Japanese Film Festival 2020: Interview With Susan Bui, Festival Programmer At JFF Plus

Following the successful digital transitions that the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals have undergone this year, the Japanese Film Festival is one of the many Australian international showcases to go online in 2020. Presented by The Japan Foundation Sydney, The JFF Plus: Online Festival will screen over 25 films including features, documentaries, as well as stop motion and animated shorts for audiences across Australia and New Zealand to enjoy online for free from 4 – 13 December.

Ahead of the festival’s launch, I had the opportunity to talk with the festival’s programmer Susan Bui about the festival’s lineup, her recommendations, and how the festival has reinvented itself online this year.

Can you tell us what goes into programming a festival like the Japanese Film Festival?

Our local Australian team usually starts watching screeners for the film festival very early in the year, and from those we narrow down a selection of films to showcase in the festival, along with a theme. This year, we had actually already started research for JFF before COVID-19 really picked up, so we had a bit of a challenge switching gears from our usual method of selecting films to the process needed for the online festival.

The online festival is called JFF Plus and is organised by our headquarters in Japan, so it’s been a little different than how we usually program the festival here in Australia. JFF Plus will be offered in 20 countries from November to March 2021, and all of the countries hosting it were involved in watching and rating films. Because of that, you get to see a larger range of films in the program. Not being as hands on as we normally are presented its own challenges too, but we’re really excited for the move online this year. Plus, it’s free!

What are some of your recommendations from this year’s festival line-up?

One film I recommend is One Night, directed by Kazuya Shirashi. The film is a family drama about a family that is thrown into chaos one fatal night and years later, they reunite but struggle to maintain their family bonds. The film really looks at the dynamic between each of the members of the film and how they cope with the challenges presented to them in the past and present. Another favourite is Project Dream – How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar. It’s a really fun film for anyone who has felt bored with the monotony of everyday office work.

In this film, which was released this year in Japan, the marketing team at Maeda Construction Company is used to dealing with civil projects such as dams, but that’s before their marketing director tasks them with building a fantasy project based on a famous Japanese manga, Mazinger Z. Campy antics ensue as the team enthusiastically takes on this fantastic request. It’s a whole lot of fun! This film is going to be streaming on the first day of the festival, and we’re excited to be organising an online watch party through social media to watch Project Dreams: How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar on Friday, 4 December at 6 pm. We’d love for you all to join us using the hashtag #JFFAU2020. If you post using the hashtag on social media, you’ll have a chance to win an exclusive JFF 2020 t-shirt!

How was the process of adapting and reinventing this year’s festival with drastic social changes that have occurred?

As I mentioned, the process for bringing the film festival online presented its own challenges, but we really wanted to reach as many people as possible this year. Since we can’t offer the usual cinema experience, we’re thrilled to be able to offer the JFF Plus program online streaming for free.

Due to COVID-19 a lot of distributors had to put a pause on the release of their films or delay releases, which means that it was harder for us to acquire a lot of new films for this year’s festival. In addition, many distributors are wary about distributing films for streaming as there is less security around piracy and copyright.

We do miss the cinema experience and being able to interact with festival-goers first hand, so we are definitely looking forward to the return to cinemas in the future, but the move online has presented a lot of new opportunities we are very excited about.

Who are some contemporary Japanese directors whose work excites you?

It’s hard to talk about contemporary Japanese cinema without mentioning Hirokazu Kore-eda – his work, from Nobody Knows to The Truth has really been at the forefront of Japanese cinema in the 21st century and I’m always excited to see what he comes up with next. The Truth was filmed outside of Japan, in France with French actors, and his next film Baby, Box, Broker will be set in South Korea. It’s really interesting to see a Japanese filmmaker collaborating so extensively with people outside of Japan and explore the potential of cross-cultural films.

I also have to mention Masaaki Yuasa, a forerunner in contemporary Japanese animation who has released numerous feature-length films and anime television series. His unique, often psychedelic style really pushes the boundaries of anime. This year, his 2004 film Mind Game is featured in the Classics program, and his animated short Kick-Heart is in the JFF Plus festival.

For beginners to the world of Japanese cinema, alongside the Classics programmed in the festival, what would be some other titles you’d personally recommend newcomers to check out?

Since I mentioned Kore-eda, I’d like to also recommend his 2018 film Shoplifters, which is screening in select cities for free through our Satellite program. This film is about a young girl who is welcomed by a family who resorts to shoplifting and other petty crime as a means to survive. It’s a masterpiece that intricately explores what it means to be family.

An older film that is great if you like food is Tampopo, directed by Juzo Itami. It’s a comedy about a truck driver who stops by a small, family-run ramen shop and decides to help them with their struggling business. The film is really an homage to the joys of food, and there are a bunch of vignettes interspersed throughout the film featuring a fun cast of characters. It evokes American Westerns so it’s very accessible, as well.

Film Inquiry thanks Susan Bui for taking the time to talk with us.

The JFF Plus: Online Festival will be available online to audiences across Australia and NZ for free from 4-13 December at watch.jff.jpf.go.jp