A season of cult Japanese films - Wild Japan: Outlaw Masters - will be touring the UK this November.
Described by the organisers as "the finest line-up of this type ever assembled for UK cinemas" the season comprises 12 ultra-rare film prints imported from Japan and the US for the event.
The 1960s and 1970s were spectacularly fruitful periods for genre filmmaking in Japan, with many young directors venting rage and frustration against the outmoded social conventions still prevalent in their country. Their film-making became increasingly subversive and the result was a rich seam of cult classics.
Despite the DVD revolution bringing new fans to the films - which had previously been seen only rarely outside of Japan - the chance to view them on the big screen is still rare, making this season all the more attractive.
The press release certainly thinks so, it reads: "The unbridled energy and passion of these films is matched only by their outrageous beauty. "There are no exceptions, across the whole programme, to a level of aesthetic elegance that remains truly extraordinary. This is a unique opportunity to catch these rare gems in the finest line-up of classic Japanese cult films ever screened in the UK. "It's a smorgasbord for your eyes, a trip for your mind and a jolt your film-going sensibilities."Films to be shown are: Female Convict Scorpion, Jigoku, Pale Flower, School Of The Holy Beast, Sword Of Doom, The Great Melee, Yakuza Graveyard, Funeral Parade Of Roses, Hausu, Zatoichi The Fugitive, Branded To Kill and Stray Cat: Sex Hunter.
Wild Japan: Outlaw Masters plays at the National Film Theatre from 3rd November before touring Filmhouse Edinburgh & GFT (Glasgow) in late November/December and Watershed (Bristol)/Showroom (Sheffield)/Irish Film Institute (Dublin) in early 2007.
Read our feature and review coverage of the season
