Japanese Film Festival: Nihon Eiga Sai in Hamilton 2019

Join us for free screenings of contemporary movies from JAPAN at the Central Hamilton Public Library on Sunday Feb 3 + 10! All films in Japanese w/Eng subtitles. In between films, there will be a brief intermission. We will be serving some Japanese refreshments so please arrive early! RSVP recommended, drop-ins welcome. Details about February 10, 2019 Japanese films here >

THERMAE ROMAE テルマエ・ロマエ

Sunday February 3 @1:00 PM

@Hamilton Central Public Library, free admission, RSVP recommended but not required

Japanese with English subtitles

Director, Hideki Takeuchi (108 minutes) 2012

An epic bath extravaganza!

Lucius, an architect of spa baths for the Roman Empire, inadvertently travels through time and finds himself in a modern Japanese bathhouse. He takes elements of Japanese culture that he is inspired by, and brings it back with him to Rome and becomes hugely successful, which leads the Emperor to command him to build a massive spa.

Thermae Romae is based on the adaptation of Mari Yamazaki‘s award winning manga, which has won both the 2010 Manga Taisho and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for Best Short Work. The film features a roster of talented actors who throw themselves into their roles as citizens of ancient Rome, including Japanese heart throb Hiroshi Abe who plays the protagonist Lucius. Another striking aspect of the films production is its large open set built at Cinecitta, Italy’s largest film studio.

(c) 2012 “THERMAE ROMAE” Film Partners

Mari Yamazaki, manga author together with Stars Aya Ueto and Hiroshi Abe at the premiere of the film at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

THRONE OF BLOOD 蜘蛛巣城

Sunday February 3 @3:00 PM

@Hamilton Central Public Library, free admission, RSVP recommended but not required

Japanese with English subtitles

Director, Akira Kurosawa (110 minutes) 1957

A vivid, visceral Macbeth adaptation, Throne of Blood, directed by Akira Kurosawa, sets Shakespeare’s definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape in feudal Japan. As a hardened warrior who rises savagely to power, Toshiro Mifune gives a remarkable, animalistic performance, as does Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife. Throne of Blood fuses classical Western tragedy with formal elements taken from Noh theater to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.

Despite the change in setting and language and numerous creative liberties, Throne of Blood often is considered one of the better film adaptations of the play. It won two Mainichi Film Awards, including Best Actor for Toshiro Mifune.

Community Partners:
Hamilton Chapter of National Association of Japanese Canadians and the Hamilton Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre

Details about February 10, 2019 Japanese films here >