sayaka Nakamura. You will learn more about the unique techniques of creating stage and film works – from outdoor monodrama to recording improvised performances.
Serbian titles on the program
Domestic authors bring attractive titles like a feature film „78 dana“ in the direction Emilija Gasicwinner of the award for the best Serbian short film at the JSFF in 2019. Also, there are intriguing documentaries such as “The possibility of paradise” Mladena Kovačević and “Warm movie,” which explores the presence of LGBTQ themes throughout the history of Yugoslav cinema. The competitive selection also includes titles: “Garden Cadences” Daneta Komljena, “Videoteka” Luke Bursać and “Russian Consul” directed by Miroslav Lekić.
Short film program and competition
Short films, divided into four blocks, bring bold and award-winning works by directors from Japan and Serbia, including titles such as:
- „10 Years Isobatake“ (the first part of director Sakura Ueki’s ten-year project),
- „Future! Future!“ (homage to the popular Western cinema of the 80s and 90s), and
- „Nikkei Canadian Story“ (JSFF 2020 winner, by Alice Il Shin).
The Serbian selection includes films like “The future is bright and unbearable” Milena Grujić, “What if it never comes” Đorđe Petrović i “Step” Igor Pavlović and Marko Draško.
Prizes and specifics of the festival
The curiosity of JSFF is the competition system in which the Japanese jury chooses the best Serbian short filmwhereas the Serbian jury chooses the best Japanese short film. In the feature selection, they are awarded Grand Prix festival, as well as awards for the best Serbian and Japanese film who responded to this year’s festival theme in the most creative way. Special prize “Nikola Stojanović Legacy Award” it is awarded in honor of one of the greatest connoisseurs of Japanese cinema.
The festival program is available on the JSFF official website, while tickets can be purchased at the box office Yugoslav movie theaters i Cineplexx Galleries.
Source: BIZLife
Photo: Promo
Source: bizlife.rs
