ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - The Japan Society Film Club: Godzilla Anniversary Special

Date
Wednesday 4 December 2024
Time
6.30pm (GMT)
For countries outside the UK, please use this calculator to check the time in your region.

Booking Details
Online meeting on Zoom
Please register for the meeting in advance from the link below. After registering, you will receive a automated confirmation email with meeting access details (please check your spam folder if you don't receive any emails).

Free for members of The Japan Society

Please remember to watch the two films in advance.

• Godzilla Minus One (2023) will be screened at Japan House London on Wednesday 27 November (free screening -fully booked- + online talk by producer Yamada Kenji - Book for the talk here / Question can be submitted in advance here). The film is also available to watch on Netflix (with subscription).
• Godzilla (1954) is available to watch in Internet Archive and to buy in DVD and Blu-Ray in different releases (more information on home media releases here).
  

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The Japan Society is a charity and its activities are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Godzilla franchise, we invite you to watch a double bill of this iconic monster, protagonist of the longest continuously running film series in history.

Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira, 1954) was the first film of the Godzilla series directed by Ishiro Honda. After atom bomb testing awakens a dinosaur-like monster from undersea hibernation, it begins to cause carnage in Tokyo. A scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.

Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラ-1.0, Gojira Mainasu Wan, 2023) is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise, written, directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in post-war Japan, a former kamikaze pilot is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after encountering Godzilla during the war. When the beast emerges again off the coast of Tokyo, evolved after exposure to atom bomb tests, Koichi sees this as an opportunity to redeem his conduct.

Ishiro Honda (1911-1993) was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. Honda entered the Japanese film industry in 1934, working as the assistant director. After 15 years, he made his directorial debut with a short documentary film Ise-Shima (1949). In 1954, Honda directed and co-wrote Godzilla, which became a box office success in Japan and established the kaiju (gigant monster) film genre. He directed his 8th and final Godzilla film in 1975 before retiring from filmmaking.

Takashi Yamazaki (1974-) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects and his film adaption of popular manga, anime and novels, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and eight Japanese Academy Awards. Among his most known films are Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), The Eternal Zero (2013), and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014). His Godzilla Minus One became the most successful Japanese Godzilla film of all time and one of his highest-grossing films.

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? The Japan Society Film Club is an online space to chat about films and Japan in an informal atmosphere. It 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, on DVD/Blu Ray or on BFI player. 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.