Special Screening is four sections "Silent film", "Toys Movie and The Sun Down Limited", "Kyoto Film", "Daimajin".

Buster Keaton, one of the three comedy greats along with Chaplin and Loyd, is known as "The Great Stone Face". It was Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle, who mentored and discovered Keaton. This program features three uproariously funny shorts including Keaton’s screen debut. Keaton’s consistently stoic and deadpan Fatty’s sidekick is the true origin of the cinema of comedy. Enjoy!
■Films Screened
The Butcher Boy (1917)
The Garage(1919)
The Garage(1919)

On-stage

Narrator: Midori Sawato
Piano: Mie Yanashita
Talk Guest: Toshiya Arano (The Comedy Laboratory)

Torajiro Saito reigned in the film word as “the God of comedy.” Tora from Tora-san, a Japanese film series featuring a kind-hearted vagabond, was named after “the God of comedy.” Saito was featured in over 200 comedies ranging from “non-sense” comedy genre to heartwarming humorous drama. Yasujiro Ozu admired Saito as his brother and they worked in the industry around the same time, but many of Saito’s contribution to cinema are almost gone. The program screens three rare comedy shorts featuring Torajiro’s charm.

■Films Screened
Modern Horror 100,000,000 Yen(1929)
Dynamite Bride(1934)
Kid Commotion(1935)

On-stage

Narrator: Midori Sawato
Piano: Mie Yanashita

What is Toys Movie? It’s a bits and pieces of silent film footages produced for toy projectors, which were popular in Taisho and Showa period. Animation pieces specifically produced for the toy projectors are considered to be the roots of Japanese animation. Enjoy Katsudo Shasin Imamukashi, an introduction to Toys Movie, and Doto no omocha eiga tokusyu. Plus a screening of amazing short comedy, The Sun Down Limited. Enjoy Toys Movie.

■Films Screened
Katsudo Shasin Imamukashi(2013)
Doto no omocha eiga tokusyu (1919)
The Sun Down Limited(1924) Director: Robert F. McGowan

On-stage

Narrator:Vanilla Yamazaki

This program features low budget independent films without distributors that portray Japan or Kyoto by international and Kyoto based directors. You can see glimpses of the city otherwise you won’t get to see visiting as tourists.

The Human

Director

Cagla Zencirci
Guillaume Giovanetti

Cast

Masahiro Yoshino, Lee Xiaomu, Megumi Ayukawa

Film Info

JAPAN・Turkey/2013/104min

Image

©Media Research, Inc. II Film

Notes

The film tells this classic tale from Japanese folklore in the form of a realist drama with a twist of Greek Mythology. A Raccoon and a Fox discover a human burying a bag of gold. Certain that he has much more of it, the two animals transform into humans themselves, and bet on which can convince him to hand over his wealth first. The catch: they must remain humans until one of them wins.

Early Spring, Kyoto

Director

Hiroshi Toda

Cast

Yoichi Hayashi, Harumi Arai, Shoji Yamada

Film Info

JAPAN/2014/90mins

Image

©SKELETON FILMS

Notes

Kenichi Kusuda, who lost his wife six months ago, runs a cafe alone. He lives in her memory, without even trying to bury her ashes.
However, one day, when something unusual happens, he finally makes up his mind to place her ashes in the tomb of his family.
Now he drives to his hometown, where he meets an old pal after a long time. She is still beautiful, and his life begins to move on...

©KADOKAWA1966

Daimajin trilogy, Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin, and Return of Daimajin, all produced in 1966 is the best-known special effect films produced in Kyoto. In 1999, the statue of Daimajin at the Uzumasa Kyoto Studio (former Daiei Studio) was relocated to a production design firm in the same district. In 2013, the statue was again moved to Daiei Arcade at Uzumasa in Ukyo District. During the film festival, the statue will move to the festival site for everyone to experience the Daimajin for real.

©KADOKAWA1966

Daimajin

Director

Kimiyoshi Yasuda

Cast

Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Jun Fujimaki

Film Info

JAPAN/1966/84mins

Notes

Daimajin was produced in 1966 at Daiei Kyoto Studio as a period special effect film. The high level of craftsmanship in production design and special effects technique astonished the audience all over the world.

In the Age of Civil War, an ancient statue casts a watchful gaze over the small town nested in the valley below. When an evil usurper takes the life of their leader and turns the paradise into an evil empire, the oppressed citizens cry out to the heavens in hopes that God will hear their tormented voices. Awakened by the prayers of the suffering innocents, the mighty stone statue descends the mountain to carry out justice and punish those who would bring harm to the Lord's followers.