Learning his trade from Takashi Mike as assistant director, Kenichiro Nishiumi directs this 65 minute martial arts action saga about brotherhood, masculinity and self-discovery during Japan’s Warring States Period.

Three young men, Ryu, Yonesuke and Gon, known collectively as ‘The Devils’, set out to have feudal battles with other like-minded gangs from surrounding villages to see who is the toughest. This they do to create a fearsome reputation for pride and honour, and to win the flags that they take from their foes that they keep as trophies. For each gang that they beat they cross it off from a list – a la Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, only no one gets killed, for the samurai swords they use are wooden!

Ryu is the son of a farmer and dreams of becoming a samurai warrior to make a name for himself. His father tried to do the same but died leaving his wife bitter. She is also frustrated at Ryu because he spends more time breaking the monotony of his agricultural chores by training himself in the art of swordsmanship. Ryu believes that by exchanging his wooden sword for a real one, and blooding it, he will become a man. To do so he must face his nemesis, Jojima, someone who has fort on a real battlefield. But Ryu’s over confidence could cost him his life.

(Courtesy of MVM Entertainment)

Samurai Warrior is shot among hilly terrain with scenic views of forests and mountains basked in sunshine, idyllic locations for such a small film. It has many light moments which stem from Ryu’s love interest, Oman. Ryu finds her alone in excruciating pain after being bitten by a pit viper. He saves her life by sucking out the poison while unceremoniously and greedily leeching at her before taking her back to his hide out. It’s clear that the Ryu has little or no experience with girls, reflecting his boyish innocence and uncertainty. Much of the humour involves Gon, the most simple-minded of the three youths. He’s a character similar to that of Joey from the hit TV sitcom Friends and oftentimes the foil and butt of the jokes.

(Courtesy of MVM Entertainment)

Being a low-budget film, the fight scenes do not look polished and choreographed like you would see in a more expensive epic production. However, this gives the fight sequences a certain realism, a loose fluidity and rhythm. When we look at the facial expressions of the two leads, they give the impression that the whole thing was done with a sense of earnestness and spontaneity.

(Courtesy of MVM Entertainment)

Although Samurai Warriors has a made-for-TV quality about it, the director does some interesting things with the camera, such as using Dutch angels on occasion – something that was often used in the 60’s TV series Batman and the British film classic The Third Man. Another striking shot of note was the way the camera filmed Ryu running; it gives the impression that the camera is somehow running alongside him – an old trick used in the cult 70’s TV series Monkey. Like Quentin Terantino, Kenichiro Nishiumi likes to have his influences clearly on his sleeve where everybody can see them.

(Courtesy of MVM Entertainment)

Although Samurai Warrior is a relatively enjoyable way to spend an hour – especially on a Sunday afternoon after a hearty meal where all you want to do is flake out on the sofa and unbutton your trousers – those most likely to appreciate this simple no-brains-required cheap flick would probably be type who finds the films of Seiji Chiba entertaining, regardless of their repetitiveness.

Label: MVM Entertainment

Release date: 27th Februsry 2012

Certificate: 12

Running time: 65 mins

Genre: Action, Asian Cinema, Martial arts, Historical drama

Director: Kenichiro Nishiumi

Stars: Yuma Ishigaki, Suzunosuke, Kengo Oguchi, Sorami Iguchi, Hidekazu Ichise

Review written by Juan Carty

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Heart, Beating in the Dark (screened as part of the ICA Japanese cinema season Whose Film Is It Anyway?  Contemporary Japanese Auteurs)  is partially a remake of and a sequel to Shunichi Nagasaki’s 1982 film of the same name, incorporating additional footage from the original that shows the connections between the characters and helps to explain the reasons why writer/director Nagasaki decided to make this film…

It follows the story of two couples over two days. The first is Toru (Shoichi Honda) and Yuki (Noriko Eguchi) a young couple on the run from loan sharks who have arranged to stay for one night in an unused apartment owned by Toru’s friend but now managed by his friends ex wife Ritsuko (Kaori Misushima). The second involves Ringo (Takashi Naito) and Inako (Shigero Muroi) a middle aged man and women who share a history of their past relationship which featured in the original film and their reunion after 23 years apart.

