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ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - Japan Society Film Club: The Mourning Forest directed by Naomi Kawase

Wednesday 3 February 2021 / 6:30pm
ONLINE EVENT - Japan Society Film Club: The Mourning Forest directed by Naomi Kawase

Date
Wednesday 3 February 2021
Time
6.30pm (GMT)
For countries outside the UK, please use this calculator to check the time in your region.

Booking Details
Free - Booking essential
Priority for Japan Society Members

Please remember to watch the film in advance. The Mourning Forest is available on BFI player with subscription.

Book online here


Do you love Japanese film classics, anime or contemporary cinema stories? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Would you like to learn and discuss about Japanese culture and society? Join us for the Japan Society Film Club where we will chat online about films and Japan in an informal atmosphere.

The Film Club in February will focus on the lyrical and contemplative drama The Mourning Forest directed by Naomi Kawase in 2007.

The Mourning Forest (殯の森, Mogari no mori, 2007) is a beautiful and meditative portrait of grief, with an absorbing cinematography and a touching story. Machiko (Machiko Ono) is a young nurse haunted by the death of her child. She works in a small retirement home where she takes care of elderly residents such as widower Shigeki (Shigeki Uda). After celebrating Shigeki’s birthday, Machiko takes him for a drive in the countryside embarking on a journey of discovery together in the forest. The Mourning Forest won the Grand Prix at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Naomi Kawase (1969 - ) is a Japanese film director born in Nara. She graduated from the Osaka School of Photography (then the School of Visual Arts) in 1989 and began her career as a documentary filmmaker with autobiographical films such as Embracing/ Ni tsutsumarete (1992), about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and Katatsumori (1994), about the grandmother who raised her. In 1997 she became the youngest winner of the Caméra d'Or (for best new director) at the Cannes Film Festival for her first feature film Moe no Suzaku. She also won the Grand Prix of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her fourth full-length film The Mourning Forest. Other celebrated works directed by Kawase include Shara (2003), Hanezu (2011), Still the Water (2014) and Sweet Red Bean Paste (2015). In 2010, she founded the International Nara Film Festival, dedicated to promoting the work of young directors.

Japan Society Film Club takes place on the first Wednesday of the month. We will recommend a film to watch in advance and meet online to discuss. Films are often available online for free, on DVD or on BFI player(*) which include a special season on Japanese cinema. When possible, we will invite film experts to introduce and lead the discussion, but the event is open to all and we encourage participants to freely express their opinions and feelings about the films.

If you have any questions, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

* Films on BFI player are available with a monthly subscription (£4.99/month after 14 day free trial). As a charity organisation, BFI helps to support films and the film industry in the UK.

Booking Info

Please remember to watch the film in advance. The Mourning Forest is available on BFI player with subscription.

  • You should receive an automated email from the Japan Society to let you know that your booking request has been registered. Please note that your booking is pending while we check your details and you will receive a further email once your booking is confirmed.

  • For online events, we will send you the zoom links and details to attend the event closer to the date.

  • If you don't receive any confirmation emails or links, please check your spam folder or email events@japansociety.org.uk.