Retrospective

IWAI Shunji at the set

IWAI Shunji

Born in 1963, IWAI Shunji started out in the entertainment industry by directing music videos and television dramas. From here he eventually moved onto larger projects with his short film 'Undo', later followed by the hit 'Swallowtail Butterfly', which starred Japanese pop singer Chara. He has received several awards, most notably for his films 'Love Letter' and 'All About Lily Chou-Chou'.
A trendsetter, he has created a style that resonates with Japanese pop culture, striking a chord with contemporary Japanese youth, especially young women. Although IWAI's films have been well received and awarded in film festivals both in and outside of Japan, notably in Toronto and Berlin, he and his films are not yet well known outside of Asia.
Besides working as a director IWAI Shunji has published several novels. His first, `Love Letter', was published in 1995 alongside the film. The novel of 'Swallowtail' was published the following year and 'Hana & Alice' was published, in comic format, in 2004.

Filmography (selection):
2004: Hana & Alice
2001: Riri Shushu no subete (All about Lily Chou Chou)
1998: Shigatsu monogatari (April Story)
1996: Swallowtail (Swallowtail & Butterfly)
1995: Love Letter
1992: Ghost Soup (TV)

April Story

Thu 25.05 / 20:00 / Melkweg / Amsterdam
Fri 02.06 / 14:30 / Lantaren-Venster / Rotterdam

April Story [Movie still]

Nieuwe vrienden ontmoeten als je net verhuist bent kan lastig zijn. Vooral als je vanuit Hokkaido komt om te studeren in Tokyo. Een levensechte film die zich vooral richt op de gevoelens en persoonlijkheid van de hoofdpersoon Uzuki die moeite heeft te wennen aan het leven in de grote stad.

Meeting new friends when you've just moved in can be very difficult, especially when you are a student from Hokkaido coming to Tokyo. A touching film that concentrates on the feelings and personality of the main character, Uzuki, trying to find her way in the big city.

SHIGATSU MONOGATARI
Japan 1998, 35mm, 67 Min, English subtitles
Director & Script: IWAI Shunji
Production: Rockwell Eyes Inc.
Director of Photography: SHINODA Noboru
Distribution: Fortissimo Films

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All about Lily Chou-Chou

Sun 28.05 / 20:00 / Melkweg / Amsterdam
Sun 04.06 / 20:00 / Lantaren-Venster / Rotterdam

All about Lily Chou-Chou [Movie still]

Verkrachting, geweld, pesten, manipulatie en popster idolatrie; deze woorden omschrijven het beste deze harde film over het leven van tieners in Japan. Ichihara is de centrale figuur van de film, een erg verlegen jongen die troost vindt door op internet te chatten met andere fans van Lily Chou-Chou , een alternatieve popster en object van zijn obsessie. Ondertussen gaat zijn vreselijke dagelijkse leven gewoon door…

Rape, violence, bullying, manipulation, and pop idolisation all best describe this hard-hitting film about teenage life in Japan. It centres around Ichihara, a painfully shy boy who finds some kind of shelter from his horrible everyday life by chatting online with fans of Lily Chou-Chou, an alternative pop star and object of his obsession. In the meantime, his pained, ordinary life goes on.

RIRI SHUSHU NO SUBETE
Japan 2001, 35mm, 146 Min, English subtitles
Director & Script: IWAI Shunji
Production: Rockwell Eyes Inc.
Producer: MAEDA Koko
Director of Photography: SHINODA Noburo
Music: KOBAYASHI Takeshi
Distribution: Fortissimo Films

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Love Letter

Wed 24.05 / 20:00 / Melkweg / Amsterdam
Mon 05.06 / 19:30 / Lantaren-Venster / Rotterdam

Love Letter [Movie still]

'Love Letter' is de eerste speelfilm van IWAI Shunji. Een prachtig weergegeven verhaal over Hiroko die treurt over het verlies van haar verloofde, gefilmd tegen de achtergrond van de havenstad Kobe en Otaru, een kleine stad in Hokkaido. Op een dag vindt ze zijn oude adres in een schooljaarboek en besluit hem een brief te sturen. Haar verrassing is groot wanneer ze een antwoord krijgt.

'Love Letter' is IWAI Shunji's first feature film. Set against the scenic backdrops of the industrial port city Kobe and Otaru, a small town in Hokkaido, it is the beautifully filmed story of Hiroko who is mourning the loss of her fiancée. One day she finds his old address in his school year book and decides to write him a letter. She is more than surprised when she finds a reply in her mailbox.

Japan 1995, 35mm, 117 Min, English subtitles
Director & Script: IWAI Shunji
Lighting Director: NAKAMURA Yuki
Production Designer: HOSOISHI Terumi
Director of Photography: SHINODA Noboru
Music: REMEDIOS
Distribution: Fortissimo Films

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Hana and Alice

Wed 07.06 / 19:30 / Lantaren-Venster / Rotterdam

Hana and Alice [Movie still]

Alice neemt Hana, haar beste vriendin, mee op jacht naar een jongen die ze leuk vindt en zegt dat Hana zijn vriend mag 'hebben'. Eerst vindt Hana het niets, maar dat duurt niet lang. Als hij zijn hoofd stoot en bewusteloos raakt maakt Hana hem wijs dat hij aan geheugenverlies lijdt en dat zij zijn vriendin is. Zodra Alice erbij betrokken raakt en hem ook leuk gaat vinden wordt het ingewikkeld. Visueel en muzikaal erg sterk.

Alice takes Hana, her best friend, with her while she follows a boy she has a crush on. She tells Hana that she can have his friend, at first Hana is not interested but that soon changes. When Hana witnesses the friend banging his head and passing out, she tells him that she is his girlfriend and that he suffers from amnesia. When Alice starts to like him too, things start to get complicated. A visually and musically stunning movie.

HANA TO ARISU
Japan 2004, 35mm, 85 Min, English subtitles
Director & Script: IWAI Shunji
Production: IWAI Shunji
Director of Photography: NOBORU Shinoda
Music: IWAI Shunji
Distribution: Fortissimo Films

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