(Courtesy of Japan Foundation)

When Inako meets Ringo in his repair shop near an apartment block, Ringo suggests that they go back to his apartment. Over a dinner prepared by Ringo the two discuss their lives during the preceding 23 years and slowly we begin to see the history that they share and the horror of the  incident that happened in their past is gradually revealed. After a violent sexual encounter between them Ringo offers to drive Inako to the local station. They set off in to the night in Ringo’s work van and head towards a beach.

In the morning Toru and Yuki leave the apartment and steal Ritsuko’s car without knowing exactly where they want to go. The two couples encounter each other at a Diner and after a brief confused discussion, both head off. But Ringo appears to follow the young couple. Later that morning the four of them arrive at a beach and talk, drink and play in the sea. Ringo seems to know something about Toru and after a while, the two couple’s part with Ringo and Inako driving off leaving the young couple in their car on the beach.

(Courtesy of Japan Foundation)

The next morning something drastic appears to have happened to Toru and Yuki. When Toru wakes up he realises that Yuki needs medical treatment. After some deliberation Ringo decides that he needs to confront Toru about something and he and Inako then return to the beach just in time to find a distressed Toru. Ringo gives Toru his van to take Yuki to the hospital and the two couple’s part.

Heart, Beating in the Dark is a deep psychological drama with some scenes reminiscent of various Japanese Horror films from recent years. The low lighting of the locations helps to emphasise the feeling of foreboding and edginess running through the story.

(Courtesy of Japan Foundation)

It is not an easy film to watch as it jumps between the stories of the two couples and the insertion of footage from the original film as well. However, it does focus mostly on the four main characters and their parallel stories as well as showing the relationships and motives between the two members of each couple. It’s a story that reveals the worst and best sides of the main characters and ends with a slightly skewed redemption for the older couple.

To bring to a close, Heart, Beating in the Dark couldn’t be described as entertaining per se but it would be of interest to anyone who likes the grittier side of independent Japanese films.

Running time: 104 mins

Dir: Shunichi Nagasaki,

Cast: Takashi Naito, Shigero Muroi, Shoichi Honda, Noriko Eguchi, Taro Suwa, Kaori Misushima

Author Profile:

Ian Rudd has always had a passion for films, music, art and comics. He also has an interest in Japanese traditional and contemporary culture, food, films, anime, manga and music as well as a general interest in the cultures of other Asian countries too. In recent years he has been involved in helping to organise various Japanese related events such as the Japanese Art Festival, Bunkasai, Aid For Japan and more recently CamCon http://thecamcon.com/ which covers a more varied range of contemporary cuture.

The ICA Japanese cinema season Whose Film is it Anyway? Contemporary Japanese Auteurs is part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme. For more details and film listing, click here.

(Courtesy of Japan Foundation)

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Terracotta Far East Film Festival Announces Opening And Closing Film For 4th It’s Edition

Terracotta Far East Film Festival & Friday 13th: Terrorcotta Night

The 2nd Annual East Winds Film Festival At Coventry University March 2nd-4th 2012

An outrageous, unshameful zombie romp!

Helldriver is a trip back into the extreme world of Yoshihiro Nishimura of Tokyo Gore Police fame and many other insanely named films. It’s the latest in a subgenre of horror flicks known as Splatter, of which the Japanese are, arguably, the forerunners of producing in high quantity – if not quality, although, the Sushi Typhoon brand in particular does them very well, which is evident in part with this film.

Japan is thrown into chaos when a mysterious gas cloud not from this world falls over the Northern provinces, turning the population into flesh-eating zombies with queen zombie Rikka (Eihi Shiina) at the helm controlling them through a kind of antler which is attached to each of their heads. The unaffected southern region is kept separated by a huge wall while the zombie-fied populace of the North is left to its own devices, running amok within a now anarchistic environment.

