Japan Society is considered a specialized venue because of their unique relationship with the country of Japan. They are a 117-year-old non-profit organization with unprecedented access to the National Archive of Japan who entrust them with rare, imported 35mm prints of films that are not viewable (legally) in North America. Japan Society is seen as a deeply trusted organization making it a destination for Japanese celebrities and filmmakers to make appearances at screenings for live introductions and Q&A’s.
Tomorrow they will launch the 17th edition of their annual film festival, JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM — the largest showcase of contemporary Japanese cinema in North America. For the first time since pre-COVID there will be a ‘Classics Slate’ in the program for repertory offerings including:
August in Water (1995) on imported 35mm archival print
Moving (1993) — the East Coast Premiere of the 4K Restoration
Mermaid Legend (1984) — 40th anniversary screening
A special rep treat will be the International Premiere of SHIN GODZILLA: ORTHOCHROMATIC as part of the ‘Feature Slate.’
From the Japan Cuts website:
The Classics Slate celebrates three canonical works of ’80s and ’90s independent cinema. Estival in nature, these films recall the faint memories of summer—reflections of sunlight, summer storms, matsuri and hanabi.
Note: All of these titles are not available on physical media or streaming in the US.
You may recall Alexander Fee being a guest on the show last November when I covered the film series at Japan Society, TAISHO ROMAN: FEVER DREAMS OF THE GREAT RECTITUDE. In this episode of the pod, we got to catch up on how things had been going at Japan Society since then, highlighting the epic survey on Hiroshi Shimizu that took two museum cinemas to collaborate on in May and June. Edo Choi and the Museum of the Moving Image being Fee’s partner in pulling off the ambitious 2-part film series.
Our conversation was even more enlightening this time around as I felt like I could further grasp the unique and specialized tasks that Fee along with most film programmers, cinemas, and museums undertake to make rarely seen films available to NYC audiences. I imagine if it weren’t for their efforts then the studios and distributors wouldn’t know the appetite that is had for these films to get restored, re-released, and made widely available for folks to discover.
🎟️ Get your tickets to JAPAN CUTS and plan your visit to Japan Society HERE!
✨ Follow Alexander on Twitter
✨ Follow Japan Society Film on Letterbox, Twitter and Instagram
✨ Follow Alec on Letterboxd, Twitter, and BlueSky
Support Marquee Mixtape by subscribing and rating on your podcaster of choice. Follow Marquee Mixtape on Instagram, Substack, and BlueSky.
Credits: Produced by Alec Rodriguez, original artwork by Cristina Montes, original music by Jeremy Bullen.
Share this post