Taking inspiration from Charlie Chaplin’s famous quote “Life is a desire, not a meaning”, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2017 features an all-encompassing introduction to Japanese cinema through the prism of “desires, hopes and impulses”. Presenting films by established and up-and-coming directors, this year’s programme promises to not only entertain but also provide a vivid insight into what drives human action.

TSUKIJI WONDERLAND

The world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji, is a place like no other. Known as “the kitchen of Japan”, Tsukiji has been at the heart of Japanese cuisine since opening almost 80 years ago. Filmmaker Naotarô Endô began shooting at Tsukiji as soon as the market’s closure was announced in 2014. Shot over the course of an entire year, Endô captures the extraordinary operations of this iconic fish market.

Recommended PG

Also screening:

PALE MOON

THE MOHICAN COMES HOME (plus director Q&A)

A SPARKLE OF LIFE

With more to come in March.