THURSDAYS: JUNE 7, 14, 21 & 28

Curated by Miko Hoffman

The Powell Street Festival Society and Pacific Cinémathèque are pleased to present the fourth edition of “Kibatsu Cinema,” a celebration of the odd and the eccentric in Japanese pop culture and contemporary Japanese film. Kibatsu is a Japanese word denoting a person or thing that is, by ordinary standards, unusual or unconventional. As with our previous “Kibatsu Cinema” programs (2007, 2009, 2011), the quirky, smart, and stylish films on display here reveal the influences of a variety of Japan’s prominent pop-cultural streams, including manga and anime, pop and punk music, and the famed flamboyance of the country’s street fashions and youth cultures. This year we add to the mix a time machine, some battling animated oni (demons), and a lot of quirky introspection.

“Kibatsu Cinema: eccentricity, popular culture and contemporary Japanese film” is a lead-up event to Vancouver’s 36th annual Powell Street Festival, a celebration of Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage. Festival weekend is August 4-5, with other events beginning in May. Please check www.powellstreetfestival.com for full schedule info.

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Chris MaGee (J-Film Pow-Wow blogger and co-curator Shinsedai Cinema Festival Toronto) for curatorial support. Special Thanks: Yuuki Hirano; Jim Sinclair and Pacific Cinémathèque staff; Keiko Kusakabe (Makotoya Co. Ltd.); Shinji Sakoda (Pony Canyon); Tomoko Kage (Bitters End); Shio Toyoda (New People Entertainment); Miki Ohi (Pia Film Festival); Devi Kobayashi; Takako Hirayama (Nikkatsu Corporation); Japan Foundation; Canada Council for the Arts; Department of Canadian Heritage; British Columbia Arts Council; the Province of British Columbia through Direct Access to Charitable Gaming; City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs.