Japanese Film Festival Classics Program

Overview

Japanese cinema's diverse array of wonders can't be confined to one event. Sydneysiders can watch the latest and greatest films the country has to offer at the annual Japanese Film Festival; however, since 2014, cinephiles have also been able to step back into Japanese movie history, too — all thanks to its classics program.

Next running from Tuesday, February 2, 2021–Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the latest old-school film program explores plenty of big-screen highlights from the 60s through to the 00s, especially if you're fond of weird, wonderful, surreal and subversive flicks. If you haven't ever watched Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man, take the opportunity to redress that situation — because we all need to see a movie about a man compelled to stuff metal into his body. Or, make a date with 70s standout House from director Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, which is about a creepy abode that eats schoolgirls.

Other must-sees include Seijun Suzuki's assassin-fuelled Pistol Opera; Diary of a Shinjuku Thief, Nagisa Ōshima's 60s film about a man who steals from a bookstore in Shinjuku; and Eros + Massacre, a biopic about Sakae Ōsugi, who advocated for sexual freedom in the early 20th century.

And, in great news for your wallet, attendance is free.

The Japanese Film Festival Classics Program next runs from Tuesday, February 2, 2021–Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.