ASIAN CINEVISIONS FILM SERIES

A collaborative project showcasing recent Asian filmsFrom Japan

Who’s Camus Anyway? (Kamyu Nante Shiranai)

 

Wednesday, January 24 at 7:30pm | Members $8 / Public $12

Guest Speaker: Risa Morimoto, President of Edgewood Pictures, Producer Cinema AZN, Wings of Defeat, former Executive Director of Asian CineVision

ABOUT THE FILM
Mitsuo Yanagimachi first electrified Cinema audiences in 1985 with Himatsuri (Fire Festival), a visionary work capped by a startling murder. Now he’s back with a radically different kind of film—a brainy, playful Altmanesque portrait of the psyche of modern Japan . Yanagimachi follows a group of film students (many played by hot young Japanese TV stars) as they prepare to make a movie about a seemingly gratuitous murder. As it examines the students’ bickering, betrayal, and sexual cruelty, the film offers a witty portrait of a younger generation so steeped in Western culture that its touchstones are film noir, Michel Houllebecq, and, of course, Albert Camus’ The Stranger. This brilliantly made film explodes with cinematic energy, from a sly opening sequence that riffs on The Player to a powerful finale that reveals depths as dark and mysterious as anything in Camus. “A sly story told with bold, outrageous style... A cine-maniac's delight. Who's Camus Anyway? bristles with ferocious energy and wit.” – Manohla Dargis , NY TIMES

Japan, 2005, 115 min, color, video • Japanese with English subtitles • Director/writer: Mitsuo Yanagimachi • Cast: Shuji Kashiwabara, Hideo Nakaizumi, Ai Maeda • 2005 New York Film Festival

ABOUT RISA MORIMOTO

President of Edgewood Pictures, Risa Morimoto received her Master’s in film and education from New York University in 1999 while serving as the Associate Director of the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Institute. She produced the independent feature film, The LaMastas in 1998 and produced and directed several short films and documentaries including, 9066 with Pat Morita. She is currently in post-production on a feature documentary, Wings of Defeat about surviving kamikaze pilots and their legacy in contemporary Japan and around the world.  Risa produces the award-winning weekly TV program, Cinema AZN.  She recently was presented with three Telly Awards for her work on Cinema AZN, branding of the AZN Television Network, and writing and directing a series of get-out-the-vote PSAs.

Risa was the Executive Director of Asian CineVision, a NYC-based non-profit media arts organization from 2002-2006. In addition to lecturing across the country, Risa has served on many juries/selection committees including POV, Tribeca All Access, IFP Project Involve, and IFP Gotham Awards.