The God of Ramen ©2013 Fuji Television Network
January 18 & 25
Central Library, 55 York Boulevard
Hamilton Room
Please join us for two Sundays of Japanese film presented The Japan Foundation and the Hamilton Public Library, in cooperation with the Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto.
These films, selected for international screening by the Japan Foundation, Tokyo, reflect life in contemporary Japan through a variety of genres and styles. Kids Police, a satire of the hardboiled cop film genre, finds veteran police detectives fighting crime while attending grade school after a poison gas turns them into children. The documentary The God of Ramen shows one man’s commitment to his art and community through his tireless work in his ramen shop. The drama ‘Til the Break of Dawn, shows the power of human connection through the eyes of a young man with the ability to communicate with the deceased.
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Format: blu-ray
Doors open: 30 minutes before film
Admission: free, no reservation or ticket required (seats are available on a first come, first served basis)
Sunday, January 18
1:30 pm: Kids Police (comedy)
3:30 pm: The God of Ramen (documentary)
Sunday, January 25
1:30 pm: ‘Til the Break of Dawn (drama)
©2013 “KIDS POLICE” Film Partners
Kids Police
Dir. Yuichi Fukuda, 2013, 100 min.
The elite detectives of the Special Investigations Division (SID) of the Kanagawa Police Department have fallen into a trap set by notorious crime broker Red Venus and inhaled a special gas which turned them all into… kids. In spite of their peculiar condition, the chief of SID (Fuku Suzuki) and his team continue investigating and trying to indict Red Venus. SID learns of Red Venus’ plan to assassinate the President of Kazokistan on his upcoming visit to Japan, but head office relegates them to the sidelines.
Will the detectives of SID be able to defuse Red Venus’ presidential assassination attempt and arrest them? And will they ever be turned back into adults?!
The God of Ramen ©2013 Fuji Television Network
The God of Ramen
Dir. Takashi Innami, 2013 , 90 min.
People wait in line for over two hours for just one bowl of ramen at the legendary ramen shop “East Ikebukuro Taishoken.” The proprietor, Kazuo Yamagishi, has tended this shop for 50 years.
Why makes his ramen so special? Why is Taishoken beloved by so many? The story is not only about his pursuit of the perfect blend of flavors. It’s about his life, love and the strong bond he shares with the people he believes in.
Compiled from over ten years of documentary footage, the film incorporates beautiful scenery from Yamagishi’s hometown in Nagano and is enhanced by the “savory” narration of noted ramen lover Shosuke Tanihara, and the beautiful ending theme song written by Joe Hisaishi. It captures both the light and dark sides of the life of the celebrated ramen chef Kazuo Yamagishi to reveal a uniquely moving story.
©2012 “TSUNAGU” Film Partners
‘Til the Break of Dawn
Dir. Yuichiro Hirakawa, 2012, 129 min.
An urban legend tells of the existence of a human, the Connector, who has the ability to arrange meetings between the living and the dead.
Hatada, a cynical middle-aged man, wishes to see his mother. Schoolgirl Arashi has a question she wants to ask her best friend, with whom she had a falling out. Businessman Tsuchiya continues to wait for his girlfriend, who disappeared right after he proposed to her.
The Connector in this story is an ordinary high school student, Ayumi, who is being trained as an apprentice by his grandmother, also a Connector. As Ayumi arranges their meetings, he begins to question himself. His doubts are soon directed towards the mysterious deaths of his own parents. Is it self-serving to want to meet with the deceased? Do the living really benefit from such meetings? Will it change their lives? And as for the deceased……
