Images provided by Japan Society
In light of the ongoing international situation with COVID-19, Japan Society New York has decided to take their popular annual film event out of its usual form and offer a completely online experience.
This reimagined version of the festival will feature 14 days of unique virtual screening opportunities for Japanese cinema lovers, serving JAPAN CUTS’ dedicated audiences in New York City but also, for the first time, making the festival accessible to viewers throughout the United States.
Set within both recurring sections and new initiatives, the online festival will offer a diverse slate of around 30 feature films and shorts programs. Live-streamed virtual Q&As, panels and greetings from guest filmmakers will serve as opportunities for in-depth interaction.
Festivities kick off July 17 with a live virtual Q&A with Shinichiro Ueda, director of JAPAN CUTS 2020 Opening Film selection Special Actors – the much-anticipated follow-up feature to Ueda’s breakout 2017 indie debut film One Cut of the Dead.
Tickets go on sale starting July 10!
About the Opening Night Screening:
JAPAN CUTS 2020 Opening Night film Special Actors is an ensemble comedy about an oddball acting troupe that infiltrates a cult. Filmmaker Shinichiro Ueda is best known for his breakout indie debut One Cut of the Dead (2017), a low-budget zombie film that was an unexpected box office hit in Japan—where it screened across 340 theaters and surpassed 2 million admissions from word of mouth—and became an international festival sensation.
About the Filmmaker:
Born on April 7, 1984 in Shiga, Japan, Shinichiro Ueda began making small films with his classmates in junior high school. In 2010, he formed his film company and to date his films have received 20 grand prize awards at various film festivals.
About JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film:
Emphasizing the diversity and vitality of one of the most exciting world cinemas, JAPAN CUTS gives cinephiles their first (and sometimes only) chance to discover the next waves of filmmaking from Japan. Founded in 2007, the festival presents the biggest Japanese blockbusters, raucous genre flicks, peerless independents, arthouse gems, radical documentaries, and avant-garde forms, along with unique collaborative programs, workshops, and panels put together with the cooperation of other international organizations. Special guest actors and filmmakers join the festivities for Q&As, award ceremonies, and the post-screening parties and receptions audiences have come to expect, with live music, food, and drinks.