TIFF’s Special Night at Kabukiza Theatre Returns

The 30th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will once again feature its highly acclaimed Special Night Event at Kabukiza Theatre. First inaugurated in 2014, it become one of the highlights of the festival. This year’s event will be held on October 26, with a screening of the 4K digitally restored version of Gate of Hell (Jigokumon), including English subtitles, directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. As a special treat, renowned Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo XIwill appear on stage for a performance preceding the screening.

When Gate of Hell screened in 1954 at the Cannes Film Festival, jury president Jean Cocteau called it “the pinnacle of beauty.” The film won the Cannes Grand Prix and went on to win an honorary Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and an Academy Award for Costume Design. Filmed in Eastmancolor, Gate of Hell was Daiei Film’s first color film and the first Japanese color film to be released outside Japan.

After the film screening, Kabuki stalwart Ichikawa Ebizo, who is also active in television, film and theater, will appear in the Kabuki performance Otokodate Hana no Yoshiwara. The piece demonstrates the richness of the genre with beautifully picturesque Nihon Buyo dancing. It is sure to be enjoyed by everyone, even those who have never seen a Kabuki play before.

We hope devotees of art and cinema will enjoy this Special Night Event at the Kabukiza Theatre, featuring Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Gate of Hell and Ichikawa Ebizo’s Kabuki performance of Otokodate Hana no Yoshiwara. Tickets for this event will go on sale on Friday, September 22.

The 30th TIFF will take place from October 25 – November 3, 2017 at Roppongi Hills, EX Theater Roppongi and other venues in Tokyo.