Sneak Preview Screening: "TEN YEARS JAPAN (Juu Nen)"

Tuesday, October 16, 2018, 18:45 - 21:30

Imagining a Future Japan, Both Bleak and Beautiful
Sneak Preview Screening: "TEN YEARS JAPAN (Juu Nen)"
followed by a Q&A with directors Akiyo Fujimura, Chie Hayakawa,
Kei Ishikawa, Yusuke Kinoshita and Megumi Tsuno

Tuesday, October 16 at 6:45 pm*Ten Years Japan original poster 356p
*Please note early start time

In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan 2018 99 minutes

Written and directed by: Akiyo Fujimura, Chie Hayakawa,
Kei Ishikawa, Yusuke Kinoshita, Megumi Tsuno
Produced by: Miyuki Takamatsu, Miyuki Fukuma,
Eiko Mizuno-Gray, Jason Gray
Starring: Hana Sugisaki, Taiga, Satoru Kawaguchi,
Chizuru Ikewaki, Jun Kunimura

Film courtesy of Free Stone Productions

What will Japan be like a decade from now, especially if all the worst-case scenarios start coming true? That is the theme uniting the five short films in the omnibus "Ten Years Japan," inspired by the surprise 2015 Hong Kong hit "Ten Years," which also featured five young directors imagining the future of their homeland (the film was banned in China).

The theme led to such illuminating stories, a trio of follow-on projects was announced in 2017, with films being made in Taiwan and Thailand as well as Japan. Palm d'Or-winning auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda signed on to executive produce the Japanese version, saying, "The idea of carrying on the spirit of the original Hong Kong film by trying to envision Japan 10 years from now was an intriguing one. However, I'm a little too old to participate as a young director, so I joined the production as a supporter."

Up-and-coming filmmakers Akiyo Fujimura, Chie Hayakawa, Kei Ishikawa, Yusuke Kinoshita and Megumi Tsuno have brought youth, passion and originality to their explorations of Japan's social and environmental problems. In Fujimura's "The Air We Can't See," a disaster has sent the population underground, but one lonely child finds a "place only kids can go;" in Hayakawa's "Plan 75," longevity is a liability, and the government is implementing a solution; in Ishikawa's "For Our Beautiful Country," an adman begins to rethink his job when he has to promote militarization; in Kinoshita's "Mischievous Alliance," children disrupt the 24/7 monitoring systems that control their educations; and in Tsuno's "Data," a young woman finds her mother's digital inheritance card, and is able to connect with her past.

Please join us for this sneak preview screening of the hotly anticipated "Ten Years Japan" following the world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, ahead of the Japanese release on November 3.

For the trailer (in Japanese): http://tenyearsjapan.com

"Plan 75" director CHIE HAYAKAWA studied photography at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her short film "Niagara" was screened in the Cannes Film Festival Cinéfondation program in 2014 and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Vladivostok International Film Festival, two Grand Prizes at the International Women's Film Festival in Seoul, and Grand Prix at the Pia Film Festival. Her feature screenplay "A Boy on the Set" was nominated for a Sundance Institute/NHK Award in 2015. She is currently developing her first feature film, the Japan-Taiwan co-production "Hurry Slowly."

"The Air We Can't See" director AKIYO FUJIWARA majored in film at Meiji Gakuin University, where she directed short films such as "Summer Moon," which were screened at various independent film festivals in Japan. After graduating, she worked as an assistant director at Toho Studios. Her feature debut, "Eriko, Pretended," won the Skip City Award at the 2016 Skip City International D-Cinema Festival, followed by screenings at festivals across Europe.

"For Our Beautiful Country" director KEI ISHIKAWA studied physics at Tohoku University and film directing at the Łódź Film School in Poland. After making several short films that screened at film festivals worldwide, he made the Japanese-Polish co-production "Baby," which won the Bucheon Award from the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) in 2013. Ishikawa's feature debut, "Gukoroku: Traces of Sin," premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2016.

"Mischievous Alliance" director YUSUKE KINOSHITA spent his childhood in Australia and began making films while a student at Waseda University. His short "Bird Cage" received the Grand Prix at the Tokyo Student Film Festival and prizes at the Pia Film Festival (PFF). His PFF scholarship feature debut, "Water Flower," premiered in Berlin followed by other international film festivals. He is now developing the feature film "Synchronicity," which was awarded special mention in Talents Tokyo 2016 and was selected for Ties That Bind 2017.

"Data" director MEGUMI TSUNO graduated from Nihon University College of Art's directing course. In 2015, she joined Bun-Buku under Hirokazu Kore-eda and Miwa Nishikawa, where she has been active directing TV programs, music videos and commercials. Tsuno also directed the making-of documentary for Kore-eda's "The Third Murder."

Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) or register below. 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