Program
HISTORICA SPECIAL
Bridging 2024 and 2025, witness the new waves in the world of jidaigeki
Let us rejoice in HISTORICA that SHŌGUN, a global-scale production based on the legacy of Japanese jidaigeki, was a massive critical and commercial success. It was also a huge deal that Sadao Yamanaka came back to life through Manga Cinema dedicated to Sadao Yamanaka: “NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI”. Next year, veteran Takashi Koizumi and Tetsuichiro Tsuta will make waves – Koizumi with his unyielding focus on the Japanese people and Tsuta with his visuals that invite delusions.
HISTORICA WORLD
The have-nots will rise! Stories across time and place that nullify antagonism
From Italy to Poland, Puerto Rico, and the Dutch East Indies, the protagonists stand up to their individual hardships. Unreasonable violence, biases covering up the truth, greed, and tyranny. The few weapons the have-nots wield against the self-centered are songs, machetes, and their own sense of pride.
HISTORICA FOCUS
The fights of the have-nots – witness their ingenuity, wit, and grit.
I love stories of tenement houses. In these buildings, people’s everyday lives are intertwined with drama. We have stories of warmth created and protected by those who are absolute strangers to wealth. And stories of the witty and graceful who lead the rich, samurais, and industry giants astray by disturbing societal contexts while avoiding head-on collision.
Programs:Italian Cultural Institute in Osaka
The special program in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Osaka is one of the highlights of our film festival. This year, we will screen three works, including a VR piece.
La Biennale di Venezia – Biennale College Cinema
A special collaborative program of three entities: Kyoto Filmmakers Lab (KFL), HISTORICA’s own training program; Biennale College Cinema, a program realized by La Biennale di Venezia to train new filmmakers in microbudget production; and Italian Cultural Institute in Osaka.
Cineteca di Bologna – Il Cinema Ritrovato
A collaborative project with the Italian film festival Il Cinema Ritrovato famous for their screening of restored masterpieces. This year, we are showing Senso, an Italian aristocratic tragedy directed by Milanese nobleman Visconti.
Kyoto Filmmakers Lab Screening
KFL alumni are coming back with their feature films!
In collaboration with HISTORICA’s talent development program “Kyoto Filmmakers Lab (KFL)”, alumni will show their feature films in Kyoto where they once studied, just like salmon coming back from the wide ocean to their home river.
HISTORICA Ozashiki
The Museum of Kyoto has large tatami rooms on the sixth floor. During the festival, the rooms will be split into three zones – “Talk”, “Exhibition”, and “Screening” – where lectures by top creators, talk events by government officials, showcases and screenings by local contents businesses and young filmmakers will take place.