The loose mini-theme of the 9th UPAF is “the Shape of Care.”
Care could mean to take care of someone, cherish a community, really to take care of ourselves (but not being able to), feel as if being taken for granted, receive, give, share, etc. The share of care can be a spiral going towards somewhere, a bouncing pendulum or a seesaw, or going one step forward and two steps backward… what shape would you imagine? During the Corona which could isolate us, I really appreciated my neighbors and my neighborhood community. At the same time, I lost a few good friends but couldn’t go see them. I felt sad that I couldn’t see them and give any care, and felt guilty. We provide care… for whom? Perhaps for ourselves. As we curated this year’s program, I thought about those things, then I started to feel the shape of the films too. I wonder what shape you’d feel from watching those films.
Line Up
All films have English subtitles (if not in English) as well as Japanese captions. UPAF translate and subtitle many of the works since many are Japan premieres. To enjoy them with as many people as possible, we chose to put SDH (subtitles for the Deaf and hearing-impaired). You’ll see the speaker IDs and sound effects on screen in Japanese. Sorry we don’t have the manpower to add English captions. Many of the online programs are available worldwide. Please share the info with your friends around the world! We welcome your comments on films or on us! Please leave comments on vimeo, email to info@unoportartfilms.org, or use the Audience Award Voting Form to share your precious views. We will deliver your feedback to the filmmakers.
9/3 (Sat) – 11 (Sun) All day, Japan time
- Wisdom Gone Wild (Japan-only sneak preview, limited to the first 50 viewers)
- maɬni—towards the ocean, towards the shore (worldwide, Japan premiere)
- International Shorts (worldwide, almost all Japan premiere)
- Japanese Shorts [1] (worldwide, discover emerging Japanese filmmakers!)
- Japanese Shorts [2] (worldwide, discover emerging Japanese filmmakers!)