Third Window Films will be promoting their 4 latest films at the Raindance Film Festival, with all 4 titles having directors over for Q&A sessions and interviews. Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats by Yosuke Fujita, The Lust of Angels by Nagisa Isogai, And the Mud Ship Sails Away by Hirobumi Watanabe and Buy Bling, Get One Free by Kosuke Takaya will all play.

courtesy: Third Window Films

Promoting the ‘New Directors from Japan’ release, all 3 directors will attend the Raindance Film Festival introducing their films and participating in post-screening Q&A events, as well as being available for interviews during their stay.

Third Window Films’ New Directors from Japan project was an innovative idea started through a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign with the goal of creating a limited edition DVD & Blu-ray release to highlight young & upcoming directors from Japan. The Kickstarter campaign managed to reach its goal of pre-selling 250 copies in just 3 days from its announcement, and then the rest of the total 1,000 limited copies went up for sale and reached a high of #2 in the Amazon World Cinema sales chart! There are still a small number of limited edition copies available for pre-order, with a release date of November 24th.

The release focuses on three directors:

 Nagisa Isogai (磯谷 渚) whose film THE LUST OF ANGELS (天使の欲望) (Book Tickets Here) will play at the Raindance Film Festival on September 28th at 6:10pm.

courtesy: Third Window Films

It will play back to back with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s TOUCHING THE SKIN OF EERINESS (Book Tickets Here) which stars Shota Sometani (Himizu, Lesson of Evil) and Hoshi Ishida (石田法嗣 – Blazing Famiglia)
 

Hirobumi Watanabe’s (渡辺紘文) film AND THE MUD SHIP SAILS AWAY (そして泥船はゆく), which is also part of the ‘New Directors from Japan’ release, will play twice at Raindance on October 1st at 8:20pm & October 2nd at 1:10pm.

The final director highlighted in the release is Kosuke Takaya (高谷昂佑) whose film BUY BLING, GET ONE FREE (オシャレ番外地) (Book Tickets Here) will play on October 2nd at 4:10pm as part of the ‘New Directions in Japanese Cinema: ndjc shorts’ program which takes a look at a yearly project run by the VIPO organisation which helps young directors get their careers started by having them make 30 minute short films shot on 35mm.

Having its UK premiere at the festival will be FUKU-CHAN OF FUKUFUKU FLATS (福福荘の福ちゃん) (Book Tickets Here) a comedy from Yosuke Fujita (director of Fine, Totally Fine – 全然大丈夫) and starring Miyuki Oshima of Mori-sanchu

The film is a first for Japanese comedy cinema as it’s a major co-production between distribution companies in the UK, Italy, Germany and Taiwan.

Fuku-chan has played at many festivals all over the world and recently won the Best Actress Award at the Fantasia Film Festival!

 It screens on September 30th at 9pm and again on October 1st at 1:40pm

Also attending the festival will be IAN THOMAS ASH, the director of last year’s competition film A2-B-C, an international award-winning documentary on the aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear disaster.

His latest film -1287 (Book Tickets Here) will have its world premiere at Raindance, screening twice on October 1st at 1:10pm and again on October 3rd at 9pm.

Images courtesy by Third Window Films