News
Zipangu Film Festival Begins Friday
posted on by Andrew Osmond
The Zipangu Festival, which specialises in experimental Japanese cinema, will run from Friday September 14 to Sunday September 16, at the Cinema Museum in Kennington, near Elephant and Castle tube station (map).
Its Beyond Anime strand includes an 82-minute documentary, The Echo of Astro Boy's Footsteps, about the "extraordinary double life" of sound designer Matsuo Ohno, who worked on Astro Boy, Lupin the 3rd, and Space Battleship Yamato. This will be shown on Sunday, September 16th at 12.30 pm. The price is £7.50, or £6.50 concessions.
From the Zipangu press release:
In The Echo Of Astro Boy's Footsteps, director Masanori Tominaga leads an investigation into the extraordinary double life of legendary sound designer Matsuo Ohno. Following his groundbreaking experimental sound work on cult Japanese animations Astro Boy, Lupin the 3rd, and Space Battleship Yamato, Ohno mysteriously disappears from the public eye, retreating into a world of seclusion and personal struggle. Using firsthand accounts from friends and contemporaries to construct a definitive record of Ohno's life, Tominaga's team eventually uncovers the remarkable and deeply moving truth behind Ohno's current whereabouts and habits.
The other Beyond Anime screenings are:
Friday September 14: The Great Rabbit, directed by Atsushi Wada. The story of a group who worship "the profound and mysterious entity known only as the great rabbit." The short film won the Silver Bear (Jury Prize) at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. The screening is part of Zipangu's Opening Night programme, in which the main feature will be Somi - The Taekwon-Do Woman, a live-action feature made between Japan and North Korea, not previously shown in the West. The Opening Night begins at 7 p.m. and costs £10.
Note: The Taekwon-Do screening is a crowdfunded event; as of Monday morning, it had raised 59% of its target amount. More details can be found here.
Sunday September 16: Midori-ko (2010), directed by Keita Kurosaka, a hand-drawn "phantasmagoria of mesmerising and disturbing imagery" about scientists trying to create the perfect super food. Screening in a double-bill (2.30 p.m, price £7.50, concessions £6.50) together with:
Encounters (2011), directed by Takashi Iitsuka. This is an Adam and Joe style blockbuster spoof involving a super monster. Iitsuka will present an introduction and a Q&A at the screening.
