FA/FILM 3610 Sec D Fall 2007-08

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
CINEMA KABUKI at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto - Tickets Now on Sale

CINEMA KABUKI

March 26 and 28, 2009
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Tickets: $23.00

The box office is now open for three exclusive screenings of Cinema Kabuki at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. This Canadian premiere offers the rare opportunity to experience performances by some of Japan’s biggest Kabuki stars in high definition on the big screen.

Avant-garde in the 1600s, this traditional form of Japanese theatre remains at the cutting edge with live productions featuring some of the best Kabuki actors. Cinema Kabuki series are recorded by multiple HD cameras for theatrical screening with high-quality digital projectors and 6-channel sound.

Seating is limited, so act now and purchase your tickets at www.cineplex.com or at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, 259 Richmond St. W. (Step-by-step instructions for purchasing online tickets below.)

Thursday, March 26, 7:00 PM

Nezumi, The Japanese Robin Hood (a satirical comedy)
Written and directed for the stage by Hideki Noda

Recorded live at Kabuki-za Theatre, Tokyo, 2003
110 minutes
Subtitled in English

Nezumi, a sort of 18th century Robin Hood, is a Japanese urban legend. A cynical, duplicitous coffin maker’s passion for money drives him to take on Nezumi’s mantle. In this kaleidoscope of disguise and deception, society’s pretenses are destroyed in a melting pot of farce, social satire and courtroom drama. The mighty are brought low to everyone’s delight. Contemporary theatre genius Hideki Noda collaborates with Kabuki theatre at the invitation of celebrated actor Kanzaburo.

Saturday, March 28, 1:00 PM

Dojoji - A Lover’s Duet (a dance performance)
Directed for Cinema Kabuki by Naoya Hasumi
Recorded live at Kabuki-za Theatre, Tokyo, 2006

71 minutes
Subtitled in English

Tamasaburo, one of Japan’s most renowned dancers, and rising star Kikunosuke create elegant mirror images to underscore the beauty and eroticism of one soul divided by the sacred and the profane in Dojoji - A Lover’s Duet. Abandoning the sacred path has transformed a beautiful young woman into a serpent. Dancing at a dedication ceremony for a temple bell, the woman/serpent rediscovers her higher self. Following Kabuki tradition, both of the dancers are men.

Saturday, March 28, 3:30 PM

The Sentimental Plasterer (a domestic comedy)
Revised and directed for the stage and Cinema Kabuki by Yoji Yamada

Recorded live at Shimbashi Embujo Theatre, Tokyo, 2007
87 minutes
Subtitled in English

Chobei, a skillful plasterer, blithely gambles his family into poverty. To feed the family, his daughter Ohisa turns to prostitution. Touched by Ohisa’s selfless love for her parents, a Madam arranges a loan for Chobei. On the way home, Chobei saves a young man who, having lost a large sum, is about to commit suicide. But who will believe this story? Surely Chobei has gambled away the family’s last chance. Starring Kanzaburo and Senjaku as Chobei and his wife.

ONLINE TICKET SALES

www.cineplex.com

*You do not have to be a SCENE card member to buy tickets.

1) Have your credit card ready

2) Go to the [Theatres] page

3) Choose [Scotiabank Theatre Toronto]

4) From [Movie Show Time Search], choose the screening date

5) Choose the program you want to see

6) Choose the show time

7) Follow the ticket sales prompts to complete the sale

Wednesday March 4, 2009

5:45 pm   Doors open

6:00 pm   Lectures begin

8:30 pm   Seminar ends

Location: Ryerson University, 245 Church Street

George Vari Engineering & Computing Centre, ENG103

Admission: FREE, Reservation recommended for guaranteed seating

RSVP at www.jftor.org/whatson/rsvp OR anime@jftor.org OR 416-966-1600 x600

The Digital Value Lab (Ryerson University) and the Japan Foundation, Toronto are pleased to present a seminar on anime and contemporary Japanese society. Two scholars—Prof. Jaqueline Berndt, Yokohama National University and Prof. Kaichiro Morikawa, Meiji University—have been invited from Japan to introduce the audience to Japanese society today through multi-disciplinary perspectives. At the conclusion of the seminar, Dr. Eric Cazdyn, Professor of Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies at University of Toronto will participate as the discussant.

POST-CRITICAL ANIME: Observations on its ‘Identities’ within Contemporary Japan

While anime is being watched on a global scale, there are significant differences in its contemporary reception. The gap between regular consumers and critical spectators, sometimes appearing in the form of Japanese audiences vs. foreign Japanologists, deserves special attention since it raises a number of questions, such as what sort of animated film is identified as ‘anime’; who relates anime to politics, history and society; what kind of meaning is at play in anime’s performative images, and to what extent one can read ‘Japanese society’, or even ‘culture’, out of anime. Comparing Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) and Gonzo’s Samurai 7 (2004) as well as touching upon anime’s history, this lecture focuses on aesthetic and cultural identities ascribed to anime in modern Japan and their contemporary relevance.

Jaqueline Berndt is Associate Professor of Art and Media Studies, Yokohama National University. She specializes in aesthetics/art theory, visual cultural studies, Japanese studies, aesthetics of comics, art in modern Japan, anime and animation.

OTAKU CULTURE: Personality, Space and City of Anime Fans

In Japan, optimism about an ever-progressing technological future ran out in the 1970’s. It was in the mid-1980’s that the term otaku was coined to signify a new type of personality that emerged as a reaction to the loss of ‘future’. The term evokes a stereotyped image of a geeky computer nerd, long past adolescence but still obsessed with games and anime. The presentation shall explore how this otaku personality became a geographical phenomenon in a district called Akihabara, together with its role in the development of Japanese anime.

Kaichiro Morikawa is Associate Professor of Contemporary Culture in the School of Global Japanese Studies at Meiji University. His research interests include design and architectural theory. Prof. Morikawa served as commissioner of the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale 9th International Architecture Exhibition in 2004.

“Shinjuku Ecstacy - Independent films from the Art Theatre Guild of Japan”

Wed., Feb. 18
7:30 pm   Terayama Shuji - Throw Away Your Books, Let’s Go into the Street

Fri., Feb. 20
7:30 pm   Matsumoto Toshio - Funeral Parade of Roses
Followed by SHINJUKU PARTY

Sat., Feb. 21
3.00 pm   Oshima Nagisa - Death by Hanging
5:30 pm   Kuroki Kazuo - Silence Has No Wings

Sun., Feb. 22
3:00 pm   Yoshida Kiju - Eros plus Massacre

Tues., Feb.24
7:30 pm   Hani Susumu - The Inferno of First Love

Wed., Feb. 25
7:30 pm   Shinoda Masahiro - Double Suicide

Fri., Feb. 27
7:30 pm   Jissoji Akio - This Transient Life

Sat., Feb. 28
3:00 pm   Imamura Shohei - A Man Vanishes
5:45 pm   Okabe Michio - Crazy Love

Sun., Mar. 1
3:00 pm   Teshigahara Hiroshi - Pitfall
5:15 pm   Wakamatsu Koji - Ecstasy of the Angels

For more information please visit the Japan Society homepage:
http://www.japansociety.org/shinjuku_ecstasy

Some of the films have hardly been screened in the US, so don’t miss the opportunity!