ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - Japan Society Film Club: Tony Takitani directed by Jun Ichikawa

Date
Wednesday 1 March 2023
Time
6.30pm (GMT)

Booking Details
Free - Booking essential
Priority for Japan Society Members

Please remember to watch the film in advance. Tony Takitani is available to watch on BFI iPlayer and Amazon UK.

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 1 March when we will discuss Tony Takitani, a film about solitude and obsession directed by Jun Ichikawa.

Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, Toni Takitani（トニー滝谷） is a story of a lonely illustrator, Tony Takitani, who finds the unexpected love of a beautiful young woman whose affliction is her uncontrollable urge to collect expensive couture clothing. They eventually marry, but her excessive spending places the relationship under strain and proves to have tragic consequences. Accompanied by minimal dialogue and an original soundtrack from Academy Award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, attention to detail is flawless in this film and its downbeat, lonely sensibility infuses every scene. Tony Takitani won The Special Jury Prize at Locarno Film Festival 2004.

Director and screenwriter Jun Ichikawa (1948-2008) began his career as a TV commercial director for various well-known Japanese brands before making his feature film debut with high school drama Bu Su in 1987. He went on to direct twenty films including: Tsugumi; Dying At A Hospital; Ryoma's Wife, Her Husband and Her Lover; Osaka Story; and Tokyo Marigold. Ichikawa is perhaps best known for 1997's Tokyo Lullaby, which won Best Director at the Montreal World Film Festival and 2004's adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story Tony Takitani, which competed at the Locarno International Film Festival, winning the Special Jury Prize and FIPRESCI award.

Japan Society Film Clubs take place on the first Wednesday of the month. We recommend a film to watch in advance and meet online to discuss. Films are often available online for free, to rent or with subscription, as well as on DVD/Blu Ray. When possible, we also 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