There are those, however, who are sympathetic to the threat and think the government should do something to help. School girl Kika (Yumiko Hara) is enlisted by the government to venture into the invested areas, equipped with a chainsaw sword power-driven by a synthetic heart, and terminate the infected, ultimately ending the plague.  She cannot do this alone, of course, and is joined on her mission by a bunch of derogatory outlaws. However, wiping out the hungry zombies is going to be no easy task. Will Kika and gang end up on the zombie a La carte menu or have the decomposing flesh people bitten off more than they can chew?

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

Like most of Nishimura’s directorial films (he’s probably better  known for being a special effects artist on films such as Machine Girl and TOMIE Unlimited), trying to review Helldriver brings its own problems. The storyline is all over the place and the effects are not that impressive, surprisingly.  It’s a little too long and the acting leaves a lot to be desired. But to judge it on its lack of merits is to miss the point of what it’s really trying to be, an outrageous, unshameful zombie romp. And it’s here where it succeeds the most.

The ‘opening’ credits appear a full 45 minutes into the film, although, things get weird long before then. Apart from the nonsensical plot and uninspiring acting, there are so many reasons to watch a film of this type.  Among other things we can indulge in the imagination that is behind the various zombie-like creations which are a central fixture to the narrative; Helldriver really delivers on this front.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

One of the most outlandish scenes, which will leave you totally dumbfounded, is when a female zombie uses her baby, which is still attached to an umbilical cord, as a lasso to ensnare her victims. She’s but one crazy creature on show here. The blood is gloriously overused in true Nishimura style that we have come to know and love.

As already mentioned, the film is far too long. It’s not until the final hour that the fun really begins. Nishimura fans, however, will be more than satisfied with what he brings to the screen. For sure, the effects both real and CGI are a miss-mash but they do have their moments with a surprising element of humour. There are a number of laugh-out-loud moments – not least a clever riff on Michael Jackson’s Thriller video.

To conclude, through all its faults Helldriver is a ravishingly gruesome, funny and wildly creative film that will undoubtedly be enjoyed by those who know what to expect from a Nishimura gore extravaganza.  And for those of you who are less familiar with his work, you are advised to brace yourself.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

Special Features:

Japanese Theatrical Cut

Director’s Cut

The ‘Making of’ Featurette

Trailer

Details:

Label: BOUNTY FILMS

Release Date: 31 October 2011

Certificate: 18

Run Time: 105 + 117 min. approx

Format:  1.78:1 OAR/ Colour

Genre: Horror/ Sci-fi

Director: Yoshihiro NISHIMURA

Year: 2011

Country:  Japan

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: English (Optional)

Review written by Dean Hilliam.

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DVD Review: TOMIE Unlimited – A J-Horror Film By Noboru Iguchi

Terracotta is London’s premier celebration of the film and culture of the Far East. With a stunning line-up of films hand-picked from the best of the region, encompassing diverse genres from comedy to drama to horror and everything in between, an unbeatable programme of exclusive cast and crew Q&As, intro’s and masterclasses and fabulous public parties the Terracotta Far East Film Festival really does have something for everybody.

OPENING FILM MY WAY

My Way (Courtesy of Terracotta Distribution)

In recent years, cross-border productions have been flourishing and Terracotta are thrilled to be opening the festival on Thursday 12^th April 2012 with one of the most high-profile and ambitious examples to date, the Korean war epic MY WAY.

From Korean cinema’s box office champion Kang Je-Kyu who also directed ‘Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War’ and‘Shiri’, MY WAY tells the story of two marathon runners, one Korean and one Japanese, during Japan ’s colonisation of Korea . The two men are drafted into the Japanese army, and develop a close friendship through battles in Russia and Germany.

MY WAY is a pan-Asian Korean, Chinese and Japanese production which brings together an impressive cast – Jang Dong-gun, Joe Odagiri and Fan Bingbing – from all three territories and spans the battlefield action of WWII from Japan to the Battle of Normandy.

The film had its European Premiere at the 62^ndannual Berlin Film Festival for the Panorama section and Terracotta Festival is proud to host the UK Premiere.

CLOSING FILM HIMIZU

Himizu (Courtesy of Third Window Films)

Terracotta Festival will also be closing on Sunday 15^th April with a world-renowned name in Japanese cinema: HIMIZU by Sono Sion which had its World Premiere at the 2011 Venice Film Festival where it played In Competition.

