The 30th Pia Film Festival, Japan's largest and most influential independent movie event, kicks off July 19 in Shibuya, Tokyo, showcasing works by amateurs who could be the next greats of the film industry.
Launched in 1977 with the aim of discovering and fostering young filmmaking talents in Japan, PFF has been playing an important role as a gateway for amateur directors to step into the film industry.
This year, the competition program presents 15 selected films out of 601 entries, ranging from a 9-minute short to a 130-minute feature, from an animation to a comical road movie.
PFF also presents special programs featuring 11 works by Douglas Sirk (1897-1987), the master of melodrama, and four works by two-time Oscar winner Milos Forman (b.1932). The programs offer a rare chance to see Sirk's early works from the 1930s as well as his glossy soap operas from the 1950s, including "Written on the Wind," a debauched tale of an oil-rich family in Texas, and "All That Heaven Allows," a romance between a middle-aged, upper-class widow and a young gardener.
Forman's four works are from the 1960s and 1970s, including his debut feature, "Black Peter," which will be shown in Japan for the first time.
The 30th Pia Film Festival runs July 19-Aug. 1 (the competition program ends on July 25 and the special programs start from July 26) at Shibuya Tokyu, 2-15-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, a 5-minute walk from JR Shibuya Station. Tickets per screening are ¥1,200 for the competition program and ¥1,500 for a Douglas Sirk or Mia Forman film. For the full schedule and more information, visit /www.pia.co.jp/pff/
