A CELEBRATION of Japanese cinema will be led by the Reading Biscuit Factory over the next six weeks.
Supported by the BFI and the National Lottery, Japan 2021 will be presented at the independant cinema on Broad Street Mall from today until Wednesday, December 8.
The festival programme aims to bring an immersive and engaging experience for all audiences.
Partners of the event include the Department of Film, Theatre and Television at the University of Reading, Queer East Film Festival, RUSU Japanese Society and Hyper Japan.
Matthew Lacey, general manager of Reading Biscuit Factory, said: “This is a splendid opportunity for a brand new venue like ours to demonstrate the ambition of our programme by showing people how varied and challenging Japanese cinema can be.
“We plan to bring a taste of Japan for this season, but hopefully a rich collection of other alternative and stimulating films to Reading for years to come.”
Featuring a mix of films, documentaries and shorts, the presentation covers a range of themes and genres including J-horror, LGBTQ+, cyberpunk, anime, classics and experimental movies from well-known Japanese cinemaster.
These include Akira Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu and Kon Ichikawa, as well as critically-acclaimed contemporary filmmakers Hirokazu Koreeda, Naomi Kawase and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Alongside the screenings, panel discussions and workshops will also take place across the six weeks.
Programme organiser Anupma Jai Shanker said: “As the title suggests, we’ve worked closely with all our partners to curate a rich and diverse mix of features, documentaries and experimental shorts covering a wide range, from Akira Kurosawa to Hirokazu Koreeda, in our attempt to celebrate some of the greatest Japanese cinemasters and their timeless masterpieces.
“We hope that you will enjoy the programme and continue to encourage our future efforts in bringing similar events to Reading Biscuit Factory, as they say in Japanese ‘ja mata, ne’.”
For more details, log on to the readingbiscuitfactory.co.uk/japan2021