HIMIZU is based on the famous manga of the same name and relates the story of two teenagers living a dystopian existence in post-tsunami Japan and embark on a campaign of violence against evil wrong doers.

HIMIZU will be the third film from Sono Sion to be released by Third Window Films, after the success of ‘Love Exposure’ and ‘Cold Fish’ and marks the return of a long term creative collaboration between the label and Terracotta Festival.

Adam Torel, Third Window Films managing Director, comments: “Sono Sion is one of the most talked about new directors in Asia with his recent wave of critical and box office success. Himizu, his latest, was in Official Selection in Venice and won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new actor and actress. We are pleased to have Himizu close the Terracotta Film Festival, one of the UK ‘s leading Asian film festivals.”

The annual Terracotta Festival at the Prince Charles Cinema , London , will once again show the latest films from Asia and further announcements on the full line-up will be made shortly.

About Terracotta

Committed to bringing quality and entertaining Far East films to the UK.

Releases by Terracotta Distribution include the multi-award winning Breathless directed by Yang Ik-june and Johnnie To’s Sparrow.

A new imprint label TERROR-COTTA devoted to Asian horror and thrillers was recently launched with Death Bell.

Terracotta Far East Film Festival is an annual event which aim is to widen the audience for Far Eastern film in the UK and to further promote this genre to existing film fans.

For further information:
www.TerracottaFestival.com
www.TerracottaDistribution.com

About Third Window Films

The Third Window Films brand was born in 2005 and works hard to bring you the wonderful world beyond long-haired ghost films and mindless Hollywood action copies, sourcing the finest works in new Far Eastern cinema. We strive to represent a rich variety of film genres, be they dramas, comedies, political satires, action or anything else in between. Expect everything from the unknown and cult to the off-beat and even the occasional mainstream masterpiece… or expect nothing but quality Asian cinema!

www.thirdwindowfilms.com

About Prince Charles Cinema

From cult festivals to the latest box office hits, the Prince Charles Cinema is the heart of independent film in London. The Prince Charles Cinema is located at 7 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY.

http://www.princecharlescinema.com

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The film’s strength lies within its absurdities.

The Cronenberg-style horror flick, TOMIE Unlimited, is the ninth, and nastiest, entry in the film series based on a popular manga by Junji Ito. Renowned for directing AV (Adult Video) and action/horror films on a meagre budget, Noboru Iguchi, true to form, delivers a totally in-your-face splatterfest that is rife with buckets of blood and dismembered bodies.

Schoolgirl Tsukiko (Moe Arai) is a photography enthusiast with an inferiority complex caused by the jealousy she has towards her beautiful elder sister, Tomie (Miu Nakamura). This isn’t helped by the fact that she is also in love with her sister’s judo boyfriend, Toshio (Kensuke Owada).

Whilst being photographed by Tsukiko just outside their school, Tomie is instantly killed by a falling iron crucifix that pierces through her left shoulder exiting out of her right hip (a scene reminiscent to one from The Omen where Father Brennan, played by character actor Patrick Troughton, is struck by an iron rod), resulting in a fountain of blood.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

One year later, Tsukiko and her parents are celebrating, in remembrance, what would have been Tomie’s 18^th birthday. There is a knock at the door – it’s Tomie. Overjoyed, yet hysterical, her parents throw their arms around their daughter and welcome her back as though nothing had happened. Immediately, Tomie’s father, looking somewhat like the vintage screen actor Peter Lorre, begins to act like a man possessed and alarmingly starts to smell and lick Tomie’s long flowing black hair. It doesn’t take long before Tsukiko begins to realise that her back-from-the-dead sister is a nasty piece of work and her return home is just the beginning of Tsukiko nightmare.

For media idol/actress, Arai, this was her first starring role in a horror picture. Although she was only 15 years old at the time, the result is a very convincing portrayal of a girl troubled by her emotional isolation.

