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Kiyoshi Kurosawa
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic, author, actor, and a former professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (2005-2023). Noted for his psychological films that often focus on ambiguous narratives and on their characters' inner turmoils and quests for meaning and connections, he is best known for his contributions to psychological horror and Japanese horror, notably his acclaimed 1997 film '' Cure'', although he has also worked in a variety of other genres. While most of his work has been in Japanese, two of his films, '' Daguerrotype'' (2016) and '' Serpent's Path'' (2024; a remake of his own 1998 film of the same name), were in French. Early life and education Born in Kobe on July 19, 1955, Kiyoshi Kurosawa started making films about his life in high school. He studied at Rikkyo University in Tokyo under the guidance of prominent film critic Shigehiko Hasumi, where he began making 8mm films. He is not related to director Akira Kurosawa. Care ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kobe
Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Tokyo, Tokyo and Port of Yokohama, Yokohama. It is located in the Kansai region, which makes up the southern side of the main island of Honshu, Honshū, on the north shore of Osaka Bay. It is part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto. The Kobe city centre is located about west of Osaka and southwest of Kyoto. The earliest written records regarding the region come from the , which describes the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201.Ikuta Shrine official website – "History of Ikuta Shrine" (Japanese) [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pink Film
refers in Japan to movies produced by independent studios that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. Many pink films would be analogous to erotic thrillers such as '' Fatal Attraction'' or '' Basic Instinct''. Independent studios that release pink films include OP Eiga, Shintōhō Eiga, Kokuei and Xces. The phrase 'pink film' came into use after the major Toei began advertising some of its movies as 'porno' in 1971 and another major Nikkatsu switched to producing only '' Roman Porno'' films later that year. Until the early 2000s, they were almost exclusively shot on 35 mm film. Recently, filmmakers have increasingly used video (while retaining their emphasis on soft-core narrative). Many theaters swapped 35mm for video projectors and began relying on old videos to meet the demand of triple-feature showings. Films that are now regarded as pink films became w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kansai Telecasting Corporation
JODX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is the Kansai region key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and Fuji Network System (FNS), owned-and-operated by the . Its studios and headquarters are located in Osaka and the broadcaster is an affiliate company of the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group, part of the wider Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. History Establishing the plans for first channels In 1952, when the Ministry of Posts announced the first channel plan for Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, "TV Osaka" (テレビ大阪, unrelated to the current Television Osaka) initiated by the Sankei Shimbun, as well as Kyoto Broadcasting System and Kobe Broadcasting, applied for a TV license in the Osaka area. However, the TV license in the Osaka area was later obtained by Osaka TV Broadcasting, a joint operation of Asahi Broadcasting and New Japan Broadcasting (now Mainichi Broadcasting System). Afterwards, when the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications released a new channel frequency plan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Séance (2001 Film)
A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one may, for example, speak of "" (). In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from ghosts or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits. In modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance. Fictionalised conversations between the deceased appeared in ''Dialogues of the Dead'' by George, First Baron Lyttelton, published in England in 1760. Among the notable spirits quoted in this volume are Peter the Great, Pericles, a "North-American Savage", William Penn, and Christina, Queen of Sweden. The popularity of séances grew dramatically with the founding of the religion of Spiritualism in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kōji Yakusho
, known professionally as , is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996), ''Cure'' (1997), '' 13 Assassins'' (2010), '' The Third Murder'' (2017), '' The Blood of Wolves'' (2018), '' Under the Open Sky'' (2020) and '' The Days'' (2023). For his performance in ''Perfect Days'' (2023), he was awarded the Best Actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Early life and education Yakusho was born in Isahaya, Nagasaki, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he worked at the Chiyoda municipal ward office, or ''kuyakusho'', in Tokyo, from which he later took his stage name. Career In 1976, he saw a production of Maxim Gorky's ''The Lower Depths'' (Played by Tatsuya Nakadai) and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible. In the spring of 1978 he auditioned for Tatsuya Nakadai's the Mumeijuku (Studio for Un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Show Aikawa
is a Japanese actor. Career Show Aikawa was born in Tokushima Prefecture, Tokushima and raised in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kagoshima. Aikawa has appeared in a number of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films, including ''Eyes of the Spider'', ''Serpent's Path'', ''License to Live'', ''Seance'', and ''Pulse (2001 film), Pulse''. Filmography Films * ''Orugoru'' (1989) * ''Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet'' (1990) * ''The Pale Hand'' (1990) * ''Gokudo no Onna Tachi: Saigo no Tatakai'' (1990) * ''Shishio Tachi no Natsu'' (1991) * ''The Passage to Japan'' (1991) * ''Torarete Tamaruka!'' (1992) * ''Shishio Tachi no Saigo'' (1993) * ''Torarete Tamaruka! 2'' (1993) * ''A New Love in Tokyo'' (1994) * ''Like a Rolling Stone (film), Like a Rolling Stone'' (1994) * ''Torarete Tamaruka! 3'' (1994) * ''Kitanai Yatsu'' (1995) * ''Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself: The Heist'' (1995) * ''Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself: The Escape'' (1995) * ''Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself: The Loot'' (1995) * ''Suit You ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charisma (film)
