Win JAPAN CUTS Tickets!

See a Great New Japanese Movie on the Big Screen for Free, Courtesy of Japan Society and SciFi Japan Source: Japan Society Official Site: japansociety.org/japan-cuts-2013 Special Thanks to Jason Gutierrez The 2013 New York Asian Film Festival/Japan Cuts: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema is now in full swing. Running through July 15 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and July 11-21 at Japan Society, the combined festival will feature more than 70 films, international and world premiere screenings, Q&A`s with filmmakers, and other special events. Our friends at Japan Society are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win free tickets to see one of five films premiering on their schedule... the winner of the 36th Japan Academy Prize for Best Picture and Best Director, THE KIRISHIMA THING; the crime thriller THE RAVINE OF GOODBYE; the anti-fascist erotic shocker A WOMAN AND WAR; Japan`s answer to The Sessions, THERE IS LIGHT; or the plastic surgery horror movie HELTER SKELTER. All five screenings will take place at Japan Society, located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues in New York City.

HELTER SKELTER (Heruta Sukeruta) Saturday, July 13 at 9:30pm **New York Premiere, Co-presented with NYAFF Japan. 2012. 127 min. 35 mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Mika Ninagawa. With Erika Sawajiri, Nao Omori, Shinobu Terajima, Gou Ayano, Kiko Mizuhara. Japan`s hugely influential, hyper fashion-forward photographer Mika Ninagawa and its most controversial young star, Erika Sawajiri, team up to deliver a plastic surgery horror movie that`ll make everyone`s skin crawl. Lilico (Erika Sawajiri) is a monstrous Lady Gaga-esque celebrity--a singer and actress obsessed with her own young sexy self, eating up employees, and existing on a diet of flashbulbs. Almost entirely surgically enhanced, she requires occasional "top ups", but now they`re not working anymore. Her face and body are slowly turning as black and rotten as bruised fruit and her sanity is leaching away from her dysfunctional, surgically enhanced mortal coil. 18+ This film is unrated, but may only be viewed by persons 18 years of age and older.

THE KIRISHIMA THING (Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo) Sunday, July 14 at 7:30pm **New York Premiere Japan, 2012. 103 min. 35mm, in Japanese with live English subtitles. Directed by Daihachi Yoshida. With Ryunosuke Kamiki, Ai Hashimoto, Suzuka Ohgo, Masahiro Higashide, Kurumi Shimizu, Mizuki Yamamoto. When a star athlete and all-around golden boy drops out of the volleyball team and vanishes, all the hidden power struggles, class warfare, social angst and general life drama of the entire high school emerge. Based on the bestselling novel by Ryo Asai, THE KIRISHIMA THING is a dissection of a ruptured social nervous system. Like Rashomon staged at The Breakfast Club, its cosmic cinematic microscope sweeps across all of the institutionalized cliques we’ve all found at every school anywhere in the world: jocks and their kept girls, band geeks who agonize over a single note out of tune, AV nerds who just want to make zero-budget zombie movies and watch TETSUO: THE IRON MAN all day. They all had their places, and they all knew their roles, but in a culture of conformity, even the slightest, quietest ripple in the pond threatens to explode their miniature universe. Winner Best Picture and Best Director, The 36th Japan Academy Prize.

Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © “A Woman and War” Production Committee

A WOMAN AND WAR (Senso to Hitori no Onna) Wednesday, July 17 at 7:30 pm **North American Premiere, Introduction and Q&A with Director Junichi Inoue Japan. 2013. 98 min. HD CAM, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Junichi Inoue. With Noriko Eguchi, Masatoshi Nagase, Jun Murakami, Akira Emoto, Sakiko Takao, Hako Oshima. The dignified heir to Koji Wakamatsu`s glorious renegade film works, A WOMAN AND WAR is a darker-than-hell moral shocker set towards the end of WWII. Nomura (Masatoshi Nagase) is a writer in despair. His companion is a former prostitute (Noriko Eguchi), who works in a bar. Many years ago, her father sold her to a brothel due to the family`s severe financial hardships. The writer and the woman agree to live as husband and wife until the war ends. Meanwhile, Ohira (Jun Murakami) fought for Japan in China, and participated in unconscionable acts against civilians in the name of war. Returning to Japan with only one arm and a broken soul, he begins to prey on innocent women. 18+ This film is unrated, but may only be viewed by persons 18 years of age and older.

THERE IS LIGHT (Kurayami kara Te wo Nobase) Thursday, July 18 at 9:00 pm **North American Premiere, Introduction and Q&A with Director Yukihiro Toda Japan. 2013. 68 min. HD Cam, in Japanese with English subtitles.Directed by Yukihiro Toda. With Maya Koizumi, Kanji Tsuda, Masayuki Moriyama, Yuki Kan, Sachiko Matsuura, Aoyama Hokingu, Morooka Moro. Saori (Maya Koizumi) decides to work at Honey Lips, a company that provides sex to disabled people, for the simple reason that it seems like easy work. On the first day of her new job, the manager (Kanji Tsuda) drives Saori to a customer`s house located in a peaceful residence area. The film follows her experiences servicing a set of very special clients, with a subtle blend of honesty and humor, taking a blunt, balanced docudrama-like approach to build a compelling narrative about life choices. Central to THERE IS LIGHT is a pitch perfect performance by former swimsuit model Maya Koizumi. 2013 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. 18+ This film is unrated, but may only be viewed by persons 18 years of age and older.

