I’ve been keeping this news under my hat for some while now, but Behind the Pink Curtain has just been translated into Polish and will be published any day now. This is the first foreign-language publication of my book, although the rights have been sold to China, France and South Korea. I know translators from the last two countries are hard at work at the moment, as I’ve been in correspondence with them (the French publisher, Lezard Noir, has a page for the French version up on its website here, though as yet no news of a publication date). I’m not sure what’s going on with the Chinese licensers though. In fact, I find it pretty surreal that the Chinese rights were sold in the first place.

Polish edition of Behind the Pink Curtain, out very soon courtesy of Ha!art.

Anyway, the Polish version is the first off the block, entitled “Za różową kurtyną” and published by Korporacja Ha!art Press. Yes, you know you’ve really made it when you get translated into Polish!

The book will be coming out to coincide with a programme I’ve done for Era New Horizon’s Festival in Wroclaw this 21-31 July. The programme hasn’t been announced officially yet, so I sure as hell am not going to do it in this post. Suffice it to say, there’s going to be 20 films, with a mixture of classic and modern pinku eiga and Roman Porno, with quite a few titles screened for the very first time outside of Japan, and a special guest whose name I’m not at liberty to divulge at the moment. Oh yes, and I’m going to be there too, and am really really looking forward to my first trip to Poland! (Apparently Wroclaw was used for some of the locations in Mamoru Oshii’s Avalon).

Apparently that's Wroclaw in the background of Mamoru Oshii's excellent Avalon

I’ll post up more details when they’ve been announced by the festival, but for now, keep your eyes peeled for further updates on this page on the Era New Horizons website.

Posted at 14:00 on 23 June 2011 Filed under news.

• Tagged
• Behind the Pink Curtain
• New Horizons
• pink film
• Poland
• Roman Porno
• Wroclaw

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Been busy, busy, busy recently, which is why I’ve been so remiss about posting up details about this year’s Shinsedai New Generation Japanese Film Festival, which I’ve curated with Chris Magee of the Toronto J-Film Pow-wow. For full details of the programme, let me first of all direct you to the new Shinsedai homepage, which for this year has moved URL to http://shinsedai-toronto.com/.

Neil Cantwell and Tim Grabham's remarkable new documentary Kanzeon

There’s another great line-up at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre this July, high points of which include Catcher On the Shore, the directorial debut of 14-year-old Okinawan boy, Ryugo Nakamura (yes, you did read that correctly: 14-year-old!!!), a rare screening of Torajiro Saito’s 1935 Shochiku Kamada comedy Kid’s Commotion starring “the Japanese Charlie Chaplin” Shigeru Ogura and presented with a live Foley sound effects accompaniment and demonstration by Goto Koyama (this is going to be amazing!), and the world premiere of Kanzeon, a stunning new British documentary about Buddhism and music (actually it’s about a whole lot more than that, but it’s sort of difficult to explain – check out the official website). Oh yes, and there’s some other old favourites we screened in London as part of last year’s Zipangu Fest, including the CALF animation programme and Mean-eater Mountain.

Catcher on the Shore, by 14-year-old filmmaking prodigy Ryugo Nakamura

We’re also closing the festival with Yuya Ishii’s Sawako Decides, one of the titles that did the rounds of the UK as part of the Japan Foundation UK’s touring programme earlier this year. If you didn’t catch it in Britain, or if you want to see it again, you’ll be happy to hear that it’s been picked up for distribution byThird Window Films, and will be out in theatres from 8 July, with a DVD to follow. Anyway, I’m not going to go into too much detail about the programme here, other than to cut and paste some of the highlights from Chris’ page, but suffice it to say, its another goodie for Torontonians, so if you’re in the city at the end of July, don’t miss…

I unfortunately won’t be at Shinsedai this year due to scheduling conflicts with another very special film event that is occurring on the other side of the world (well, almost…) in Poland, which I’ll do my utmost to shed some light on before the week is out.

