After the Storm

press release:

After the Storm (Umi yori mada fukaku) (2016, Japan, 117 min., Digital)

Dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Yoko Maki, Taiyo Yoshizawa, Kirin Kiki

The new film from Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda (whose I Wish screened at Spotlight in 2012) is a characteristically warm and affecting portrait of an estranged family reconnecting during a typhoon.  Once a renowned author, Ryota has coasted on his glory a little too long, and now finds himself a divorced deadbeat dad, making ends meet as a private detective (and a lousy one at that).  The death of his father inspires Ryota to reconcile with his own family, if they’ll take him back.  Filmed in a housing complex where Kore-eda lived as a child, After the Storm is rendered with the intimacy of a cherished memory.  In Japanese with English subtitles.

This fall, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) will premiere a powerhouse slate of acclaimed films to Madison audiences.  MMoCA’s Spotlight Cinema will show eight critically-celebrated and award-winning narrative features and documentaries from around the world, screening every Wednesday night from September 28 through November 16. Highlights include the winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival (Dheepan), the winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Sand Storm), and new work by master directors Hirokazu Kore-eda (After the Storm) and Nikolaus Geyrhalter  (Homo Sapiens).

​"MMoCA's Spotlight Cinema series is Madison’s chance to experience eight of the year’s most acclaimed and vital arthouse films on the big screen. These eight films comprise a wide-ranging survey of contemporary world cinema, including top prize-winners from Cannes and Sundance, new work by revered master directors, and envelope-pushing visions from the auteurs of tomorrow," stated Mike King, Guest Film Curator.

Spotlight Cinema is curated by Mike King, and is a program of MMoCA’s education department. Funding for the series has been provided by maiahaus, Venture Investors, LLC, and an anonymous donor. Ticket sales begin at 6:30 pm in the Museum lobby; films screen at 7 pm in the lecture hall. Admission is free for MMoCA members and $7 per screening for the general public.