SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Koji Wakamatsu, and two stars, Shinobu Terajima and Shima Ohnishi

Japan, 2010. 85 minutes

Directed by Koji Wakamatsu
Written by Hisako Kurosawa and Deru Deguchi
Produced by Koji Wakamatsu and Noriko Ozaki
Starring Shinobu Terajima, Shima Ohnishi

Film courtesy of Wakamatsu Production, Inc.

Warning: Strong sexual content

In Japanese with English subtitles

The Movie Committee is honored to welcome back provocative auteur Koji Wakamatsu (United Red Army), fresh off his new film’s premiere in competition at the 60th International Film Festival of Berlin. Caterpillar took home the Best Actress Award for star Shinobu Terajima, who will join Wakamatsu and her costar, Shima Ohnishi, for this very special preview screening.

Calling it “a direct and powerful correlation between war and sexual politics,” the Hollywood Reporter had this to say about the film’s achievement: “There's nothing oblique or nuanced in Berlinale competition selection Caterpillar, Koji Wakamatsu's indictment of right-wing militarist-nationalism and the partner-piece to his relentless expose on left-wing extremism, United Red Army. As consciously strident in tone as the various forms of WWII Japanese war propaganda he deploys satirically, his conviction is so strong, and his argument so persuasive, that this masterpiece has the blunt force of a tank rolling over naked flesh.”

Caterpillar highlights the hypocrisy of patriotic duty and the impact of war on civilians, by focusing on Shigeko (Terajima), the wife of a decorated soldier, Lt. Kyuzo Kurokawa (Ohnishi), who returns home from the Sino-Japanese war in 1940 without his arms and legs. His relatives think he’s a burden, and his care falls completely to his wife, who soon tires of his insatiable sexual demands and punishes him by parading him around the village in his uniform. Shigeko must fulfill her duty to honor the Emperor and her country by taking care of the “god-soldier,” but the public charade, and the sado-masochistic relationship with her husband, exact a heavy toll.

Caterpillar is not scheduled to open in Japan until August, so this is an unprecedented opportunity for FCCJ members to experience what one of the year’s most controversial films.

Director Koji Wakamatsu is a former yakuza, convict and pink film director who came to prominence with his 1965 Golden Bear-nominated film Secrets Behind the Wall. Using his camera as an active political weapon to expose hypocrisy wherever he finds it, Wakamatsu has continued to shoot films with virulent anarchist manifestos, enraging Japanese authorities and getting him banned from American, Russian and Chinese territories. In 1971, he gained international notoriety at the Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight with Violated Angels (1967) and Sex Jack (1970). Five years later he joined Nagisa Oshima’s In the Realm of Senses upon the latter’s request as the executive producer. His last film, United Red Army, was selected for the 2008 Berlin Film Festival Forum and was critically acclaimed worldwide.

Winner of countless domestic awards, including the Japan Academy Award for her role in Akame 48 Waterfalls (2003) and the Best Actress Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for Vibrator (2003), Shinobu Terajima is one of Japan’s most popular actors. Other career highlights include Quill (2004), Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005), Tokyo Tower (2005) and Lush Life (2009).

Shima Ohnishi made his debut with Akame 48 Waterfalls (2003), in which he appeared with Shinobu Terajima. He also appeared in Koji Wakamatsu’s 2007 United Red Army, and in Running on Empty (2009).

A picnic dinner is available at a cost of 1,365 yen (including beverage, popcorn and tax) for those who wish to eat right before the film begins. Please choose between Picnic A Sandwich (Smoked Salmon, Avocado, Dill Cream Cheese, Cress, Pickles & Capers on Bagel) or Picnic B Sandwich (Tomato, Roasted Red Onion, Peppers, Olive Tapenade, Feta, Basil & Rocket Wrap). To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve by noon on the day of the screening at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161).

Please pick up your ticket at the front desk from 6:30 p.m. before collecting your picnic and beverage choice at the lobby bar. Cancellations received after noon on the day of the screening will be charged in full.

Karen Severns, Edwin Karmiol. Movie Committee.

SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING followed by a Q&A session with the film's writer-director, Momoko Ando

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010. 7:00 P.M. 20th floor

Japan, 2009. 107 minutes

Directed and written by Momoko Ando
Produced by Sakura Momoyama, Keiko Watanabe
Starring Hikari Mitsushima, Eriko Nakamura, Tasuku Nagaoka

Film courtesy of Pictures Department

In Japanese, with English subtitles

The Movie Committee is pleased to present Kakera: A Piece of our Life ahead of its theatrical release in Japan on April 3. Kakera also opens in London on the same day, marking the first such simultaneous release ever for a Japanese film.

Kakera is the vibrant debut feature of Momoko Andô, one of Japan's most exciting new female filmmakers. A delicate and humorous exploration of sexuality and youth, the film follows the relationship between Haru (Mitsushima), a college student with an indifferent boyfriend, and Riko (Nakamura), a bisexual medical artist who makes prosthetic body parts. After their chance meeting in a coffee shop, Haru and Riko begin a tentative relationship that soon becomes all-encompassing, but not quite all-fulfilling. Based on the best-selling manga Love Vibes by Erika Sakurazawa, and featuring a soundtrack by James Iha, former guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins, Kakera is a nuanced portrait of love, friendship, identity and gender, illuminating the intensity and confusion of the journey toward maturity.

At its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London last autumn, Kakera was met with rave reviews for its "effervescent" handling of the relationship between two young women as they "partly fumble - and partly hurdle - towards adulthood."
Stockholm Film Festival Director Git Scheynius called it a "mesmerizing debut with delicate performances… low key, yet powerful." Kakera was also selected to screen at the Glasgow Film Festival and the Kinotayo Film Festival in Paris, where it received the Beautiful Cinemascope Award.

