Events category: Film screening

10 May 2023

Film Screening & Discussion - Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop

Johnny Kitagawa’s legendary male-only talent agency trained young boys to become superstars. But for over 50 years, Japan has kept Kitagawa’s dark secret – a long history of allegations of sexual abuse, made by boys in his agency. Even after the music mogul’s death in 2019, the Japanese media remained largely silent. Why? Journalist Mobeen Azhar explores the suffocating reality of being a J-pop idol and the influence that Kitagawa had on the media, and exposes the brutal consequences of turning a blind eye.

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22 March 2023

An Evening with Takashi Kikuchi, Viola Player

For this special event, we screened the compelling short documentary about award-winning blind Japanese viola player Takashi Kikuchi, as he overcomes his fear of movement through dance and imagination. This special screening was accompanied by a solo performance on viola by Takashi and the opportunity to ask Takashi and film director Cécile any questions in the Q&A chaired by Jason James, Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. Takashi was commissioned by the Baluji Music Foundation, and is part of a triptych of films about blind musicians in the Inner Vision Orchestra.

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19 October 2022

Film Screening in Edinburgh - KAMEJIRO: The U.S. Military’s Most Feared Man

Following the end of WWII, Okinawa remained occupied by US military forces for 27 years. Today, the archipelago continues to be one of the world’s largest hubs for US military bases. This military presence has sparked resistance and opposition from Okinawans. Kamejirо̄ Senaga was an opponent of US military control in postwar Okinawa. The US military tried various stratagems to suppress him, but with the support of the Okinawan people, Kamejirо̄ continued to fight. This film paints a picture of Kamejirо̄ and explains the political circumstances of his time, shedding light on the roots of present-day public opinion in Okinawa.

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17 October 2022

KAMEJIRO: The U.S. Military’s Most Feared Man

Following the end of WWII, Okinawa remained occupied by US military forces for 27 years. Today, the archipelago continues to be one of the world’s largest hubs for US military bases. This military presence has sparked resistance and opposition from Okinawans. Kamejirо̄ Senaga was an opponent of US military control in postwar Okinawa. The US military tried various stratagems to suppress him, but with the support of the Okinawan people, Kamejirо̄ continued to fight. This film paints a picture of Kamejirо̄ and explains the political circumstances of his time, shedding light on the roots of present-day public opinion in Okinawa.

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3 March 2020

Film Screening: Alliance by Kounosuke Kawakami

Protagonists in Kounosuke Kawakami’s film work explore the tensions around ideas of counter-hegemony. Kawakami re-investigates the ideologies which have dominated both nations’ cultures in the past and their histories of imperialism, post-colonialism, and neoliberalism. For the first part of his career Kawakami painted ruins, exploring the symbols of authority, until an eye operation in 2013 led to a change of medium. Since then, he has created film installations. In this screening, he showcased the three most recent films that highlight the duality of the qualities in our humanity, the paradox of political promises, and how the projections of past futures can be reviewed today.

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28 February 2019

Bodyscapes - New films by Japanese artists

Bodyscapes is a collection of new films by Japanese artists whose use of the body is central to their work – either as a landscape, a political metaphor or method of expression – the body acts as a vehicle and subject to communicate ideas. In this event, five films were shown for the first time in the UK. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the Director and Curator of video club.

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29 November 2016

SHIFT Presents: DOTMOV Festival 2016

DOTMOV is a digital film festival which aims to discover gifted filmmakers who are as yet unknown, providing them with an opportunity to exhibit their works on the global stage. Join us for the UK premiere of DOTMOV 2016 to explore the possibilities and potential of a new generation of digital artists.

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26 November 2015

SHIFT Presents: The DOTMOV Festival 2015

Japanese online magazine SHIFT presents the DOTMOV Festival 2015, premiering in the UK at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. We screened a selection of 12 short films to showcase emerging international talent in film and the visual arts.

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20 November 2014

Film Screening: My Atomic Aunt

Director Kyoko Miyake, having lived outside of Japan for more than a decade, feels compelled to revisit Fukushima. She wants to find out the fate of her family’s home-town Namie, which with its golden beaches and friendly neighbours used to be her childhood idyll. Following her aunt Kuniko, Miyake begins to question her nostalgic childhood memories and in so doing understand the harsh economic realities and sacrifices that her Aunt and the people of Namie had to make in order to survive.

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2 October 2014

Film Screening: Brakeless

On Monday April 25th 2005, a West Japan Railway (JR West) commuter train crashed into an apartment building and killed 107 people when a driver tried to catch up with an 80-second delay. Since the accident, the official committee report has concluded that the direct cause of the accident was over-speeding and JR West have agreed to pay compensation for the victims and changed the timetable. However, the fundamental question has remained unanswered – what made the driver risk so many lives for an 80-second delay?

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