is a 1999 Japanese philosophical drama film written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Kōji Yakusho. The film is about a dispute between a number of people about a unique but possibly toxic tree growing in an unnamed forest. The film is largely seen from the point of view of Goro Yabuike ( Kōji Yakusho), a police negotiator who has been relieved of his duties following his failure to prevent the death of an important hostage. He stands in the middle of the conflicting opinions about the future of the tree, and has to decide which course to commit himself to. Plot Goro Yabuike is a hostage negotiator. He attends an incident where an MP is being held at gunpoint. The captor's ransom note reads "Restore the Rules of the World". When Yabuike has a chance to shoot the hostage-taker he hesitates. The captor kills the MP, and is in turn killed by the police. Afterwards Yabuike explains that he thought he could help both men. He is suspended from duty. He is dropped off in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers from all over the world. At the core of the programs is the goal to introduce audiences to the artists' new work, aided by the institute's labs, granting and mentorship programs that take place throughout the year in the United States and internationally. The institute has offices in Park City, Los Angeles, and New York City, and provides creative and financial support to emerging and aspiring filmmakers, directors, producers, film composers, screenwriters, playwrights and theatre artists through a series of Labs and fellowships. The programs of Sundance Institute include the Sundance Film Festival, which is critically acclaimed. It promotes independent filmmakers, storytellers, and composers. History The Sundance Institute's foundin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guard From Underground
/ ''The Guard from Hell'', also known as ''The Security Guard from Hell'', is a 1992 Japanese slasher film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It was released in Japan on June 13, 1992. Plot Akiko Narushima has just begun a new job consulting on art purchases for a large corporation. Her first day coincides with the first day of a hulking new security guard named Fujimaru, who is secretly a disgraced former sumo wrestler currently being re-investigated for the murder of his cheating lover and friend (and having narrowly avoided jail with an insanity plea during his first trial). At first, Akiko's days are complicated only by her uncertainty about her new job and by her lecherous manager, Kurume. But when Fujimaru finds an earring lost by Akiko, he begins wearing the earring and becomes obsessed with her, eventually leading him to shut down the electricity and phones in the office and embark on a murderous rampage. Trapped in the building with a killer, Akiko and her co-workers try to st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kandagawa Pervert Wars
is a 1983 Japanese pink film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who would later go on to a career directing mainstream horror films. Synopsis A young girl, Akiko, in a tenement block in Tokyo's Kandagawa area, uses a telescope to spy on her neighbors in between lovemaking sessions with her boyfriend. When she discovers what seems to be an incestuous relationship between a mother and son, she decides, with her boyfriend and her friend Masami, to rescue the son from this predicament and introduce him to a "healthy sex life". Cast * Usagi Asō () as Akiko * Makoto Yoshino / Makoto Mino () as Masami * Houen Kishino () as the Son * Miiko Sawaki / Mimi Sawaki () as the Mother * Tatsuya Mori as Ryō (Akiko's Boyfriend) * Masayuki Suo as the Apartment Manager Background Kiyoshi Kurosawa was one of a number of young Japanese filmmakers, several associated with Nikkatsu, who belonged to a production organization called the Director's Company which had been founded in 1982. Through the influ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinji Sōmai
was a Japanese film director. He directed 13 films between 1980 and 2000 and was noted for his work within seishun-eiga, which include films such as the successful ''Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (1981) and critically acclaimed '' Typhoon Club'' (1985). Career and style The most recognizable trademark of Somai is the use of long takes, creating a kind of rupture between reality and the inner emotions of the characters. The first 15 minutes of ''Lost Chapter of Snow'' (1985) is probably the best crafted long take of his career. His film '' Moving'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. His 1998 film, '' Wait and See'', won the FIPRESCI prize at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival in 1999. The Edinburgh International Film Festival artistic director Chris Fujiwara noted that American film director Nicholas Ray and French film director Jean Vigo shared Somai's sensibilities. Legacy Somai has been cited as one of the most im ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pia Film Festival
The (also known as the PIA Film Festival or PFF for short) is an annual film festival established in 1977. According to film scholar Jasper Sharp, the festival "not only ranks as a vital hotbed from which the careers of some of Japan's most talented young filmmakers have been launched, but it also lays claim to being the first ever film festival in Japan." History The festival was first held in 1977 as the ''Off Theater Film Festival'' by the Tokyo listings magazine ''Pia'' and initially functioned as one-off screening of independent movies made by young directors. Early jury members included Nagisa Oshima and Shuji Terayama, and the second festival featured such later star directors as Sogo Ishii, Yoshimitsu Morita, and Shunichi Nagasaki. According to Bryan Hartzheim writing in 2010, "many of the biggest directors of the last 20 years had their debuts at Pia." Other filmmakers who were screened at the PFF before making their professional debut include Joji Iida, Kiyoshi Kurosawa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