In the meantime, here’s the lowdown on this year’s Shinsedai:

OPENING NIGHT FILM: Hospitalité (dir. Koji Fukuda, 2010)

A sly, humorous and insightful satire of contemporary a Japanese family and the secrets they keep from each other that begins as an homage to the classic domestic dramas of Yasujiro Ozu, but ends up in the comic territory of Tampopo director Juzo Itami.

Sly satire from Koji Fukuda, Hospitalité

HORROR FEATURE: Shirome (dir. Koji Shiraishi, 2010)

Koji Shiraishi, director of “Occult” and the controversial “Grotesque”, revitalizes the J-Horror genre with a mockumentary that combines the low-budget scares of The Blair Witch Project and American Idol instant stardom into an entirely unique and chilling experience.

Blair Witch Project meets The X-Factor, in Koji Shiraishi's Shirome

CENTERPIECE SCREENING: Wandering Home (dir. Yoichi Higashi, 2010)

Tadanobu Asano gives a career defining performance as real-life photojournalist Yutaka Kamoshida as he struggles to overcome alcoholism. Far from being a journey into the underbelly of addiction “Wandering Home” is a life-affirming drama filled with love, gentle humour and reconciliation.

Tadanobu Asano stars in Wandering Home

FAMILY FEATURE: Azemichi Road (dir. Fumie Nishikawa, 2009)

“Azemichi Road” takes the classic underdog genre and gives it new life. Yuki, a young deaf girl, takes a journey from silence to acceptance through her involvement in an amateur dance troupe. Film-maker Fumie Nishikawa sets her feel-good kids film in the gorgeous landscapes of Japan’s countryside.

Fun for all the family, Azemichi Road

SILENT CLASSIC: Kid Commotion (dir. Torajiro Saito, 1935)

The Shinsedai Cinema Festival is very proud to present a special screening of Torajiro Saito’s “Kid Commotion”, starring Japan’s answer to Charlie Chaplin Shigeru Ogura as a harried father, with the accompaniment of live sound effects provided by foley artist Goro Koyama. Audiences will not only have a chance to see a very rare and very funny silent film, but will have the opportunity to learn about the art of movie sound effects.

Vintage Japanese slapstick, Kid's Commotion, presented with a very unusual accompaniment!

CLOSING NIGHT FILM: Sawako Decides (dir. Yuya Ishii, 2010)

Director Yuya Ishii’s return to the Shinsedai Cinema Festival, “Sawako Decides” is the hilarious story of a young woman (actress Hikari Mistushima) who returns to her home town to care for her ailing father and to straighten out her life after a series of low-paying jobs and less than ideal boyfriends.

Soon to go on theatrical release in the UK, Sawako Decides is Shinsedai's Closing Night Screening

Posted at 14:25 on 22 June 2011 Filed under news.

• Tagged
• CALF
• Catcher On the Shore
• Chris Magee
• Goto Koyama
• j-film pow-wow
• Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
• Kanzeon
• Kid’s Commotion
• Man-eater mountain
• Ryugo Nakamura
• Sawako Decides
• Shinsedai
• Third Window Films
• Toronto

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Some quick news in from the Japan Foundation UK, but at 6.30pm on 10th June, acclaimed documentary-maker Kazuhiro Soda will be at the Japan Foundation’s London office in Russell Square to give a talk on his work, just prior to presenting the UK premiere of his most recent film, Peace, at Sheffield Doc/Fest in Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema screen 1 at 10.30am on 12th June. More details about the Doc/Fest screening can be found here, while the film’s official website can be found here.

Kazuhiro Soda Talk at the Japan Foundation UK

Posted at 10:49 on 03 June 2011 Filed under news.

• Tagged
• Campaign
• Doc/Fest
• Japan Foundation
• Kazuhiro Soda
• Midnight Eye
• Peace
• The Kawasaki Candidate

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