Although not what you would call a conventional beauty, Nakamura embraced the role of Tomie giving the character an unsettling presence. It’s no surprise that she was able to pull this off since she likes to read books on UFO’s and practices astral travelling on a daily bases. Her interest in the paranormal certainly contributed to her character’s overall creepy persona.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

AKB48 fans may be interested to learn that troupe member Aika Ota makes an appearance as Tsukiko’s friend Kae, and proves to be a relatively decent young actress. The three youngsters seem to work well with each other and proves to be a crucial asset to the film.

Schoolgirls in sailor-fashioned uniforms feature prominently in Iguchi’s films such as Mutant Girl Squad (2010). So it’s no surprise then that the young female characters are seen wearing such garb. Disturbingly, Iguchi has openly admitted to having many fetishes; schoolgirls dressed in sailor-style uniforms is one of them, along with an enema fetish – but we won’t go there! Iguchi says in the insightful video interview included as a Special Feature on this DVD that young girls go through a physical and an emotional transformation during their school life. It’s this reality that is being projected in the form of extreme hideous metamorphosis of selected characters in Iguchi’s films; Tomie’s ability to appear in various forms – the multi-headed centipede for instance – is a case in point.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

The centipede, as well as all the other weird and outrageous monsters and creatures in TOMIE Unlimited, stem from the imagination of horror special effects maestro, Yoshihiro Nishimura, who has also worked his magic on cult films like The Machine Girl (2008), Hard Revenge Milly (2008) and its sequel Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle (2009). Nishimura was given full reign of the makeup effects without any interference from Iguchi.

You may, understandably, think that if the special effects were taken away, there’d be very little of the film left. But you’d be wrong. Although the plot is by no means intelligent, the sub-plot has more substance than a lot of horror B-Movies. According to Iguchi, the underlying narrative is about an adolescent girl’s internal turmoil, although this may seem a little ambiguous under all the blood and guts and weird imagery. It’s not until the nearing of the film’s end that we can start to make some sense of it all. But even then, the conclusion is open to interpretation – just as Iguchi meant it to be.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

Although it clearly doesn’t have the sophistication of the likes of Ringu or Ju-On, the film’s strength lies within its absurdities. Iguchi has said that Japanese audiences tend look upon the gruesome scenes in his films as laughable and hopes that the open-mindedness of Western audiences will lead them to be more frightened. This, however, is unlikely to happen as the gory sequences are just too amusing. The humour may be unintentional, but actually, it works in the film’s favour as it did for similar gorefests like the granddaddy of all ‘video nasties’, The Evil Dead. As already stated, it just doesn’t have the intensity or the craftsmanship of other J-horror films that are held in much higher esteem. But with his track record, it probably wasn’t Iguchi’s intentions to try and make a film that will be celebrated in years to come. So enjoy it for its short life.

If you are still in doubt as to whether or not to buy a copy of TOMIE Unlimited, then perhaps the temptation of the video interview with Iguchi will sway you to part with your money. At just shy of 60 minutes in length, it is an insightful – and admittedly shocking at times – conversation with the director of many splatter and fetish porn films. His shared tales including the one about porn actresses arriving on set with their front teeth missing due to too much glue-sniffing are jaw-dropping. It’s a real eye-opener into an industry that is not often openly talked about. And for this reason alone the DVD is worth having.

(Courtesy of Bounty Films)

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

• Interview with Director Noboru Iguchi

• Trailer

Details:

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Certificate: 18

Year: 2011

Country:  Japan

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: English (Optional)

Run Time: 85 min

Format:  Colour

Genre: Horror

Label: Bounty Films released in UK by Eureka Entertainment Ltd

Release date: 23 January 2012

Review written by Spencer Lloyd Peet (Administrator)

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With less than one more week to go, excitement is building for Hyper Japan 2012 Spring and promises to be the best one yet! The event organisers are working extremely hard putting together the final touches and are now seeking enthusastic volunteers to help out during the actual three-day event (February 24 – 26). All volunteers will be granted free addmition and allowed to enjoy the event in between performing their particular duties.

Volunteer application can be sent to: volunteer@hyperjapan.co.uk with  the following information:

• Full name
• Address
• Mobile Number
• BRIEF description of your background and interests
• Days and Times you are available to volunteer during the following  hours:
  Fri 24th 1400-2100
  Sat 25th 0830-2000
  Sun 26th 0830-1700

Our volunteer staff must be 18 years of age or above.

