On March 22, right before the Retrospective of Japanese Cinematography (April 3-8), in the art space OK16 the film critic and feature film program director of the International Film Festival «Listapad» , member of The International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI Igor Sukmanov will lecture on «Japanese Cinematography. The Empire of Feelings» . Tickets: +375 29 6226444, artcorporation.by, bycard.by, kupalauski.by, smsbilet.by
April retrospective «Twilight and Beauty: New classics of Japanese Cinematography» will present the most mature directors of modern independent cinema of Japan. No matter if the plot is already well-known (alien invasions, serial killers, love stories or family dramas), each of the movies carries the marks of Japanese traditions. If you want to relish them, you need to watch them knowing how the Japanese attitude to the world is expressed through the visual language of cinematography.
We will take a tour to the history of the Japanese cinematography, see how it was developing on the closed cultural island and why it could win the West.
As well as the world cinematography the Japanese cinematography originates from 1899, but it became well-known only in the 1950s, after the World War II. That way it preserved its uniqueness and became the object of admiration as the exotic style for Europeans.
Thanks to Akira Kurosawa people discover the Japanese cinematography. He is the most expressive, impetuous and «western» Japanese director. Some of the other masters, such as Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirou Ozu who worked in more traditional Japanese style, are discovered much later. Medium shots, scanning frames like unrolled scrolls, unhurried narration, continuity of the story on the screen, nature like the reflection of the characters’ souls – all this pure authenticity mirrors the Japanese spirit and draws the attention of the audience effortlessly. It’s important not to label the Japanese cinematography but to look into all of its nuances to understand it. Come and see for yourself!