Special Screening of "Tora-san, Wish You Were Here", Q&A Session and Japan Now panel
in collaboration with TIFF featuring legendary director Yoji Yamada,
TIFF Festival Director Takeo Hisamatsu and Japan Now Programming Advisor Kohei Ando
Thursday, October 3
Special screening, "Tora-san, Wish You Were Here" (Otoko wa Tsurai Yo, Okaeri Tora-san):
In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan, 2019 115 minutes
1:00 – 2:55 (at Shochiku, doors open 12:30)
*Seats for the special screening at Shochiku Screening Room 松竹東劇ビル3階試写室
(Address: Togeki Building 3F, 4-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) are limited to 80 attendees, so register early. Members are limited to one guest only.
Thank you very much, the special screening has reached seating capacity and what we can do from now on is putting your name in the waiting list (a slight possibility of receiving cancellation by some of the attendees before Oct. 3rd). There are still seats available for the Q&A session at FCCJ.
Q&A session of the film and Japan Now panel by TIFF:
5:00 – 6:00 pm (at FCCJ)
The Film Committee is pleased to once again welcome our friends from the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), along with legendary director Yoji Yamada, whose hotly anticipated "Tora-san, Wish You Were Here," has been selected as the festival's Opening Film. Joining the internationally acclaimed director to discuss the 50th anniversary of his beloved Tora-san character, as well as to share highlights of this year's 32nd edition of the festival, will be TIFF Festival Director Takeo Hisamatsu and Japan Now Programming Advisor Kohei Ando.
Following a very special screening of "Tora-san, Wish You Were Here" with English subtitles at Shochiku in Higashi Ginza, Yamada will appear at FCCJ for a Q&A session focused on the latest title in the series he launched in 1969, resulting in 49 films over a 28-year period (a world record). Shochiku is releasing 4K digital restorations of all 49 previous films, culminating in the nationwide release of this 50th installment on December 27.
Hisamatsu will discuss the TIFF 32 lineup, and Ando will discuss the selections for TIFF's Japan Now section, which showcases outstanding Japanese films from recent and coming months, allowing international audiences to enjoy local standouts with English subtitles.
The 32nd TIFF will run from October 28 – November 5 at locations in Roppongi, Hibiya and elsewhere in Tokyo.
Special screening at Shochiku*
"Tora-san, Wish You Were Here" (Otoko wa Tsurai Yo, Okaeri Tora-san)
In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan, 2019 115 minutes
Directed by: Yoji Yamada
Written by: Yuzo Asahara, Yoji Yamada
Produced by: Hiroshi Fukazawa
Starring: Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Kumiko Goto,
Gin Maeda, Chizuru Ikewaki, Mari Natsuki, Ruriko Asaoka, Jun Miho
Film courtesy of Shochiku
For more (in Japanese): https://www.cinemaclassics.jp/tora-san/movie50/
"Tora-san, Wish You Were Here" has been completed in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" (It's Tough Being a Man). The first entry since the last one opened 22 years ago, shortly after the untimely death of star Kiyoshi Atsumi, "Tora-san, Wish You Were Here" does something extraordinary: it recaptures the spirit of the "lovable vagabond" through innovative technology that combines new footage with 4K digitally restored footage of its late star. Far more than feeling like a digital insertion, Tora-san comes startlingly alive, and reminds us all how much he's been missed.
The series resumes with Tora's now-adult nephew, Mitsuo (Yoshioka), who has left his office job to become a novelist. At a book signing, he runs into his first love, Izumi (Goto), a UNHCR diplomat who had moved away to Europe. Both have since married and had children, but the years begin to melt away. Mitsuo takes her to a small jazz bar, and Izumi is amazed to find that the owner is the still-gorgeous Lily (Ruriko Asaoka), Tora's greatest love. The two women last saw each other over 20 years ago on Amami Oshima, and they regale each other with memories. Later, Mitsuo takes Izumi to the Kurumaya Café in Shibamata (the modern version of the old confectionary shop run by Tora's parents). Although she's not one of the Madonnas, it's late, so Izumi agrees to sleep on the second floor. And so a new chapter begins...
YOJI YAMADA began his career at Shochiku as an assistant director, made his film debut with "A Stranger Upstairs" in 1961, launched the "Tora-san" series in 1969, and also had critical and commercial success - as well as winning a multitude of awards - with such films as "The Yellow Handkerchief" (1977, which was remade in Hollywood), "Final Take" (1986, which commemorated the golden anniversary of Shochiku's Ofuna Studios and was presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival), "The Twilight Samurai" (2002, which won 15 awards at the 26th Japanese Academy Awards, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards®), "The Hidden Blade" (2004, presented in competition at the 55th Berlinale), "Love and Honor" (2006, 57th Berlinale), "About Her Brother" (2009, 60th Berlinale), and "The Little House" (2014, shown in competition at the 65th Berlinale, where it earned Haru Kuroki the Silver Bear award for Best Actress).
KOHEI ANDO is a professor emeritus at Waseda University, a filmmaker, a producer and a tireless promoter of international collaborations. He began making films under Shuji Terayama and continued creating short art films during a 30-year career with TBS. He has received many awards for his work, from such festivals as Oberhausen, Hawaii and Montreux, and was a pioneer in high-vision filmmaking. Ando's work is in collections at major museums and film libraries in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo, and he has been the focus of two French retrospectives. This marks Ando's fifth year as the programming advisor for Japan Now.
TAKEO HISAMATSU has spent nearly 40 years in the film industry and has served in many capacities, including as an executive managing director of Shochiku Co., Ltd. and deputy general manager of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. In 2015, he established My Way Movies, where he serves as president. Over the past several years, Hisamatsu has produced such renowned Japanese films as "Unforgiven" (2013, directed by Lee Sang-il), "Rurouni Kenshin" (2012, Keishi Ohtomo), "Air Doll" (2009) and "Still Walking" (2008), both by Hirokazu Kore-eda and "All Around Us" (2008, Ryosuke Hashiguchi). Hisamatsu was named festival director of TIFF in 2017.
TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (TIFF) is the only Japanese film festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).** TIFF started in 1985 as Japan's first major film festival and has grown to become one of the biggest film festivals in Asia. Celebrating its 32nd anniversary in 2019, TIFF continues to seek out excellent films from around the world and brings them to Tokyo, where filmmakers and film fans can enjoy them, meet emerging filmmakers, and be inspired.
*Seats for the special screening at Shochiku Screening Room 松竹東劇ビル3階試写室
(Address: Togeki Building 3F, 4-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) are limited to 80 attendees, so register early. Members are limited to one guest only.
Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) or register below.
- Karen Severns, Film Committee
**FIAPF is an international organization that oversees issues related to the film industry and international film festivals.