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ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - Japan Society Film Club: Battle Royale directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Wednesday 6 October 2021 / 6:30pm
ONLINE EVENT - Japan Society Film Club: Battle Royale directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Date
Wednesday 6 October 2021
Time
6.30pm (BST)
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. Battle Royale is available to rent or buy on Rakuten TV, Google Play, Microsoft Store and Apple TV, as well as on BFI player and Arrow Films (Director's Cut) with subscription.

Book online here

The activities of the Japan Society are made possible thanks to the support of its members. This event is free of charge and open to all. We realise that this is a difficult time for many people. However, if you are planning to attend and do not have a membership subscription as an individual or through your employer, please consider making a donation. You can find details of membership and how to join the Japan Society community 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.

Join us on 6 October for our Film Club dedicated to explore the influential and bloody film Battle Royale, directed by Kinji Fukasaku in 2000.

Uncompromising and shocking but also original, intelligent, and full of entertainment, Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル, Batoru Rowaiaru) has become an international cult classic representative of the so-called “Asian extreme” cinema. The film follows a group of high-school students who are kidnapped, taken to an island and forced to fight each other to the death, in a dystopian attempt by an authoritarian government to tackle juvenile delinquency. Touching on topics such as violence against and among children and the role of education and reality spectacle in contemporary societies, Battle Royale embraces the genre conventions of the survival action film and teenage dramas for an intense cinematic experience whose influence can still be traced in Hollywood cinema and video games today.

WARNING - Contains graphic scenes of blood and violence.

Kinji Fukasaku (1930-2003) was a versatile Japanese director and scriptwriter known for his yakuza films, samurai epics and science fiction films. Born in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Fukasaku graduated from Nippon University in 1953 where he studied scriptwriting in the literature department. Soon after, he joined Toei studio and made his directorial debut film in 1961, High Noon for Gangsters. In the 60s and 70s, he directed several traditional yakuza films for Toei starring stars such as Ken Takakura and Koji Tsuruta and revolutionised the genre with ground-breaking series Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973-1974), and films such as Graveyard of Honor (1975). He also participated in US-Japan co-productions such as science fiction film The Green Slime (1968) and war film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and directed the film adaptation of Mishima’s play Black Lizard, based on a novel by Edogawa Rampo. From the late 1970s, he focused on historical samurai dramas (Shogun's Samurai, 1978, The Fall of Ako Castle,1978, Samurai Reincarnation 1981), also directing the international film Virus (1980), the successful comedy Fall Guy (1982) and literary adaptations such as The Abe Clan (1995). Battle Royale (2000) was his last and most controversial film with a screenplay written by his son Kenta Fukasaku.

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, online platforms or on BFI player which includes 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.

Booking Info

Please remember to watch the film in advance. Battle Royale is available to rent or buy on Rakuten TV, Google Play, Microsoft Store and Apple TV, as well as on BFI player and Arrow Films (Director's Cut) 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.