【6/19 Fri report】iTSCOM @Futakatamagawa

The International Program 7 took place in iTSCOM at Futakotamagawa on Saturday, June 19^th from 15:40.

The screening featured 6 films from Italy, Belgium, Germany, Norway, and the US respectively. The 6 films not only varied in language but in genre, theme, and the emotion they provoked. Queen Bee (Nicola Sorcinelli, 2019) and enough (Caleb Slain, 2020) tackled social issues in an honest and throbbing manner, whereas Wichita (Sergine Dumais, 2020), A Well Cared Life (Adam Graf & Tobias Kerber, 2020), and Customs (Armita Keyani, 2021) explored the bittersweetness of relationships and social interactions.

The screening also featured an appearance by Armita Keyani, the director of Customs. DJ John led a conversation with Keyani, who is currently in Norway, to unpack her preproduction and production processes. The inspiration for this bizarre and humorous narrative came from her very own backpacking trip. After hearing about another backpacker experiencing an uncomfortable encounter with their host family, Keyani’s story for Customs began to grow. Keyani also shared her experiences with the cast members. The actor who plays the host in the film is a real-life nudist, and therefore was very comfortable with showing his body on camera. The other two actors, the host’s wife and the backpacker are both new to acting but were adventurous and courageous in their approach to the film. This film was supported by a Norwegian program in which she had submitted the script to, and was accepted and given the budget necessary. She is thankful for the experience and is very proud of the final outcome. She wishes to come to Tokyo one day!

So, the last day of the event at TSCOM HALL in FUTAKOTAMAGWA RISE will continue until 6/20! Please continue to enjoy short films together with Q&A with the guest filmmakers!