JAM FILMS 2

Jam Films 2 Japan

A quartet of today's most talented artists, who dominate Japan's music video-clip scene, integrate the latest digital technology, graphic imagery and cutting edge techniques to unleash a new form of visual expression. The films featured are:

Hoops Men Soul, A teenage girl is kidnapped and held for 10 million yen ransom. It's up to her boyfriend and his gang to come to the rescue. Extreme-sports director Hide Inoue kick-starts the Jam Films 2 programme with an exhilarating fusion of comedy, street culture and action, direct from the Tokyo underground.

Clean Room, After a self-imposed exile in a germ free room, a young girl is gradually lured out of her comfort zone. This hypnotic, visually stunning film from established director, Eiki Takahashi, is a meditative and moving drama.

Japanese Tradition: An Armchair TheoryThird in a series of hilarious Japanese Tradition films from the director who created the first two in the series, Sushi and Dogeza (both MIFF 2003), An Armchair Theory is a spot-on parody of instructional videos on how to find love, directed by Junji Kojima.

FastenerA touching meditation on memory and spiritual rebirth, as an elderly man revisits childhood reminiscences from his deathbed, directed by Kouki Tange.

D Hide Inoue, Eiki Takahashi, Junji Kojima, Kouki Tange P Shinya Kawai S Kentarou Kobayashi, Kouki Tange WS Pony Canyon Inc L Japanese w/English subtitles TD 35mm/Col/2003/113mins