I just got back from Shenzhen, China, two nights ago. Was there a couple of days for the China Mobile Film Fest, was mortified to be reminded again that Facebook, Youtube, Blogspot and even Twitter were blocked, hence the lack of updates. I picked up an award from the festival, but I'll get back to that later.
Last Monday (14th of December, 2009), I headed off to Keio University for a screening of FLEETING IMAGES (watch entire film here) organized by the CON-CAN Movie Festival. My film, along with 3 of the award-winning films of the festival, were screened. But that night, only me and Monica Gallab of Belgium (Special Jury Prize winner for NICE DAY FOR A PICNIC, film embedded at the bottom of the post) were present for the event.
This is Yumi the Photographer, she studied French literature.
There wasn't anything to do as they were setting up the screening, so I went out to check the rest of Keio University.
Stylish.
Keio University, and my university, Waseda, are arch-rivals, especially in baseball. The annual Keio - Waseda baseball match is usually a major event, I heard that if Keio wins it, Keio students and fans would flock in Roppongi (not sure) to celebrate, if Waseda wins, Shinjuku will be infested by the Waseda fans and students.
The screening was held in a classroom.
Keio professors Sugihara and Sato were here to give an introduction first.
That was the first time I ever got to watch the other award-winning films in their entirety. I was more surprised by the enthusiastic response for FLEETING IMAGES, since that and LOVE SUICIDES are among my most divisive films. People either liked it, or hated it. Poetic to some, pretentious to some others, unflinchingly sympathetic look at poverty to some, poverty porn to some others. Perhaps Sebastian said it best, it was a film that was more suitable for Japanese sensibilities.
Here's a video of the Q and A session held after the screening. Moderated by the two professors and with Tanimoto the festival director doing the translation.
(click here if you cannot see embedded video)
The following day, another CON-CAN Movie Festival screening was held in Waseda University, along with its awards ceremony. I'll get to that in my next post.
FLEETING IMAGES trailer
Monica's NICE DAY FOR A PICNIC
Last Monday (14th of December, 2009), I headed off to Keio University for a screening of FLEETING IMAGES (watch entire film here) organized by the CON-CAN Movie Festival. My film, along with 3 of the award-winning films of the festival, were screened. But that night, only me and Monica Gallab of Belgium (Special Jury Prize winner for NICE DAY FOR A PICNIC, film embedded at the bottom of the post) were present for the event.
This is Yumi the Photographer, she studied French literature.
There wasn't anything to do as they were setting up the screening, so I went out to check the rest of Keio University.
Stylish.
Keio University, and my university, Waseda, are arch-rivals, especially in baseball. The annual Keio - Waseda baseball match is usually a major event, I heard that if Keio wins it, Keio students and fans would flock in Roppongi (not sure) to celebrate, if Waseda wins, Shinjuku will be infested by the Waseda fans and students.
The screening was held in a classroom.
Keio professors Sugihara and Sato were here to give an introduction first.
That was the first time I ever got to watch the other award-winning films in their entirety. I was more surprised by the enthusiastic response for FLEETING IMAGES, since that and LOVE SUICIDES are among my most divisive films. People either liked it, or hated it. Poetic to some, pretentious to some others, unflinchingly sympathetic look at poverty to some, poverty porn to some others. Perhaps Sebastian said it best, it was a film that was more suitable for Japanese sensibilities.
Here's a video of the Q and A session held after the screening. Moderated by the two professors and with Tanimoto the festival director doing the translation.
(click here if you cannot see embedded video)
The following day, another CON-CAN Movie Festival screening was held in Waseda University, along with its awards ceremony. I'll get to that in my next post.
FLEETING IMAGES trailer
Monica's NICE DAY FOR A PICNIC
