Documentary

Special Events

Citizen Kitano

Directed by: Yves Montmayeur
2020 / 73 minutes / Unclassified 15+

The larger-than-life personality behind the icon

Explosive and unpredictable to the extreme, Takeshi Kitano’s immense lifetime of work has cultivated his legendary image among cult audiences across the globe. An icon of Japanese cinema, Kitano’s boundary-pushing directorial success is famously shadowed by his highly popular comedy personality ‘Beat Takeshi’ on Japanese television. Composed of exclusive interviews and archival footage with significant figures such as Akira Kurosawa and David Bowie, this dynamic documentary presents a stark portrait of what led to Kitano’s fruition into an artist obsessed with gunning self-expression and the darker truths of the Japanese condition. From the yakuza street gangs of a war-torn city to winner of a Golden Lion in Venice, director Yves Montmayeur condenses an incomprehensibly vast personality into momentary clarity.

Post-Film Talk Event

Kitano Blue

Professor Sean Redmond (Deakin University) will explore Kitano’s films through the lens of colour and how it has been used to convey emotions and character relationships, while advancing storylines. Professor Redmond will also connect Kitano’s use of colour to painting and art – the way they add fine grain detail to the passing of time and the silence of space.

Details

Venue: The Kino, Melbourne
Date: 28 October, 2023 (Sat)
Screening: 15:30 – 16:50
Talk Event: 16:50 – 17:20