Guest program by Koyo Yamashita, director of the Image Forum Festival and programmer at the Image Forum Theater.
Image Forum was established in 1977, succeeding Underground Center which was formed in 1971, a cinematheque showcasing experimental films from Japan and abroad. It extended its activity to become a distributor, educational institution and festival organizer dedicated to experimental films. Currently, Image Forum is based in Tokyo, with a cinema of its own, continuing its activities as a center for experimental and artist films in Japan.
The American underground cinema movement had a strong impact on the Japanese experimental filmmaking scene in the late 1960s. In the late 1970s, the latter took a downturn, as the hype for “underground culture” across all genres of art waned in the context of a general decline in comparison to the turbulent political climate of 1960s’ Japan. Nonetheless, Japanese experimental cinema had succeeded in developing its own culture based on a network of experimental filmmakers, smaller in number but with a steady presence, who directly influenced each other. Image Forum has played a significant role as a platform in this network through organizing screenings, lectures and workshops. Within this environment, Japanese experimental film developed its unique style, especially in its structural vein, as many filmmakers explored the mechanism of the cinematic apparatus in countless ways. The films presented in this program, many of which have rarely, if ever, been shown in Europe, can be considered as examples of this period in the history of Japanese experimental cinema.
– Koyo Yamashita
Over-Applications - Streams of 1970-1980s' Japanese Experimental Cinema
PHANTOM
by Toshio MATSUMOTO
1975 / 16mm / color / sound / 10' 00
PRÄPARAT
by Isao KOTA
1977 / 16mm / b&w / silent / 12' 00
ULTRAMINT
by Tadashi HIROSE
1981 / DCP / color / sound / 9' 00
STILL MOVIE
by Yoichi NAGATA
1978 / 16mm / b&w / sound / 3' 00
RELATIONSHIP
by Ranmaru USUI
1975 / DCP / color / silent / 9' 00
WASHER
by Itaru KATO
1987 / 16mm / color / sound / 10' 00
PULSE
by Keiichi MINEGISHI
1981 / DCP / b&w / sound / 6' 00
HELIOGRAPHY
by Hiroshi YAMAZAKI
1979 / 16mm / color / sound / 6' 00
THE WORLD OF INGA
by Jun'ichi OKUYAMA
1996 / 16mm / b&w / sound / 11' 00
https://lightcone.org/en/news-893-sur-applications-courants-du-cinema-ex...
