"Jitensha," a Short Film by Students from Biola Univ. in CA & "Studio Re:" is Selected by 66th Venice Film Festival -- one of the top five film festivals in the world!
Jitensha grows out of the Studio Re: vision to impact Japanese culture through redemptive films. We are stunned that high up professionals in the film industry have chose our film to be part of one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.
As I have reflected on why this happened, I think it is about the power of a good story, a story with heart, along with great production values. In other words, technically it is a well crafted film that allows the story to "connect" with the audience. Every aspect of the film is strong, the cast, the music, the locations, the cinematography, the music, and the editing -- which is amazing for a low budget film made by students and emerging filmmakers in Tokyo who are committed to making films with redemptive themes.
Jitensha is 23 minutes long, shot with a digital camera, with two "professional" actors in the cast. A group of 15 from Biola spent seven days in Jan of 2009 shooting the film on location in Tokyo. Including the the Biola students, the cast and crew and from Japan and others involved at various levels, there were at least 50 people involved in the making of Jitensha.
An original story by Yu Shibuya, one of our Studio Re: members, Jitensha is about Mamoru, a young man who, after a bar fight with a colleague, quits his job, does nothing but ride around on his bike, and cuts himself off from people. One day, his bike’s basket gets stolen, the seat on another day, and despite Mamoru’s effort to catch the thief, his bike disappears, bit by bit. Mamoru gets a note from God, and then goes on a journey to find his “lost” bicycle and discovers more than just parts of a broken bicycle.
Yugo Sasso, who played the role of Mamoru in Jitensha wrote: "Going to Venice with the film selected for competition is something extraordinary. I know lots of people working hard for years in the film industry but I can't think of anyone has been to Venice except Takeshi Kitano (one of the most prominent actors in Japan). I probably don't understand fully yet how precious it is but I am enjoying every moment of it."
Yugo was in the major film "To End All Wars" se we were thrilled when he agreed to be part of bicycle. Just a few days before Yugo received the script for, his bicycle was stolen. Then, a couple of weeks after we finishing shooting, he quit his job. During the shoot he helped out like he was one of the crew, he even rode on the floor in the back of the van when we had a full load.
Dean Yamada, the teacher/director from Biola University wrote: "We have been invited to the 66th Venice Film Festival-- the longest running festival in the world! Pretty incredible news, considering Ang Lee is heading the jury this year and Variety (50 unmissable film festivals) calls it one of the Big Five (festivals in the world). I can't believe we're all going to reconvene on the other side of the world. God is so amazing-- how he can orchestrate something like this beyond our imaginations. Like Yugo (Sasso) said, there aren't a lot of films that get into Venice. I only know of one from USC (University of Southern CA) that has been invited in the past. This year, only 27 short films were chosen out of over 1600 submitted.
Yugo Sasso, Yu Shibuya and I (Paul Nethercott) plus nine from Biola will be in Venice for the Sept. 8 showing of Jitensha at the Venice Film Festival. I can't believe that I get to go to The Venice Film Festival as part of my mission work in Japan with TEAM, it makes me smile, a lot.
Why is this award important to the mission of Studio Re:?
For one thing, it gives us a lot of credibility in Japan, and beyond. We went from being unnoticed in the mainstream film industry in Japan to being a recognized part of the film industry and part of what is going on in the broader culture. More people see our film as a result, a lot more. This new credibility will open doors for us, allowing us to meet people and to do projects that we could not have done before. It will also attract more gifted filmmakers to become part of our mission to impact Japanese culture through redemptive films.
I leave for Venice tomorrow (Friday September 11, 2009), I will post some photos and write a report after I get back.
As I was looking for links to add to this post I found that Jitensha is now listed on the film industry IMDb web site with a full listing of the cast and crew! Wow, that is nice, a big boost for all those who are involved in this film.
It has been a wonderful, and challenging, journey of discovery for me as I have had the privilege of working with the cast and crew of Jitensha. Congratulations and a heartfelt "thanks" to all those that were involved.
Related Post on This Blog:
"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:
Related Links:
Jitensha Home Page (TRAILER Posted Here)
