Kibatsu Cinema Returns to Vancouver

Kibatsu is a Japanese word denoting a person or thing that is, by ordinary standards, unusual or unconventional—and beginning June 6, the Powell Street Festival Society and The Cinematheque will present a weekly celebration of the unusual and the unconventional in Japanese pop culture and contemporary film with Kibatsu Cinema.

2013 marks the fifth edition of Kibatsu Cinema. This year, Chris MaGee (the founder of J-Film Pow-Wow blog and the co-founder and co-curator of Shinsedai Cinema Festival Toronto) curates a series of quirky, smart, and stylish films that delve into and explore the world of anime, indie rock groupies, outsider art, iconoclast sound artists, and unconventional love stories. Below, MaGee tells us what to expect from the latest Kibatsu Cinema film festival.

This is the fifth installment of Kibatsu Cinema to grace the screens at The Cinematheque—and if previous installments are any indication, this one is going to be another sell-out. What makes Kibatsu Cinema so popular?

I think that the big reason that Kibatsu Cinema is so popular is that audiences have a strong desire to see what’s going on with Japan today. Japan’s traditional arts and its canon of great films are amazing, but we’re in the 21st century now. What films are coming from Japan right now? What are Japanese artists and filmmakers concerned with today? People want answers to these questions. I think that’s why things like Kibatsu Cinema exist.

A cursory reading of the film descriptions for the 2013 series would suggest that all these films are very different from each other. How do they all fit together under the Kibatsu Cinema banner?

I think all these films definitely are original. The Powell Street Festival Society also is strongly committed to showcasing films that focus on youth, street and anime/manga culture. I tried to show that with films like Yu Irie’s Ringing in Their Ears, the story of the rise of an indie rock band, and the animated film Time of Eve: The Movie, about a near future Japan peopled by androids.

What qualities of kibatsu films do you find most appealing?

When I go to the movies I want to see things I haven’t seen before. I think a lot of people feel that way; especially the kind of moviegoer that attends Kibatsu Cinema. So, those were the kind of films that I wanted to showcase in this year’s programme. Of course people will laugh. They might shed a tear. But again I hope they’ll come out wanting to explore Japanese film and contemporary Japanese culture more.

Speak to a filmgoer who has never watched a kibatsu film before. Where do they begin? How do they decide where to start?

In terms of practically where to start with the series I’d say for people to start with their strongest interest first. If it’s anime then go for Time of Eve: The Movie or the great documentary OhnoThe Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps about Matsuo Ohno, the sound designer behind Ozamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy. If you’re interested in art then maybe try Outsider Art in Japan. Start with what you know, but then I suggest that people challenge themselves and buy a ticket for a second film, one that piques their curiosity. Take a little adventure.

Do you have a favourite moment in any of the films? 

It’s really hard to pick just one moment. In Milocrorze: A Love Story you have an amazing comedic performance by lead actor Takayuki Yamada. He plays multiple characters in the film and one of them is a very unorthodox relationship counselor. There’s a sequence where he describes how to win a woman’s heart that kills me every time. The live musical sequences in Ringing in Their Ears are electrifying. I know they will be a huge crowd-pleaser. And finally, the constant revelations in the documentary Outsider Art in Japan. It presents such astoundingly beautiful work from people living and struggling with developmental and mental disorders.

Kibatsu Cinema runs every Thursday in June at The Cinematheque (1131 Howe Street, Vancouver. Films include Casting Blossoms to the Sky; The Dark Harbour; Time of Eve: The Movie; The Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps; Milocrorze: A Love Story; The Primitchibu World + Encounters; Ringing in Their Ears; and Outsider Art in Japan.

For tickets or more information, visit www.thecinematheque.ca/kibatsu-cinema-eccentricity-popular-culture-and-contemporary-japanese-film-20