As part of this year’s NYAFF, Subway Cinema presents a focus on Stylejam, one of the newest and most exciting production and distribution companies in Japan. In defiance of the unwritten rule that all Japanese films must fall into the category of big-budget blockbuster, bizarre cult film, or boring film festival fodder, Stylejam has produced a succession of difficult to categorize, stylish flicks that have captured both critical and popular attention in their homeland, and we’re proud to be giving many of these films their international premieres.
Formed in 1995 by Naoki Kai, following his departure from production / distribution company Artist Film, for the past three years Stylejam has dedicated itself to creating a new model for international co-productions, aiming to boost the production of films that target both Japanese and international markets. At the same time, they’ve attracted some of the biggest names and most talented filmmakers in the industry to their growing stable of talent, including Tadanobu Asano, Joe Odagiri, Yusuke Iseya, Shinji Aoyama, Kichitaro Negishi, Satoshi Miki, and Ryo Iwamatsu. Under Stylejam’s guidance, these filmmakers have produced works that are not only valuable in their own right, but also define a style that gives the studio an identity absent from many other companies in the Japanese film industry. The five Stylejam films being screened at NYAFF this year are all from different filmmakers, and run the gamut of genres from light comedy to dark tragedy, but there’s a collective aesthetic that binds them together, and while it’s hard to put into words it’s sometimes funny, sometimes moving, but always interesting. This would be a singular accomplishment at any time, but in today’s international market, which is flooded with too many quick cash-in movies, it’s a heroic achievement.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
WHAT THE SNOW BRINGS (2005)
Director: Kichitaro Negishi
Starring: Yusuke Iseya and Koichi Sato
THE PAVILION SALAMANDER (2006)
Director: Masanori Tominaga
Starring: Joe Odagiri and Yu Kashii
THE HAPPINESS OF THE SAKAI FAMILY (2006)
Director: Mipo Oh
Starring: Naoyuki Morita and Yusuke Santamaria
DOG IN A SIDECAR (2007)
Director: Kichitaro Negishi,
Starring: Yuko Takeuchi and Arata Furuta
SAD VACATION (2007)
Director: Shinji Aoyama,
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Eri Ishida, and Aoi Miyazaki
ADRIFT IN TOKYO (2007)
Director: Satoshi Miki
Starring: Joe Odagigi and Tomokazu Miura
FINE, TOTALLY FINE (2007)
Director: Yosuke Fujita
starring Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Yoshino Kimura, and Yoshinori Okada
THEN SUMMER CAME (2008)
Director: Ryo Iwamatsu
Starring: Yoshio Harada and Joe Odagiri
LOOKING FOR CHERRY BLOSSOMS (coming in 2009)
Director, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, and music
by Joe Odagiri
US DEBUT OF RETRO GAME MASTER
During the NYAFF, Subway Cinema will also be presenting the American debut of a popular Japanese TV series repped by Stylejam. Produced by Fuji TV, RETRO GAME MASTER—known as GAME CENTER CX in Japan—stars Shinya Arino as “the Kacho,” a company employee who is in love with old-school gaming, usually on the classic 8-bit Nintendo (or Famicom, as it’s known in Japan). Each show follows the Kacho as he challenges himself to defeat an old-school game, an ordeal that usually takes him many hours (viewers see a condensed thirty minute summary).
Launched in 2003, the show has lasted nine seasons, the most recent of which started in mid-June. Immensely popular, the adventures of the Kacho have inspired four DVD box set collections (released by Stylejam), multiple tie-in merchandise, and even GAME CENTER CX: ARINO’S CHALLENGE, a Nintendo DS game that features the Kacho as an animated character challenging the player to a series of cleverly designed faux retro games.
So that American fans have an opportunity to learn more about the show, NYAFF will be presenting two complete episodes of RETRO GAME MASTER as FREE screenings at IFC Center, subtitled for the first time ever in English!
The first show has the Kacho trying to defeat the difficult “Mystery of Atlantis,” a classic Famicom game never released in the U.S. The second show features the Kacho playing the popular “Ghosts and Goblins.”
Retro Game MASTER Free Screenings
MYSTERY OF ATLANTIS screens Saturday 6/21 at 11:00 am,
Wednesday 6/25 at 11:30 am, and Saturday 6/28 at noon
GHOSTS AND GOBLINS - screens Sunday 6/22 at 11:00 am,
Wednesday 7/2 at 11:30 am, and Sunday 6/29 at noon
