Oscar BEST Foreign Film Winner "DEPARTURES" to Première at UDINE
Departures
2009 Far East Film Festival in Udine
Best Foreign Film
2009, DEPARTURES will celebrate the return of Takita Yojiro to Udine,
whom the Far East Film Festival had already discovered in the year 2000, and
brought to Europe (where he presented his much appreciated film Secret)
UDINE - After defeating the
Israeli film Valzer con Bashir (the bookies absolute favourite), Departures
by Takita Yojiro won the legendary statuette for Best Foreign
Film! The news bounced from Los Angeles to Tokyo, passing, of
course, Udine on its way: the much anticipated Far East Film,
that this year runs from 24th April to 2nd May, will
be the Festival from Friuli to present this splendid Japanese film! Having
already discovered the great talent of Takita Yojiro, back in the
year 2000 when he presented Secret, Far East Film now prepares to
welcome back an Oscar Winner, to the return of the legendary night of
the stars...
The story of a man
without qualities who abandons Tokyo and moves to the countryside to make a
fresh start, or at least tries to, Departures puts the
protagonist face to face with a paradox: to start living again while staring
into the face of death. Yes. Because the failed, ex-cello player will finally
find himself and discover that he possesses a talent like no other (albeit
rather unusual): he prepares the bodies of the dearly departed (washing
them, dressing them, applying their make-up and perfume) at a funeral
director's. A ritual of rare grace, as we will see, a ceremony made of
small gestures and graceful movements, captivating and restoring the mystery of
this most antique and profound Japanese cult for the dead...
Takita Yojiro, a veteran of
Japanese cinema,
confronts and develops the narrative as if it is a musical score, a true and
proper symphony of feelings, defusing all macabre diversions and
realising on the contrary, an authentic anthem to life. Completed, after
almost a decade of attempts, with the courageous choice and extreme delicacy of
the director's touch, an authentic blockbuster that, despite every
possible prediction, has created a frenzy at all Japanese box offices!
One of the Top 5 Oscar
nominees for Best Foreign Film, that included La Banda Meinhof (Germany),
La Classe (France), Revanche (Austria) and Valzer
con Bashir (Israele), this unusual and poetic drama (the only
film from this magnificent five yet to be screened in Europe!), directed by
Takita Yojiro, honourably defended its Japanese colours, being
awarded with the legendary statuette, something that hasn't happened for years.
The last time was in 2002 with The Twilight Samurai by Yamada Yoji,
screened at Far East Film in 2004.