THE RAVINE OF GOODBYE (Sayonara Keikoku) Friday, July 19 at 7:00 pm **North American Premiere Japan. 2013. 117 min. HD CAM, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Tatsushi Omori. With Yoko Maki, Shima Onishi, Nao Omori, Anne Suzuki, Jyo Hyuga, Arata, Hirofumi Arai. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida. The body of a child is found near the house of a seemingly ordinary couple: Shunsuke (Shima Onishi, the limbless soldier in CATERPILLAR) and Kanako Ozaki (star actress Yoko Maki). The baby`s mother Satomi Tachibana (Anne Suzuki) is arrested as the prime suspect, but it doesn`t take long for the police to consider Shunsuke a person of interest: Satomi claims she was having an affair with him. Looking into the case, weekly tabloid reporter Watanabe (Nao Omori) discovers another shocking crime in Shunsuke`s past. Selection of the Moscow IFF Competition. 18+ This film is unrated, but may only be viewed by persons 18 years of age and older.

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES and INFORMATION

Prize: A. There are five (5) prizes. Each prize consists of two (2) passes to see a selected film at Japan Cuts. B. Passes will be available one (1) hour before the shows at the Japan Society Will Call. The winner must present a photo ID in order to claim their prize. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 and 7 subway at Grand Central or the E and V subway at Lexington Avenue). For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit japansociety.org. C. In the event that a winner chooses not to (or cannot) accept a prize, he or she forfeits all claim to that prize. D. One entry per person. Prizes are non-transferable. No substitution of prizes allowed. E. These passes are for admission to the screenings only. Japan Society is providing complimentary admission with the condition that no other benefits are implied. Winners understand and acknowledge that they are responsible for all other expenses including transportation, food (you`ll have to buy your own snacks, sorry!), and lodging. Furthermore, winners and their guests understand and acknowledge that Japan Society and SciFi Japan are in no way liable for any injuries or other losses incurred by accepting the passes. Duration of contest: The contest runs from July 5 until 11:59 pm on July 15, 2013. How to enter: A. Submit your name, email address and your top two (2) or three (3) movie picks from the selection above. You must choose at least two (2) films to be entered in the the random drawing. Determination of winners: A. Only contestants who have submitted the requested information will be entered in the final drawing. There will be two drawings between July 10 and July 15, with the first five randomly drawn eligible entries judged the winners. B. SciFi Japan is not responsible for typographical, electronic or other errors in Internet operation affecting the offering, outcome, administration of the contest or the announcement of prizes. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. C. The decision of Japan Society and SciFi Japan is final. Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of the SciFi Japan judges, which are final and binding in all respects. Just email the following information to "Japan Cuts 2013" at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Good luck! Name: Email address: Movie Choice #1: Movie Choice #2: Movie Choice #3:

About JAPAN CUTS

Japan Society`s JAPAN CUTS is an inimitable platform for contemporary Japanese cinema, showing the diversity and vitality of one of the most exciting world cinemas. Since its launch in 2007, the festival has attracted over 30,000 filmgoers and presented over 150 feature films, many never-before seen in the U.S. The first annual JAPAN CUTS was one of the most successful single events in the Society`s 2007-08 centennial celebration. Noted for its "rich and varied selection of recent Japanese films" (David Kehr, The New York Times), JAPAN CUTS has premiered several films that have gone on to garner international acclaim, including: About Her Brother, Buddha, Confessions, Death Note, Fish Story, Gantz, Haru’s Journey, Kamome Diner, Love Exposure, Milocrorze, The Mourning Forest, Ninja Kids!!!, Sawako Decides, Sukiyaki Western Django, Sway, Sketches of Kaitan City, United Red Army, Vacation, and Yasukuni. Every year JAPAN CUTS features a number of panels, post-screening parties, and exclusive Q&As with filmmakers and actors. Past festivals have included appearances by Koji Yakusho, Masami Nagasawa, Kenji Kohashi, Sora Aoi, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yoshimasa Ishibashi, Shusuke Kaneko, Naomi Kawase, Masahiro Kobayashi, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, Kentaro Moriya, Miwa Nishikawa, Naoko Ogigami, Natsuki Seta, Shota Sometani, Sion Sono, Tomorowo Taguchi, Gen Takahashi, Toshiaki Toyoda, Hitoshi Yazaki, and Isao Yukisada.

About Japan Society

The Japan Society Film Program offers a diverse selection of Japanese films, from classics to contemporary independent productions. Its aim is to entertain, educate and support activities in the Society`s arts & culture programs. The Film Program has included retrospectives of great directors, thematic series and many U.S. premieres. Some original film series curated by the Japan Society have traveled to other U.S. venues in tours organized by the Film Program. For more, visit http://www.japansociety.org/film. Founded in 1907, Japan Society is a world-class, multidisciplinary hub for global leaders, artists, scholars, educators, and English and Japanese-speaking audiences. At the Society, more than 100 events each year feature sophisticated, topically relevant presentations of Japanese art and culture and open, critical dialogue on issues of vital importance to the U.S., Japan and East Asia. An American nonprofit, nonpolitical organization, the Society cultivates a constructive, resonant and dynamic relationship between the people of the U.S. and Japan. More at japansociety.org/film. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 and 7 subway at Grand Central or the E and V subway at Lexington Avenue). For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit japansociety.org.

For more information on Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema and New York Asian Film Festival, please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan: