Monday, November 11, 2013

18th IFFK - Controversial Japanese Filmmaker Takashi Miike”s films in Contemporary Masters section of International Film Festival of Kerala 2013

Celebrated and controversial  Japanese  Filmmaker Takashi Miike will be one of the Contemporary Masters showcased at the 18th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala scheduled to be held from Dec 6th to 13th . ‘Contemporary Masters’ section  includes five of his films – the cult horror film ‘Audition’, the Samurai films ‘13 Assassins’ and ‘Harakiri – Death of a Samurai,’ the violent school story ‘Crows Zero,’ and this year’s thriller ‘Shield of Straw’ .Shield of Straw(Wara No Tate) was in the competitive section of  this year’s competitive section in Cannes. “This bounty-hunting thriller from prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike is hamstrung by its baffling lack of plot logic Well, after two long hours, the crude and absurd movie finally expires. Thrillers, however far-fetched, need some plausibility. This has none”observes the Guardian critic ,Peter Brad Shaw
Takashi Miike  is very familiar to IFFK audience . IFFK introduced the creepy world of this  Japanese director way back in 1999 in its 4th edition, the first fest conducted by the Academy in Kochi . Takashi Miike  ‘s  film ‘13 Assassins’ was screened at the 16th edition of  this festival in 2011.Following his directorial debut in 1991, Miike has become one of the most prolific and controversial filmmakers in the World today, with a cult status in Japan. Some of his more popular films are 13 Assasins, Audition, Ichi the Killer and Three…Extremes. Miike has garnered international notoriety for depicting shocking scenes of extreme violence and sexual perversions. Many of his films contain graphic and lurid bloodshed, often portrayed in an over-the-top, cartoonish manner. Much of his work depicts the activities of criminals (especially yakuza) or concerns themselves with non-Japanese living in Japan. He is known for his black sense of humor and for pushing the boundaries of censorship as far as they will go.

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