*Subject to a £1 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>

Experience Japan Through Film

This special event kicks off our Japanese film season with an evening of Japanese short film. Programmed by Exeter Phoenix as part of the Japanese Touring Film Season.

ZIPANGU SHORTS (15)

Showing Times

• Tue 6 Mar: 6pm

Director: Various, Japan, 90mins, 2017

We have partnered up with Tokyo’s Short Shorts Film Festival, an Academy Awards accredited festival, for this one-off feature length screening of the best new short films from emerging Japanese filmmaking talent. We meet the rebels who refuse to sit quietly or adapt to a slow-paced life. Senior Man fights for justice and respect for his elderly community, while Ryuhei gives up everything to pursue his life-long ambition to be a rock star.

PUNKED OUT

Dir. Keita Meguro, 30mins

Ryuhei used to play local DIY Punk band, but has since started working for his father-in-law after his responsibilities shift to family life. He has the chance to get back behind the mic again at his wedding party and he rediscovers how much he loves making music. Then he hears that Akane, a former his band member and renowned singer, is looking for a new backing band for her live tour. Produced as part of the New Directions in Japanese Cinema’s funding scheme, which aims to revitalise Japanese cinema by discovering and cultivating the next generation of young directors.

AND SO WE PUT GOLDFISH IN THE POOL

Dir. Makoto Nagahisa, 28mins

One summer day, 400 goldfish were found in the swimming pool of a secondary school. This is the true story about the four 15-year-old girls who put them there. And So We Put Goldfish in The Pool, won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2017. In 2013, Nagashisa was the first Japanese person to receive a medal in the Young Lion Film Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

SENIOR MAN

Dir. Mamoru Yoshino, 30mins

Crime against the elderly people persists in present-day Japan, until one day senior citizen Tsunekichi Hirasawa tackles a purse-snatcher. With a renewed sense of self-worth, he begins patrolling the streets at midnight to bring justice to evil. Also produced as part of the New Directions in Japanese Cinema’s funding scheme, this short explores the social issues around a country with a declining birthrate and rapidly increasing ageing population.

Venue: Studio 74, Exeter Phoenix