Female-driven omnibus paints colorful, passionate visions of our time
Sneak Preview Screening: "21st Century Girl (21 Seiki no Onna no Ko)"
followed by a Q&A with producer-director U-ki Yamato and directors
Aya Igashi, Ayaka Kato, Risa Takeuchi and Yuka Yasukawa
Wednesday, February 6 at 6:45 pm*
*Please note early start time
In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan, 2018 117 minutes
Written and directed by: Yuka Eda, Momoko Fukuda, Kanae Higashi,
Aya Igashi, Yurina Kaneko, Ayaka Kato, Hana Matsumoto, Aimi Natsuto,
Yukari Sakamoto, Rin Shuto, Yuka Yasukawa, Risa Takeuchi,
Sakura Tamagawa, Yoko Yamanaka, U-ki Yamato
Produced by: U-ki Yamato
Starring: Ai Hashimoto, Shizuka Ishibashi, Sairi Itoh,
Kaho Minami, Serena Motola, Kiki Sugino
Film courtesy of 21st Century Girl Film Partners (ABC Rights Business, VAP)
Following the enormous success of her film "Drowning Love" in 2016, U-ki Yamato did not do the obvious thing. Instead, she spent the next year selecting 14 emerging female directors, born around 1990, and invited them to make works of eight minutes each on an issue of sexuality or gender. She then produced the omnibus feature "21st Century Girl" (to which she also contributed a film), a collection of self-described "defiant films dedicated to girls in the 21st century."
While some of the young writer-directors have already released feature films and/or received awards for short work, and several have already appeared at Berlin, Cannes and other leading festivals, the range of styles, visions, themes and genres on display in the omnibus bode demonstrate an impressive diversity and versatility. The films are all beautifully shot, with top-notch production and costume design, and star some of Japan's most popular actresses, including Kaho Minami, Ai Hashimoto, Shizuka Ishibashi, Kiki Sugino, Sairi Itoh and Serena Motola.
Before the world premiere of the omnibus at the Tokyo International Film Festival last November, Yamato told the audience, "I wonder how many films made today have the power to change the future, and how many such films a filmmaker can make in a lifetime? I think there are many wonderful forms of art, but only through cinema, which has long arms and can reach all the way into remote areas, can they all be consolidated and contribute to changing a woman's life."
With "21st Century Girl," these fully-committed filmmakers - Aya Igashi (Your Sheet), Yuka Eda (Love Desiccant), Ayaka Kato (Mucous Membrane), Yukari Sakamoto (Reborn), Aimi Natsuto (Spring-ing), Kanae Higashi (Out of Fashion), Momoko Fukuda (Sex-less, Sex-friends), Hana Matsumoto (Low Resolution, High Emotion), Yuka Yasukawa (Muse), Yoko Yamanaka (Anytime, Anywhere) and Yurina Kaneko (Projection), Rin Shuto (I Wanna Be Your Cat), Risa Takeuchi (Mirror), U-ki Yamato (For Lonesome Blossoms) and Sakura Tamagawa (end-title animation) - stake their claims to ongoing careers.
Please join us for this screening of "21st Century Girl" before its Tokyo release on February 8.
For more: http://21st-century-girl.com
U-KI YAMATO received Best New Director at the Japan Film Professional Awards in 2015 for her debut "Itsutsu Kazoereba Kimi no Yume." Her next film, "Drowning Love" (2016), was a huge hit at the box office. Her new film, "Hot Gimmick," will be released later this year.
AYA IGASHI graduated from Toho Gakuen, and her graduation film "Tokeru" was selected for the Cannes Film Festival's Cinéfondation competition in 2017. Her first feature, "Crimson Star," was released in late 2018 to much acclaim.
AYAKA KATO directed her first feature, "Onnanoko Kirai," in 2015. She has also directed TV programs and music videos. Her second feature, "Itsumo Tsukiyo ni Kome no Meshi," was released in 2018.
RISA TAKEUCHI earned a Master's degree in directing from Tokyo University of the Arts. Her first feature, "Michiteiku" (2014) won the grand prize at the 15th Tama New Wave Festival. She wrote the script for the 2017 film "Synchronizer," and released "Mitsuko and the Space Bump" in 2018.
YUKA YASUKAWA's first film, "Dressing Up," won Best New Director at the Japan Film Professional Awards. In 2017, her short "Eternal Girl" was screened at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) or from http://www.fccj.or.jp.
You may attend the Q&A session without attending the screening, but you will not have seating priority.
All film screenings are private, noncommercial events primarily for FCCJ members and their guests.
- Karen Severns, Film Committee
