JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and Japan America Society of Southern California will present JAPAN CUTS HOLLYWOOD, a three-day festival celebrating contemporary Japanese cinema, November 1-3, 2019.
Highlights of the program include opening film Bento Harassment, the hit film starring singer and actress Ryoko Shinohara (who will attend the screening and walk the red carpet with director Renpei Tsukamoto), the U.S. premiere of Talking The Pictures by Shall We Dance? director Masayuki Suo, and the international premiere of The Bucket List, a remake of the 2007 film with Sayuri Yoshinaga and Yuki Amami in the roles originated by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.
The festival brings a program of films, talks, and special guests to the heart of Hollywood with events taking place at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres and JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles (both located at Hollywood & Highland). Through this festival, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles continues its initiative to showcase Japanese culture through the universal language of film.
Complete lineup and tickets: https://www.japancutshollywood.com/#lineup
Bento Harassment (Kyou mo Iyagarase Bento)
West Coast Premiere
Director/Screenplay: Renpei Tsukamoto
Starring: Ryoko Shinohara, Kiyoko Yoshine, Rena Matsui, Kenta Sato, Ryuta Sato
Bento Harassment is a universal tale – full of laughter and tears – about a single mother and her high school daughter. The girl who used to call her mommy now totally ignores her. Exasperated, the mother seeks revenge by using “bentos” (home-made boxed lunches) as her “weapon”. Regardless of what’s going on in the mother’s life, she never fails to make her daughter a bento lunch that embarrasses her with its messages of love. After three long years, the final “bento” message is a “thank you letter” from mother to daughter.
Bento Harassment trailer:
The Bucket List (Saikou no Jinsei no Mitsukekata)
International Premiere
Director: Isshin Inudo
Starring: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Yuki Amami, Tsuyoshi Muro, Hikari Mitsushima, Kento Kaku, Rio Suzuki
A remake of heartwarming adventure from director Rob Reiner with Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman – boldly changing the lead roles from male to female – played by two star actresses representing Japan!
Sachie (Yoshinaga) is a housewife who has dedicated most of her life taking care of her family. Mako (Amami) is a head of huge hotel chain company who has dedicated most of her life to her career. The two meet in a hospital where both of them were told they don’t have much time left. Realizing the emptiness of life for the first time, they accidentally find the Bucket List written by a terminally ill 12-year-old girl patient. To live life to its fullest, Sachie and Mako decide to go on a journey to accomplish her list on her behalf.
The Bucket List trailer:
Watch the English video message from The Bucket List stars Sayuri Yoshinaga and Yuuki Amami:
Talking The Pictures (Katsuben!)
US Premiere
Director: Masayuki Suo (Shall We Dance?)
Starring: Ryo Narita, Yuina Kuroshima, Mao Inoue, Takuma Otoo, Naoto Takenaka, Eri Watanabe, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yutaka Takenouchi
A century ago in the period of silent motion pictures, the Katsubenshi known as Katsuben aroused audiences by providing live narration to films. A young man, dreaming to become a pro Katsuben works as an assistant in a theatre. He soon blossoms his talent for narration, and this helps him reunite with the girl of his first love, but she also seems to have her own problem.
(*ending theme by Tamio Okuda)
Talking The Pictures trailer:
JAPAN CUTS HOLLYWOOD is organized in cooperation with JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film, presented by Japan Society, New York.
Visit www.japancutshollywood.com for full program details.