If you are not a UK or EU national, you will be asked to provide a  copy of your passport and visa.

Hyper Japan 2012 Spring website

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Your new magazine for games and anime has arrived! MyM will be making its first public appearance at this Saturday’s Midlands Comic Con inTelford.

Dedicated to bringing you great coverage of videogames, anime and manga – not to mention movies, cosplay and comics – MyM Issue No.1 hits the streets on 3 May, available at WHSmiths and all good independent newsagents.

This Saturday 18 Feb, MyM’s publisher Tarik Alozdi will be at the Midlands Comic Con to give show visitors a taste of what’s to come. Exclusive to the event, visitors will have the opportunity to take up a fantastic introductory offer: the first three issues of MYM delivered to your door – for just a fiver!

“MyM is the magazine that UK anime fans and gamers have been waiting for,” said Tarik. “Anyone who seeks in-depth coverage of the latest anime and manga, wants the low-down on the hottest new games or likes their pop culture with a Japanese twist will love MyM.”

And if you can’t make the Telfordshow, you can let us know what content you’d like to see in the magazine by e-mailing tarik.alozdi@mymags.net

To discover more about MyMover the coming months, check us out at www.mymags.net

You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyMMag

Please note: Diverse Japan is in no way connected to this publication.

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Upon his return home from the office, salaryman (Japanese businessman), Ido, is met by an invasive media crowd who insensitively inform him that an escape convict is holding his wife and child hostage in his own home. Rather than letting the police deal with the situation accordingly, Mr. Ido decides to take matters into his own hands and plays the criminal at his own game by taking his wife and child captive in their home.  A stand-off ensues leading both men to perform a series of sadistic proceedings on each others’ captive family members who are the true victims in all this folly.

Adapted by Hideki Noda and Colin Teevan, The Bee is a theatrical interpretation of a short story by Yasutaka Tsutsui and is an artistic success.

The first half of the play plays out as a rather peculiar piece of satire with the brilliant cast members, made up of Hideki Noda, Kathryn Hunter, Glyn Pritchard and Clive Mendus breaking out into song every now and then. The musical numbers and humour, however, lead the audience into a false security and the laughter in the auditorium gradually becomes awkward chuckling as the plot progresses into a twisted tale of the macabre.

(Courtesy of Soho Theatre)

The character of Ido is flawlessly played by Oliver award winner Hunter – a gender reversal role – who portrays the corporate worker with a persona, initially, liken to that of Reginald Perrin portrayed by the late Leonard Rossiter in the 1970’s TV series The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin. But Ido’s temperament soon manifests itself into a disposition compared to the characters Golden Age of Horror legend Bela Lugosi played in the Edgar Allan Poe inspired films The Black Cat and The Raven. Indeed, the overall feel of the second half of the play is very Poe-esque as we witness Ido’s slow spiral into madness.

On first scrutiny, The Bee can be seen as a play about a little man in a big world fighting against the judicial system that doesn’t seem to be working. Or else we can interpret it as a telling of something much more sinister, suggesting that we may indeed all have within us the capability to perform evil deeds when placed in extra ordinary circumstances. Clearly, Ido’s cruel intensions at the home of the criminal indicates that he is a man who doesn’t like to lose, which suggest that  he is also a very ruthless businessman who fights to the very end, no matter the cost. No longer is he thinking about the safety of his captured wife and child – pride has taken over his sensibility; the situation has become a power-play between two deranged minds. Ego: Possibly the greatest enemy of humankind.

The Bee swept the board at the 15^th Yomiuri Theater Awards 2008, winning the Grand Prize, Best Play as well as Best Actor and Best Director for writer, director and performer Hideki Noda. And deservedly so!

The poster, designed by Yuni Yoshida, is also worth mentioning as an outstanding achievement, encapsulating the theme of the play exceptionally well incorporating images of body parts and an everyday household appliance to make up the form of a large bee.

Sadly, The Bee has finished its run at the Soho Theatre in London but continues its 2012 World Tour in Hong Kong and Tokyo. So if you are in either place at the time of its showing it’s highly recommended you go see it. If you take pleasure in works of art that make you look within yourself and question your own morality, and you enjoy films like Cold Fish, then The Bee won’t disappoint.

