Japan Information and Culture Center
1150 18th St NW #100
Washington, DC 20036
Japan and Italy
Brief discussions following each evening’s screenings will compare and contrast the films and the topics with several panelists.
Michele Mason - Associate Professor of Japanese Cultural Studies at University of Maryland
Gianni Cicali - Professor of Italian Literature at Georgetown University
All films are subtitled in English, unless otherwise noted.
Breakers
Japan, 2018, 25 min.
Director: Minami Goto
Yuta is a high school student living in Shizuoka, Japan. His strong sense of justice makes his school life torture. Only certain students are given special treatment, teachers enforce useless rules, and students just go along with it. To change the situation, he rebels against the system by causing mischief around the school. One day, Yuta, together with his four disgruntled friends, devises a plan to take over the grade assembly.
Growth Factor
Japan, 2014, 7 min.
Director: Ryosuke Oshiro
A middle school boy, who likes to snap photos of things he fancies and then draw pictures of them, has a crush on a girl. On his usual route home, he spots the girl he likes with another boy. The balance between his delusions and his reality is in constant flux.
Bismillah
Italy, 2017, 14 min.
Director: Alessandro Grande
Samira, a 10-year-old Tunisian girl, lives illegally with her teenage brother and father in Italy. One night, she finds herself facing a huge problem, one that might be too big for her to handle.
Pater Familias
Italy, 2018, 10 min.
Director: Giacomo Boeri
A father with the phone of his son will discover the secrets and potentials of social networks. How long will his morality go away from the "classic" Pater Familias to experience youth once again?
Image Credits:
Breakers © Minami Goto
Growth Factor © Ryosuke Oshiro, Geidai Animation
Bismillah © Zen Movie
Pater Familias © The Blink Fish / Box Vision
