Friday, June 11, 2010

Tokyo's Short Shorts Film Festival combines top directors with pop music

by Chris MaGee

Music can make or break a film. That's something we all know. Besides that music can be a powerful inspiration for a filmmaker, and nearly 30-years into the age of music videos many high profile directors got their start creating short films around songs. This combination between of music and movies is being celebrated in a programme at this year's Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia 2010 taking place in Tokyo this month.

In the Music Short PV Programme visitors to the fest will be able to catch shorts and music videos by some big names in Japanese film such as Shunji Iwai and his video for The Moon Rider's "The Knit Cap Man", Isshin Inudo's 8-minute film "Ureshikutte Dakiauyo" set to the music of songstress Yuki (above), actor, comedian and TV talent Yuichi Kimura directs the short police "Naniwa Deka Blues" set to the music of Mitsuo Nakatani, Kenji Sonoda's Shanghai-set short "Thrust of God / You are the one -Aoi Tobira- The STORY" with music by Drive Far, Isao Yukisada's "Seisyun no Ame" with music by One Draft, and finally Shinji Aoyama's 3-minute film "Down" with music by Marquardt. My fingers got tired just typing all that up, and there's still more in the Music Short PV Programme and in this year's Short Shorts Fest.

To check out all the films screening between June 10th and 20th at the Omotesando Hills Space O and at the Laforet Museum Harajuku click here. And while you're at it check out Yuichi Kimura's video "Naniwa Deka Blues" below.

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