Review written by Spencer Lloyd Peet (Administrator)

With special thanks to Haikugirl

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In association with Golders Green Parish Church

Sunday 11 th March 2012

14:00 – 16:30 (doors open at 13:30)

Admission free

Golders Green Parish Church, West Heath Drive, London, NW11 7QG

Nearest Tube: Golders Green (Northern Line)

One year on from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami which devastated so much of the coastal area around Tohoku, Seven Beach Aid would like to invite everyone to send an important message to Japan: You Are Not Forgotten.

In this special event on Sunday 11th March 2012, there will be an opportunity to hear about the progress that has been made in Tohoku during the last year, and to light a candle for those who were affected.

Event highlights:

• Listen to the experiences of people in Japan, and those who have helped.
• Live music from guitarist and singer Saara Takase, pianist Motoki Hirai and more…
• Craft activities for children.
• Photo exhibition.
• Upload a message to Japan!
• Light a candle for Japan.
• Special message and prayer for people suffering in Japan by Rev’d Rex Morton.
• Light refreshments will be provided.

The event will also be broadcast live over the Internet via Ustream.

Check http://youarenotforgotten.org.uk/ for details.

Seven Beach Aid is a charity supporting the people of Shichigahama, a town in Miyagi prefecture, north-east Japan, which was badly affected by the 11 March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Our aim is to show support to Seven Beach (Shichigahama Town) and surrounding affected areas through an online community, by financial giving, and showing compassion and concern.

www.sevenbeachaid.org

Registered UK charity number: 1145659

www.sevenbeachaid.org

For more information, contact: info@sevenbeachaid.org

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/sevenbeachaid

Facebook Event: www.facebook.com/events/260720243999035/

Twitter: @7BeachAid#YANF

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Festival will take place in London April 12^th – April 15^th2012 and will continue its support of films and emerging film-makers from across the Far East .

Terracotta Far East Film Festival curates and exhibits a selection of films from Asia which are hand-picked from the best of each years vintage.

Happily returning to the Prince Charles Cinema , in the centre of Chinatown, London , the festival is in a perfect location for an event which is pan-Asian in nature, encompassing films and cultural events.

Guest actors and directors will attend the festival to introduce their film, host Q&A sessions afterwards, run Masterclasses and interact with festival goers.

Building on the success of previous editions ‘LATE NIGHT HORROR’ slot, and to co-incide with‘Friday 13^th’ we are delighted to expand this slot into a triple bill for this year. This special late-night event will be TERROR COTTA branded and will run into the early hours of the morning; more details on the ‘Friday 13^th: TERROR COTTA NIGHT’ to follow.

The Terracotta Festival branding has undergone a change to include a new logo that indicates a variety of countries, films, range of genres and was designedby the Official Design Sponsor of the festival, What Is Bobo.

“Terracotta’s new branding of block colours reflects the diverse range of films that the festival is dedicated to screening. The richness of colour in the logo comes to life as it combines with imagery and plays on the theme of close up pixelation as the viewer gets deeper into the festivals films. What is Bobo look forward to once again being the Design Sponsor for the festival, and are excited to have developed its contemporary new style.” says What Is Bobo director, Robyn Larkin.

Joey Leung, the Festival’s founder, comments: “We are extremely happy to be working with What Is Bobo again as our Design Sponsor for the festival, and the result of the rebrand has been fantastic and has real longevity to it.”

Further announcements on the line-up will be made within a fortnight, exclusively on Twitch.

About Terracotta

Committed to bringing quality and entertaining Far East films to the UK . Releases by Terracotta Distribution include the multi-award winning Breathless directed by Yang Ik-june and most recently, Johnnie To’s Sparrow . A newly launched imprint label TERROR-COTTA is devoted to Asian horror and thrillers. Terracotta Far East Film Festival is an annual event which aim is to widen the audience for Far Eastern film in the UK and to further promote this genre to existing film fans.

For further information:

www.TerracottaFestival.com

www.TerracottaDistribution.com

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