Tampopo (film screening)
November 25 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm EST
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Tampopo
タンポポ
Tuesday November 25, 5:30PM (ET)
Doors open 5:00PM | Film Screening | In-Person | JFT Event Hall
Directed by ITAMI Jūzō • 1985 • 115 minutes • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • Trailer
A self-proclaimed “ramen Western,” Tampopo is a playful and delicious satire on food, desire, and Japanese culture. The story follows truck driver Goro (YAMAZAKI Tsutomu) and his sidekick Gun (WATANABE Ken) as they help Tampopo (MIYAMOTO Nobuko), a widowed noodle shop owner, perfect her ramen recipe and transform her small eatery into a local legend.
Through a series of eccentric vignettes—from a gangster’s sensual food rituals to an etiquette lesson gone wrong—ITAMI Jūzō serves up a loving and absurd meditation on the art of eating and living. Both hilarious and heartfelt, Tampopo celebrates the pursuit of perfection and the joy found in a simple bowl of ramen.
©Janus Films
Content Warning: This film contains brief scenes of animal violence and sexual content, including nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.
If you are interested in more Japanese films about food, don’t miss the current line-up of films in the feature “Meals That Heal and Connect” on JFF Theater. Available for FREE streaming across Canada!
Free admission. Registration will open on Thursday Nov 13, at 12:00 PM.
Director Profile:
ITAMI Jūzō (伊丹 十三, 1933-1997) was a Japanese actor, essayist, screenwriter and film director. One of Japan’s most distinctive satirists, Itami began his career as an actor, where he used the stage name Itami Ichizō (伊丹 一三). His appeared in foreign-language films such as 55 Days at Peking (1963) and Lord Jim (1965). In 1965, he published a book called Diary of Boredom in Europe, an essay collection of his thoughts and reflections on his time in Europe.
In 1967, when working with director ŌSHIMA Nagisa on the set of Sing a Song of Sex, he met actress MIYAMOTO Nobuko; they got married in 1969 and Miyamoto would later star in all his films.
Itami turned to filmmaking in the 1980s. His directorial debut, The Funeral (1984), was a critical and commercial success in Japan and won many awards, including Japanese Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. With Tampopo (1985), he reached international acclaim, cementing his reputation for subversive wit and inventive storytelling. His following film A Taxing Woman (1987) was again highly successful. It won six major Japanese Academy awards and spawned a sequel A Taxing Woman’s Return in 1988.
Itami’s films often tackled contemporary Japanese life, from consumerism and bureaucracy to gender roles, with his signature blend of sharp social observation and wry humor.
