Press Release May 19, 2017

Opening of the 17th Nippon Connection Film Festival
23 – 28 May 2017, Frankfurt am Main

 

The 17th Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection in Frankfurt am Main will open on Tuesday, 23 May. More than 100 current short and feature length films present the wide variety of Japanese cinema, while over 50 filmmakers and artists from Japan are expected at this year's festival. Workshops, lectures, concerts, and culinary specialties offer the opportunity to experience Japanese culture beyond the silver screen. Festival centers are located at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle.

The festival will kick off on 23 May 2017 at 19:30 at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm with the German premiere of the award-winning drama Her Love Boils Bathwater by Ryota NAKANO. Filled with tender humor, the film tells the story of Futaba, who attempts to reunite her scattered family after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the leading roles, Rie MIYAZAWA and Joe ODAGIRI deliver outstanding performances. Opening the Nippon Visions section in the cinema at Naxoshalle at 20:00, the German premiere of Gilles Laurent's impressive documentary La Terre abandonnée portrays the people who were evacuated from the area around Fukushima and their steadfast will to survive.

Bermuda DJ Julian Blancke will provide some relaxed beats at Mousonturm Café starting at 20:00. Sword dance master Taro NASHIBA will present a breathtaking performance at Studio 1 of Mousonturm at 21:00, with traditional Japanese music. Admission is free.

The Nippon Yatai market offers tasty Japanese food and various stands at Mousonturm and Naxoshalle, starting on the first day of the festival. The Game Center at 1st floor of Mousonturm provides retro consoles and video arcade machines for all gaming enthusiasts. At Mousonturm Café the team of the renowned ramen restaurant RAMEN JUN in Frankfurt will regale the festival patrons with delicious Japanese soups.

A diverse program will also await the audience on Wednesday, 24 May. The Nippon Cinema section presents Hideaki ANNO's and Shinji HICUCHI's monster drama Shin Godzilla at Mousonturm at 14:30. As a perfect complement, filmmaker Jan van Hasselt will explore the fascination with Japan's most famous film monster in his multi-media performance A.r.G.da.Na.ni at Studio 1 of Mousonturm.

As a bitter-sweet comedy, Shingo MATSUMURA's Love and Goodbye and Hawaii deals with the question of how to end a relationship decently. The director will attend the international premiere of the film at Naxoshalle at 19:30. In Boys for Sale, directed by young filmmaker ITAKO, the protagonists offer an honest and uncompromising insight into their everyday lives as male sex workers in Tokyo. The film will have its world premiere in attendance of protagonist Co and producer Ian Thomas Ash at Naxoshalle at 22:00.

Two exhibitions will be opened on Wednesday. Artist Renalisa Bergmann has been devoting herself to traditional Japanese sumi-e painting and presents her impressive work in the vernissage to the exhibition Reduktion – Sumi-e! at Atelierfrankfurt at 18:00. Japanese artist Nolico TAKI's sculptural works deal with the question of what kind of psychological effects architecture can have on people. The vernissage of the exhibition Happy Reshaping will take place at Ausstellungsraum Eulengasse at 20:00.

During the legendary karaoke party, starting at 21:30 on Wednesday evening at Mousonturm Café, you can grab the microphone yourself and win great prizes in the karaoke contest.

The 17th Nippon Connection Film Festival will take place from 23 to 28 May 2017 in Frankfurt am Main. The complete program and tickets are available at www.NipponConnection.com

The organizers
The Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is organized on a voluntary basis by the 70 members of the non-profit Nippon Connection registered association. The festival is under the patronage of Peter Feldmann, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, and Takeshi Kamiyama, Consul General of Japan in Frankfurt am Main.

Nippon Connection e.V. supports BKB Charity, who provide medical aid in crisis and disaster areas, help abused children, and assist socially disadvantaged people and refugees. www.bkb-charity.de

Venues
Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Waldschmidtstr. 4, Frankfurt (festival center)
Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle, Waldschmidtstr. 19, Frankfurt (festival center)
Deutsches Filmmuseum, Schaumainkai 41, Frankfurt
Mal Seh’n Kino, Adlerflychtstr. 6, Frankfurt
Theater Die Käs, Waldschmidtstr. 19, Frankfurt
Ausstellungsraum Eulengasse, Seckbacher Landstr. 16, Frankfurt
Atelierfrankfurt, Schwedlerstr. 1-5, Frankfurt

More Info
www.NipponConnection.com
www.facebook.com/NipponConnection
twitter.com/NipponFilmfest
www.instagram.com/nipponconnection
blog.nipponconnection.com