Asian Documentaries at the Filmmakers Market

From: "Aaron Gerow" <[email protected]>

If I may, this an announcement about the distribution of some Japanese and
Chinese documentaries that I am involved in. Many take up important social
and political issues, some of which are quite relevant today. Kamanaka's
films in particular have been taking up the issue of nuclear power in Japan
long before Fukushima.

Aaron Gerow
Yale University

<産地直送 The Filmmakers' Market> at Zakka Films is our unique section for
selling documentaries that breaks down the walls separating Japanese
filmmakers and foreign viewers and allows filmmakers to bring their
English-subtitled works in for direct sale.

We are now excited to present a new documentary from Osaka which recently
joined the Filmmakers' Market!

MAPPING THE FUTURE, NISHINARI  Directors: Yukio Tanaka, Tetsuo Yamada
Nishinari in Osaka is home to one of Japan's largest and most famous
concentrations of day laborers, with much of the population being composed
of homeless persons, buraku (a discriminated community of descendants of
outcast groups), former yakuza, and Korean-Japanese. One fourth of the
families receive welfare, a very high rate for Japan. Filmed over two
years, this documentary follows Mr. Suzuki, who was once on the verge of
becoming homeless himself, as he works at the Life Support Office, an NPO
that helps the homeless with medical treatment, accommodations, and
employment. Composed of interviews with Suzuki, the NPO staff, and the
residents of Nishinari, the film also explores stereotypes of Nishinari
held by outsiders, and the complex history of the district, presenting rare
archival footage of the 1961 Kamagazaki Riot. This documentary tries to
present the voices of the people of Nishinari, not from on high, but rather
from their own level.
Mapping the Future Nishinari was voted as the third best documentary of
2007 in the Kinema Junpo poll of critics.

Also check out these other films at the FM:

ROKKASHO RHAPSODY  Director: Hitomi Kamanaka
In 2004 the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant was completed in Rokkasho village
as a facility for reprocessing spent fuel from Japan's nuclear reactors
into plutonium. The film spotlights the people of the village, who hold
diverse opinions regarding this huge, nearly operational national project.

ECHOES FROM THE MIIKE MINE   Director: Hiroko Kumagai
The story of the Miike Coal Mine, the largest mine in Japan, which ceased
operations on March 30, 1997. Hiroko Kumagai interviewed over 70
individuals, men and women, including Koreans who were forcibly brought to
Japan. The film looks at Miike not just to explore the past, but also to
think about the future: what it means to work and to live.

BREAKING THE SILENCE  Director: Toshikuni Doi
In the spring of 2002, the Israeli army surrounded and attacked the Balata
refugee camp. The camera follows residents living in a state of terror and
records their lives and feelings.

ARTISTS OF WONDERLAND  Director: Makoto Sato
This is a film about seven artists. It's also about seven people who are
mentally handicapped. This has all the marks of a Makoto Sato film: the
quirky humor and passion for everyday human life.

BINGAI  Director: Feng Yan
Bingai, a Chinese documentary by Feng Yan-a director deeply inspired by
Shinsuke Ogawa-has just been added to the Filmmakers' Market at Zakka
Films. Bingai won the Ogawa Shinsuke Prize (the grand prize of the Asia
Program) at the Yamagata Film Festival.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Seiko Ono
Zakka Films
http://www.zakkafilms.com/