PROGRAM
Choice of Kanazawa
This project, which began last year as an open competition for international films, will screen 41 films selected from 335 submissions this year - a unique multinational collection of films and directors from all continents, nearly all being shown in Japan for the first time. Come and discover new talent! Grand Prix awards will be presented to outstanding feature films and short films.
*All films have ENGLISH & JAPANESE SUBTITLES.
The Mist
2023, Ukraine, 15 mins, Ukrainian
The film depicts the very morning when all of Ukraine wakes up to the sound of sirens and the explosion of Russian missiles. It portrays the breakdown of everyday life for people living under fire, with tranquil images and impressive sound design using ambient sounds.
9.4(Wed) 11:00
Director: Dmytro Shovkoplyas Graduated in cinematography. Worked on numerous documentary and fiction projects.
Wishes from the Well
2023, Estonia, 18 mins, Estonian
A homeless man needs some coins to buy medicine, so he lies to get them... A modern fairy tale from Estonia.
9.4(Wed) 11:00
Director: Alesja Suzdaltseva Influenced by her Slavic culture and the cold Nordic region where she grew up, she offers a unique new perspective using fantasy and magic to tell real stories of ordinary people.
SATANA
2023, Poland, 22 mins, Hebrew
This is an oneiric-apocalyptic horror. The film explores themes such as transcendence, conflict between reason and instinct, intolerance, the inevitability of fate, treachery and the power of evil in life.
9.4(Wed) 11:00
Director: D.J. Drayer-Drajewicz Graduated from the Photography School of the Association of Polish Art Photographers, and postgraduated from the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw with a specialization in film studies
Dream Machine: Ahriman, Part II
2024, Netherlands, 115 mins, English/Persian/Dutch/Japanese
The celestial being Spenta-Mainyu and the cunning, evil entity Ahriman. This battle between light and darkness has continued through the ages into the present day. A spiritual fantasy based on the worldview of Zoroastrianism. The second chapter of "Ahriman," which was screened at this film festival last year.
9/6(金) 16:10
Director: Mani Nikpour Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1983, he was inspired by his father, veteran Iranian actor Saeed Nikpour, and was captivated by the world of filmmaking from a young age. He currently teaches his expertise to students at a film school in Amsterdam.
The Love I Know
2023, Italy, 79 mins, Italian
After being abused as a child, a young man pursues the only and humiliating love he knows. As he grows up, it becomes harder to find such love, but his isolated life in an unkind world is plagued by extreme consequences and loneliness due to this lack of love.
9/4(水) 15:25
Director: Massimo Ali Mohammad Born in Naples to an Italian mother and a Pakistani father. He studied art and film at the University of Oriental Culture of Naples and began making short films. He moved to Ferrara in 2009, where he lives and works. This is his second feature film.
The Complex Forms
2023, Italy, 74 mins, Italian
There is an ancient villa where desperate people have the opportunity to revive their fortunes by selling their bodies to mysterious huge and age old creatures in exchange of money.
9/4(水) 19:15
Director: Fabio D'Orta Born in Milan, Italy. Studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and worked as a set designer and commercial director. He is currently working on his new feature film.
Sikat Subar - A Hidden Colorful Feather
2023, Portugal, 95 mins, Portuguese/English/etc.
A documentary about cockfighting, a traditional culture in Timor-Leste. In a society with high unemployment and political instability after conflict, cockfighting is an important lifeline for many men. The social structure and ethics are depicted through cockfighting.
9/5(木) 14:00
Director: Diogo Pessoa de Andrade A versatile Portuguese filmmaker, director, and cinematographer with a background in mechanical engineering and extensive multimedia and digital cinema training, has earned international acclaim for his captivating storytelling.
A Song for Juliette
2023, Morocco, 101 mins, French/English/Moroccan/etc.
Juliet, who is deaf, feels emptiness and fatigue in her married life. She starts working at the production company for the film Faust, which had begun filming locally, and there she meets a man named Arthur. A story of the end of the world and adultery based on Jungian psychology.
9/4(水) 13:20
Director: Hamid Rahbaoui Born in Casablanca, Morocco. Started his career as a commercial director. He has started his own production company and produces commercials, films, etc.
KIPKEMBOI
2024, Kenya/Canada, 85 mins, Swahili/English
A genius mathematician living in a poor village in Kenya, Africa, makes astronomical amounts of money using computers and the Internet, upsetting the world's financial markets but also attracting the attention of dangerous forces. This is a thrilling financial entertainment film that celebrates the young future of Africa, where 60% of the population is under the age of 25.
9/8(日）10:00
Director: Charles Uwagbai From Nigeria, currently living in Canada. In his career spanning about 10 years, he has already directed 46 films (including 7 feature films and 1 short film in 2023!) and is actively working.
The Passion of Mahmoud
2023, Iran, 105 mins, Persian
A documentary following Mahmoud, who leads a difficult life due to mental illness. Tormented by memories of the past, he wanders between reality and fantasy, but he is tyrannical towards his family.
9/5(木) 10:00
Director: Davoud Abdolmaleki He is a film lecturer and makes documentaries. This film was nominated for the Best Documentary Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival.