OZU FAN SET FOR RETURN TRIP TO TOKYO

German filmmaker Wim Wenders is to be the president of the jury that decides the main competition prizes later this year at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Wenders has frequent connections with the Japanese capital and last year shot his “Perfect Days” film in the city. The film recently appeared in competition in Cannes and earned Yakusho Koji the best actor prize.

The Tokyo festival confirmed plans to host a celebration of Japanese director Ozu Yasujiro, who was born 120 years ago and died exactly 60 years later. Wenders previously shot 1985 documentary “Tokyo-ga” as a tribute to Ozu.

“For this festival happening 60 years after the death and therefore 120 years after Ozu’s birthday, my declared master, makes the occasion very special to me,” said Wenders.

The festival is set to run Oct. 23 – Nov. 1 (Wed.) in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area. While Ozu celebrations have been announced elsewhere in the world, details of Tokyo’s Ozu celebration activities and screenings have yet to be confirmed.

HONG KONG CENSORS ITS RECENT PAST

Three films appearing at the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival in Hong Kong have been censored. The festival and directors of the three films decided to go ahead with presentations of the films, but with blank screens and muted sound in place of the footage removed on government order. The festival advised viewers that the disrupted visuals were not an error or a technical malfunction.

“Because some short films need to be cut due to the order of the ‘Film, Newspaper and Article Management Office,’ the director replaced the cut part with black screen and silence, so there will be a long time in the middle of the screening. This is not due to damage to the screening file or technical failure. Please be patient,” the festival said on its website.

Details of the cuts have not been communicated. However, all three films appear to reference the 2019 pro-democracy activities which brought two million people to Hong Kong’s streets in opposition to proposed government policies. The films are “My Pen is Blue,” a melancholy time travel story; “Please Hold On,” in which two people navigate the past; and “The Reticent Wave,” about a woman choosing to remain in in Hong Kong.

UNESCO AWARD

VFX supervisor and co-founder of Animal Logic, Chris Godfrey has received the 2023 Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award during this year’s Ian McPherson Memorial Lecture at the ongoing 70th Sydney Film Festival. His visual effects credits include “Mortal Kombat,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Tomorrow When The War Began” and “Australia.”

“Chris is an excellent choice for the award, not only as a pioneer in visual effects but for his significant contribution to the screen industry both at home and abroad,” said Kyas Hepworth, ahead of Godfrey’s festival lecture, an in-depth conversation with “Mortal Kombat” producer E Bennett Walsh.