This year marks the 26th edition of the Image Forum Festival (April 29 - May 6, 2012) – the annual celebration of experimental film and video in Tokyo. The line-up is diverse and features 35 programmes for a total of 206 works including short films, feature length films and installations. I will just mention a couple of the events that I would go and see if I could.
The animated short programme is as strong as ever. Programme A is called JAPAN ANIMATION PANORAMA and features works by Nobuhiro Aihara, who passed away last spring, as well as Atsushi Wada’s Silver Bear winning film The Great Rabbit. I am most excited to see that there's a a new work from one of my favourite women animators Mika Seike! The full line up for Programme A is:
Longing for Venus (金星の夢) by Mitsuo TOYAMA (2011)
Michiyuki Onsen-hen (みちゆき温泉編) by Ryo TANIGUCHI (2011)
GIGI-GAGA by Nobuhiro AIHARA (2011)
SKY by Nobuhiro AIHARA (2011)
Red colored bridge by Keiichi TANAAMI (2012)
Moth Pattern(蛾鑑) by Mika SEIKE by (2012)
gala gala by Yoshihisa NAKANISHI (2012)
Akerata asobi, Wasureru manako (開かれた遊び、忘れる眼) by ALIMO (2012)
Hito no Shima(人の島) by ALIMO(2011)
The Great Rabbit (グレートラビット) by Atsushi WADA (2012)
MODERN No.2by Mirai MIZUE (2011)
AND AND by Mirai MIZUE (2011)
In addition, Isamu Hirabayashi’s Noburo Ofuji Award-winning animated short 63114 (read review) is playing in programme G which is a screening dedicated films that are responses to the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and ensuing nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011.
Programme J has an intriguing line up of shorts from Europe:
On the Water’s Edge by Tommaso de Sanctis (England, 2010)
Sleep by Claudius Gentinetta + Frank Braun(Switzerland, 2010)
Spoken Film 1by Wojciech Bąkowski (Poland, 2007)
Journey to Cape Verde by José Miguel Ribeiro (Portugal, 2010)
544/544 (up/down) by Thomas Mohr (Netherlands, 2011)
ich fahre mit dem fahrrad in einer halben stunde an den rand der atmosphäre
(i go with my bicycle within half an hour on the edge of the atmosphere)
by Michel Klöfkorn (Germany, 2011)
The Eagleman Stag by Michael Please (England, 2010)
Thomas Mohr’s film, which interprets The Requiem of Hanne Darboven, can be viewed on Vimeo.
Programme K features a selection of recent films by Chinese animators and experimentalists – I am afraid I don’t have time this week to figure out all the names and titles in English but here is the screening list for those who can read Japanese:
影夢人生 ツァオ・フェイ / 中国 / ビデオ /10 分 /2011
穀物配給切符 チェン・シー + アン・シュン / 中国 / ビデオ /19 分 /2011
兎通り フォン・ウェイ / 中国 / ビデオ /8 分 /2007
蕨採り ジァオ・イェ + ホアン・ヤン / 中国 / ビデオ /9 分 /2003
水滴 ホアン・ヤン / 中国 / ビデオ /3 分 /2005
私の、私の レイ・レイ / 中国 / ビデオ /5 分 /2011
ダブル・フィクレット ワン・ハイヤン / 中国 / ビデオ /4 分 /2012
あなたに会えたら リュウ・ジャーミン / 中国 / ビデオ /6 分 /2010
唖 ルオ・ハイミン / 中国 / ビデオ /5 分 /2008
臼 スン・ハン / 中国 / ビデオ /3 分 /2007
鼓動 シー・レイ / 中国 / ビデオ /8 分 /2011
若者と地球の神秘 ワン・ウェイスー / 中国 / ビデオ /8 分 /2011
To learn more, check out the full Image Forum Festival programme (JP only).
