2015 Tokyo International Film Festival Includes Masters of J-Horror Tribute

Debi Moore |

Sep 16, 2015

The 28th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is taking place October 22-31, 2015, and this year’s event includes a salute to the “Masters of J-Horror.” The special screening will take place on October 28th, running through the night and offering chilling works from the three most influential directors in the J-horror genre: Hideo Nakata, Takashi Shimizu, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

These three directors are considered to be the original “sparks” who ignited the highly esteemed and internationally regarded J-horror boom.

About TIFF 2015’s “Masters of J-Horror”
The J-horror genre has swept the world, and even Hollywood has paid tribute to it with remakes of great J-horror movies such as Ring and One Missed Call. More than twenty years have passed since the J-horror boom began, and 2015 marks the twentieth anniversary of the release of the legendary horror movie Don’t Look Up (directed by Hideo Nakata).

The J-horror genre continues to exert a great influence on directors around the world. In addition to screening an all-night horror fest, a panel session with special guests will also be held.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Pulse (2000) won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 54th Cannes Film Festival. Bright Future (2002) was officially invited to the 56th Cannes Competition section. Retribution (2006) was invited for the first time to the Venice Film Festival and was highly praised. His latest, Journey to the Shore (2015), won the Best Director Prize in Un Certain Regard at the 68th Cannes.

Hideo Nakata
Director of Ghost Theater (2015). Internationally acclaimed for his groundbreaking films Ring (1998) and Dark Water (2002), his latest marks a return to the approach that terrified audience worldwide and made “J-horror” a household word. With The Complex (2013), he again raised the bar by interweaving character and social concerns, reconfirming his position as the leading creator of cinematic terror.

Takashi Shimizu
Worked as an assistant director before his directorial debut in 1998. The Ju-on series, starting as V-cinema in 1999, became a big hit. He directed the Hollywood remake version, The Grudge (2004), which was a No. 1 box office hit in the U.S. He works in a wide range of films such as comedy, sci-fi, and thriller with a focus on horror. Kiki’s Delivery Service (2014) is one of his recent films.

j-horrordirectors-tiff2015

FILMS TO BE SCREENED
Don’t Look Up – Hideo Nakata (1996)
Cure – Kiyoshi Kurosawa (1997)
Ju-on – Takashi Shimizu (2003)
Ghost Theater – Hideo Nakata (2015)

For more info visit 2015.tiff-jp.net. Tickets go on sale beginning October 10th on Ticket Board.