11th BAFICI News

The Other Empire of the Rising Sun

“Yakuza Eiga: une Histoire Secréte du Cinema Japonais”, Ives Montmayeur’s documentary on Japanese mafia cinema (Sunday 8.45pm at Hoyts 9), is a remarkable compilation of testimonies and images of a sub-genre from the East that has won audiences worldwide.

Alternating interviews with directors, performers, producers and even true yakuzas with images from some of the most representative titles of the genre, Montmayeur provides a panorama of the evolution of this type of cinema, parallel to Western black cinema, from the aftermath of the Second World War to date. An evolution that reached its zenith in the 60s and 70s, when it became one of the most popular –and controversial– genres.