JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL – “A Tribute to the Ninja” [Thursday 6 February – Wednesday 12 February 2014]

By the Japanese Embassy in Athens in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation

The Japanese Embassy in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation are organizing the Japanese Film Festival A Tribute to the Ninja from the 6th to the 12th of February 2014. The festival is taking place in conjunction with the Japan Foundations Touring Japanese Film Festival in Eastern Europe 2013 focusing on the subject of:

The Secret of Japanese Development: Ninja, Transformation, Teamwork

The films which have been chosen for the festival are about Ninjas.
Today their name is universally known but as their role in society has
never been entirely clear they have acquired a somewhat mythical status
outside Japan. The Ninja were special agents serving the rulers
mostly during the 15th Century up until the Edo period, some 400 years
ago. Within groups they would train both body and spirit and were
responsible for gathering information and carrying out extremely
difficult missions. They could be described as specially trained
forces who, either when working solo or as a group, were vital to the
implementation of a mission.

Their accomplishments were presented
in manga and in anime as well as in historical films where these
traditions were not only depicted for simple entertainment but also
became a subject for philosophical study.

The heavy demands
placed upon the person along with the requirement to stay faithful to
tradition and cooperate as a team are all necessary components for the
completion of a mission and perfectly represent the typical
characteristics of the Japanese people: diligence, tenacity, attention
to detail as well as a skillfulness which leads to the achievement of
high goals and standards. These characteristics which define the
Japanese people are directly related to the financial growth between
1960 and the 21st century, via the lost decade, as they provided the
basis for the development of Japanese technology and the expansion of
Japanese companies abroad.

During the tribute there will be projections of six classics from the 1960s and one science fiction anime film from 1980.
Each film presents the ability of the Japanese to transform, their
skill and meticulous attention to minute detail during the morphing
from the true to the hidden identity, the beauty which results from this
contrast and the excellent techniques used during the execution of
their missions. The Ninja, who at times battles as an individual, in
conflict with the group, and at other times endures a life of hardship
in order to ultimately gain revenge, reflects the individualism of the
Japanese which can be much more powerful than that of Westerners. The
films aspire to contribute to the viewers understanding of the subject
and the spiritual goal sought by the Japanese as well as the ideal in
teamwork.

We hope that this tribute will help audiences across
the world discover the Ninja the secret agents known by name but whose
identity remains a mystery and through them understand the art of the
Japanese to be able to transform during difficulty as well as the
importance of teamwork in the attainment of a goal.

Thursday 6 February – Wednesday 12 February 2014

Michael Cacoyannis Foundation
206 Piraeus, Tavros, Athens
Tel: 210.341.8550, email: info@mcf.gr

Japanese Embassy / Department of Culture
Tel: 210.60.9901
Email: cultural@at.mofa.go.jp
http://www.gr.emb-japan.go.jp

Entrance: 3 per screening

Thursday, 6 February
20:00 THE REVENGE OF A KABUKI ACTOR / Yukinojo Henge
Directed by: Kon Ichikawa 1963/113/Colour/Daiei Films
A classic period drama whose hero is an expert in the art of disguise and transformation.

Friday, 7 February
20:00 NINJA A BAND OF ASSASSINS / Shinobi no mono
Directed by: Satsuo Yamamoto 1962/105/Black and white/Daiei Films
A
classic film about the Ninja which was subsequently followed by eight
sequels between 1962-66. In the film, the legendary outlaw hero, Goemon
Ishikawa, is presented as a ninja. A revolutionary film which depicts
with gravity the art of the Ninja accentuating their human side as
warriors battling in the darkness.

22:00 SAMURAI SPY / Ibun Sarutobi Sasuke
Directed by: Masahiro Shinoda 1965/100/black and white/Shochiku Films
The film discusses the story of the legendary ninja Sarutobi Sasuke from the city of Koga.

Saturday, 8 February
18:00 CYBORG 009
Directed by: Masayuki Akehi 1980/130/Colour/Toei Anima tion Co., Ltd.
A manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori

21:00 BRAVE RECORDS OF THE SANADA CLAN/ Sanada fuunroku
Directed by: Tai Kato 1963/90/Colour/Toei Films
A
period comedy about the legendary Juuyuushi (The Ten Heroes of Yukimura
Sanada) from the times of the Civil Wars. The film combines rich
elements of ninjutsu (the martial art of the ninja), satire and musical,
presenting variations on some of the great legendary ninjas, for
example, Sasuke Sarutobi as a hero with supernatural powers or Saizo
Kirigakure as a girl etc.

23:00 NINJA-A BAND OF ASSASSINS 2/ Zoku Shinobi no Mono
Directed by: Satsuo Yamamoto 1963/93/Black and white/Daiei Films
The
sequel to the highly successful homonymous Ninja-A Band of Assassins
which is said to have brought the style of the ninja to the Japanese art
world. The film depicts the tragic battle of the lone ninja, Ishikawa
Goemon, against the military governors (shogun) Oda Nobunaga and
Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Sunday, 9 February
20:00 NINJA-A BAND OF ASSASSINS/Shinobi no mono
Directed by: Satsuo Yamamoto 1962/105/Black and white/Daiei Films

22:00 NINJA-A BAND OF ASSASSINS 2/ Zoku Shinobi no Mono
Directed by: Satsuo Yamamoto 1963/93/Black and white/Daiei Films

Monday, 10 February
20:00 WARRIOR OF THE WIND / Kaze no Bushi
Directed by: Tai Kato/1964/95/Colour/Toei Company
The
film is based on the homonymous work by the famous Japanese author of
novels about historical events, Shiba Ryotaro. A period film about the
complex relationships of vested interests between the individual and the
organization.

22:00 THE REVENGE OF A KABUKI ACTOR / Yukinojo Henge
Directed by: Kon Ichikawa 1963/113/Colour/Daiei Films

Tuesday, 11 February
20:00 CYBORG 009
Directed by: Masayuki Akehi 1980/130/Colour/Toei Animation Co., Ltd.

22:30 WARRIOR OF THE WIND / Kaze no Bushi
Directed by: Tai Kato/1964/95/Colour/Toei Company

Wednesday, 12 February
20:00 BRAVE RECORDS OF THE SANADA CLAN/ Sanada fuunroku
Directed by: Tai Kato 1963/90/Colour/Toei Films

22:00 SAMURAI SPY / Ibun Sarutobi Sasuke
Directed by: Masahiro Shinoda 1965/100/Black and white/Shochiku Films