Writer-director Momoko Andô, a graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art in London, is the daughter of actor / director Eiji Okuda and essayist Kazu Ando, and the sister of rising actress Sakura Ando (Love Exposure, Ain’t No Tomorrows).

A picnic dinner is available at a cost of 1,365 yen (including beverage, popcorn and tax) for those who wish to eat right before the film begins. Please choose between Picnic A Sandwich (Tandoori Spiced Chicken Wrap with Cucumber Raita, Bean Sprouts, Coriander, Red Onion & Salad) or Picnic B Sandwich (Grilled Eggplant, Zucchini, Roast Peppers, Mozzarella, Rocket & Pesto on Baguette). To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve by noon on the day of the screening at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161)3211-3161. Please pick up your ticket at the front desk from 6:30 P. M. before collecting your picnic and beverage choice at the lobby bar. Cancellations received after noon on the day of the screening will be charged in full.

You may attend the film without ordering a picnic dinner. Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) to allow for seating arrangements.

All movie screenings are private, noncommercial events restricted to FCCJ members and their guests.

Karen Severns, Edwin Karmiol, Movie Committee

SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING followed by a Q&A session with the film's producer, Hitoshi Endo

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010. 6:30 p.m. 20th floor

Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura
Written by Kotaro Isaka, based on his novel
Produced by Hitoshi Endo
Starring Masato Sakai, Yuko Takeuchi, Nao Omori, Akira Emoto

Film courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd.

In Japanese with English subtitles

The Movie Committee is thrilled to provide this opportunity for FCCJ members to view this new thriller before its much-anticipated Japanese release. Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura, Golden Slumber is the third film he has adapted in collaboration with the bestselling author Kotaro Isaka, following The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker in 2007, and Fish Story in 2009.

Shortly before a remote-controlled bomb explosion kills the opposition party's prime minister during a parade in Sendai, a courier named Aoyagi (Masato Sakai) unexpectedly bumps into an old friend, Morita. The latter is acting very strangely and before it happens, mentions the assassination. Moments later, the police arrive, handguns drawn, and kill Morita. Panicked and confused after witnessing this incident, Aoyagi makes a run for it. But bystanders point the finger at him, framing him for the premier's assassination. With nowhere left to turn, Aoyagi feels compelled to place his trust in a small circle of friends to help him out. These include a college buddy, a fellow delivery driver, a serial killer, and Haruko (Yuko Takeuchi), his former girlfriend.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to see Golden Slumber before its release in Japanese theaters on January 30, 2010.

Golden Slumber producer Hitoshi Endo is director of the Visual Production Department at Amuse, Inc. He previously produced Fish Story (2009) and The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker (2007), by the same director and writer. His other productions include Funuke domo kanashimi no ai wo misero (2007), Little DJ (2007), A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies (2007) and Sky High (2003).

Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) to allow for seating arrangements.

All movie screenings are private, noncommercial events restricted to FCCJ members and their guests.

Karen Severns, Edwin Karmiol. Movie Committee.

SPECIAL SCREENING: OLD PARTNER
followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Chung-ryoul Lee, and producer, Tetsujiro Yamagami
FRIDAY, DEC. 11, 2009. 15:00-17:00 p.m. 20th floor
*please note REVISED START TIME
South Korea, 2008. 77 minutes
In Korean, with English subtitles

Directed by Chung-ryoul Lee
Produced by Studio Nurimbo
Starring Won-kyun Choi, Sam-soon Lee
Film courtesy of Siglo, Ltd.

In Korean, with English subtitles

The Movie Committee is honored to present "Old Partner" ahead of its theatrical release in Japan on December 19.

Quite simply the most extraordinary film you will ever see about a man and his loyal ox, "Old Partner" took Korea by storm earlier this year, when the documentary attracted nearly 3 million admissions and earned a staggering $17 million during its theatrical run- making it the biggest documentary hit in Korea’s history.

Charming, heartbreaking and utterly universal, "Old Partner" tells the story of an elderly farmer, his energetic, wisecracking wife and their No. 1 farmhand, an aging ox who has shared their joys, sorrows and travails for the past 30 years. Evoking the gentle rhythms of the cycle of life, the film playfully and poetically depicts one of the most empathetic relationships ever seen on screen. As these three old souls fight on in their twilight years, "Old Partner" celebrates the never-say- die spirit that built modern Korea- and reminds us of what has been lost in the course of rapid growth.

You'll never react to the tinkling of a cowbell in the same way again.

Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Pusan International Film Festival, and the Audience Award at the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the film was also invited to screen at Sundance, Sydney International Film Festival, AFI/ Discovery Channel Documentary Festival and Hot Docs International Documentary Festival.

This is the remarkable theatrical debut of director Chung- ryoul Lee, who has worked as a TV documentary producer for the past decade.

Producer Tetsujiro Yamagami is the founding president of Siglo, Ltd., and has produced over 60 feature films and documentaries, including award- winning titles by John Junkerman ("Japan's Peace Constitution"), Yoichi Higashi ("The River with No Bridge" and "Village of Dreams"), Makoto Sato ("Artists in Wonderland" and "Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said") and Ryosuke Hashiguchi ("Hush!" and "All Around Us").

Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) to allow for seating arrangements.

All movie screenings are private, noncommercial events restricted to FCCJ members and their guests.

Karen Severns, Edwin Karmiol, Movie Committee