At every edition of the CinemAsia Film Festival film lovers get the chance to explore the vibrant landscape of Asian Cinema. This year the 16th edition of the film festival will take place, for six days, from 5 through 10 March in several cinemas in Amsterdam. This year, CinemAsia also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the film festival. This has made CinemAsia the largest and longest-running Asian film festival in Europe.
This year, CinemAsia is offering a diverse selection of 59 hand-picked films, including blockbusters, art-house films, documentaries, and short films, the festival will be showcasing captivating stories and cultural insights from across Asia. Since the first festival edition of CinemAsia in 2004, Japanese films have been an important part of their programming and this article will focus on these films showing at the 16th edition of CinemAsia.
Remembering Every Night (2022)
The film takes place in Tama New Town, a planned city on the outskirts of Tokyo opened in the 1970s. The once vibrant sidewalks, gardens, cafes, and parks now exude an air of ageing and abandonment, mirroring the nostalgia of its older residents who once knew all the neighbours around them. For Chizu, however, Tama New Town is more like a labyrinth, where things all seem to look the same.
Directed by Yui Kiyohara, filmmaker and screenwriter, known for Our House (2017) and Made in Yamato (2021).
Screenings: Thursday 7 March – 18:45 (Studio/K), Sunday 10 March – 16:30 (Rialto De Pijp) | more information
Japanese title: すべての夜を思いだす | Subete No Yoru Wo Omoidasu
September 1923 (2023)
European premiere. Amid the chaos and devastating aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake, false rumours led to the mass killing of Koreans in Japan. When 15 Japanese peddlers arrived in a small village speaking their own dialect, a case of mistaken identity resulted in over 100 villagers brutally attacking them and killing nine. This dark piece of Japanese history is known as the Fukuda Village Incident.
Directed by Tatsuya Mori, as a documentary filmmaker he created A (1998) and A2 (2001). This film is his narrative feature debut.
Screenings: Saturday 9 March – 16:15 (Rialto De Pijp) | more information
Japanese title: 福田村事件 | Fukudamura Jiken
Evil Does Not Exist (2023)
A father and a daughter, Takumi and Hana, are living amidst peaceful woodland, lakes and deer trails in the village of Mizubiki, close to Tokyo. However, their peaceful existence is disrupted when a Tokyo-based company announces its intention to build a glamping (glamour and camping) resort nearby. The company’s profit-oriented and callous approach comes to light during a community meeting, leading to unrest among the locals.
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, known for his film Drive My Car (2021), which won Best International Feature Film at both the Oscars and Golden Globes, along with Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival.
Screenings: Thursday 7 March – 7pm (Rialto De Pijp), Sunday 10 March – 11.55am (Studio/K) | more information
Japanese title: 悪は存在しない | Aku wa Sonzai Shinai
VIRTUASIA: A Journey Through Virtual Asia
The film festival will feature a special VR programming for the first time under the banner of Virtuasia, where you will be invited to go on a journey through virtual Asia. In total, CinemAsia will showcase 5 VR programmes connected with specific themes from South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan at Studio/K. If you have an interest in VR and don’t mind wearing a headset, you might want to check this special programming out. Find more information about all the films here.
In addition of a great selection of films, you can also enjoy a variety of Asian food at the Asian Food Market during the weekend of 9 and 10 March at Rialto De Pijp.
Want to know more about the upcoming edition of CinemAsia Film Festival? Then check out the film festival’s official website with all the details.
