New from Japan: Get to Know Hirobumi Watanabe

Despite festival awards and praise from critics, independent filmmaker Hirobumi Watanabe has managed to remain below the radar. A partial retrospective of his work was the surprise hit of the streaming Udine Far East Film Festival this year. We are proud to present three of his most charming films, followed by a live Q&A with Watanabe and film critic Mark Schilling, who programmed the Udine retrospective.

I'm Really Good

Available worldwide except Japan from September 25–October 9

Clearly disregarding the old show business maxim not to work with children or animals because they will always upstage you, Hirobumi Watanabe’s latest film is a delightful gem that follows a day in the life of adorable fourth grader Riko, her older brother Keita, and her best friend Nanaka (not to mention her scene-stealing pet cat). Like his other films, it is full of subtle visual and structural jokes, and focusses on the rhythms of everyday life, punctuated by comedic interludes—in this case featuring Watanabe himself as a shady door-to-door textbook salesman. But it signals a departure in that the kids, with their natural performances and dialogue, clearly had a hand in creating the story. According to Japan Times film critic Mark Schilling, who inspired renewed interest in Watanabe’s work by programming it for this year’s online Udine Far East Film Festival, “The cultural barriers in this charming film are not even one-inch high.” Watanabe’s Party ‘Round the Globe and Life Finds a Way are also streaming in our program. (Dir.: Hirobumi Watanabe, Japan, 2020, 62 min., Japanese with English subtitles)

Stream it here: https://watch.eventive.org/newfromjapan 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-3HsaOViJc

Learn more about Hirobumi Watanabe here: https://www.fareastfilm.com/eng/essays/watanabe-hirobumi-poeta-comico-del-quotidiano/?IDLYT=7803