Starring Yoshiyuki Kazuko, Mickey Curtis, Shoji Utae,
Shirakawa Kazuko
Japan 2001. 100 min. In Japanese with English subtitles
The novel this movie is based on is Lily Festival (Yurisai), a caustic and brightly humorous portrayal of the sexuality of elderly women. Written by MOMOTANI Hoko, a resident of Hokkaido, it won the Hokkaido Newspaper Literary Prize in 1999, and was published in book form by Kodansha in 2000. The heroines of the story are seven women who range in age from 69 to 91. When an elderly ladies' man moves into their old-fashioned apartment building, a tremendous commotion ensues. Utterly unlike a typically reticent Japanese man, this old fellow charms the women with graceful gestures and eloquent rhetoric. That these ladies are all taken in by this smooth-talking old fellow is due to the special circumstances of the elderly, which are different from the environment in which they fell in love in their youth: "The men die earlier, so when you get to this age, there are hardly any left." "It's not enough that they just be alive; they should be sexy too."
The women of this film are bold and overflowing with energy. In Japan,
desexualized 'cute old ladies' sometimes appear as an ideal representation
of the aged, but the residents of Lily Festival's apartment building are
not pent up by the image of the 'old lady.' Once the gray-haired dandy
has shown them the possibilities of sexuality, they dauntlessly break out
of their shells and begin to act. This film portrays the lively reawakening
of the sexual energies of old women who had been shackled by both oppression
of women and discrimination against the elderly.HAMANO Sachi had always wanted to work as a director. But in the 1960s, when she tried to get into the world of film-making, the Japanese movie business was a male-dominated society, and there were almost no studios willing to hire women as potential directors. However, in 1968 Hamano succeeded in finding work as an assistant director in independent production companies, and in 1971 she debuted as a director. In 1984 she founded her own production company, Tantansha. Since then, working as both producer and director, she has released over 300 low-budget adult films portraying sexuality from women's perspectives, becoming one of the most popular and respected filmmakers in this genre. Throughout her career Hamano has maintained her philosophy of celebrating the sexuality of her heroines but not degrading their images, and her recent independent films have been widely supported in Japan by women's and grass-roots groups. In 1998 she produced In Search of a Lost Writer (Dainanakankai hoko: Ozaki Midori o sagashite) which depicted the life and work of the forgotten female writer OZAKI Midori (1896-1971). Funding for this film was provided in part by donations from over 12,000 women from all over Japan. Hamano was awarded Japan's 4th Women's Culture Prize for Lost Writer in 2000; that same year she encountered MOMOTANI Hoko's novel on elderly sexuality, Lily Festival (Yurisai), and determined to adapt it for the screen. The resulting feature film, completed in 2001, has been screened throughout Japan, and by invitation at film festivals elsewhere in Asia, North America, and Europe, including the International Tokyo Women's Film Festival, the Montreal International Film Festival, and the International Women's Film Festival in Turin, Italy, where it was awarded Second Prize in the Dramatic Features category.
Director Sachi.Hamano
At once a film with a message and an engaging, character-driven comedy, it narrates the delightful romantic complications stirred up by the arrival of the dashing 75-year-old Mr. Miyoshi at the Mariko Apartments, a down-at-the-heel building inhabited by women in their 70's who have outlived their husbands (in one case, multiple husbands).
In this context, old women in particular are usually taken as examples of 'problems of aging,' such as Alzheimer's disease and the need for caregivers.
Portraying their active sexuality is so rare that it is safe to say that there is a taboo against it.
And yet, as the world's 'aging societies' proliferate, it is becoming clear that elderly people have sexual desires: erotic impulses still smolder deep within their brains and bodies.
The novel this movie is based on is "Lily Festival" (Yurisai), acaustic, brightly humorous portrayal of the sexuality of elderly women.
Written by MOMOTANI Hoko, a resident of Hokkaido, it won the Hokkaido Newspaper Literary Prize in 1999, and was published in book form by Kodansha in 2000.
The heroines of the story are seven women who range in age from 69 to 91.
When an elderly ladies' man moves into their old-fashioned apartment building, a tremendous commotion ensues.
Utterly unlike a typically reticent Japanese man, this old fellow charms the women with graceful gestures and eloquent rhetoric:
"Surrounded by such gorgeous women, I'm so grateful that I was born a man!"
"Your smiling face is so beautiful. You're like a goddess."
"With that cat, you look like a picture of Mary holding the Christ Child."
and Male Life Expectancy
"The men die earlier, so when you get to this age, there are hardly any left."
"It's not enough that they just be alive; they should be sexy too."
It's a straightforward lament. Because of the difference between female and male life spans, women of advanced age outlive their partners and are consigned to solitude.
Moreover, when it comes to finding a man sexually interested in an 'old lady,' their chances are pitifully slim: the majority of Japanese men still value female youth above all else.
As if they are laughing off such discriminatory treatment, the women of this film are bold and overflowing with energy.
In Japan, desexualized 'cute old ladies' sometimes appear as an ideal representation of the aged, but the residents of "Lily Festival"'s apartment building are not pent up by the image of the 'old lady.'
Once the gray-haired dandy has shown them the possibilities of sexuality, they dauntlessly break out of their shells and begin to act.
Perhaps their forthright, unabashed behavior is spurred on by the fact that death awaits them in the not-too-distant future. This film portrays the lively reawakening of the sexual energies of old women who had been shackled by both oppression of women and discrimination against the elderly.
One day a charming ladies' man, 75-year-old Mr. Miyoshi (Mickey CURTIS), moves in.
Speaking to them with florid and eloquent charm, and occasionally taking their hands in his, he treats these women, who are seen by society as mere 'old ladies,' with attentive and seductive chivalry.
The women, who have led long and difficult lives, are completely bewitched.
With their landlady (SHOJI Utae) at the fore, they mill around him like a cloud of butterflies vying for sweet nectar.
Mr. Miyoshi reigns for a time as the treasured prince of this sanctuary of old women.
As for Mrs. Miyano, she rediscovers a forgotten, luscious sensation within herself, and embarks on a sexual relationship with Mr. Miyoshi.
It is very different from the sex she experienced when she was young, but the gentle pleasure she feels when their naked bodies touch enthralls her.
She is gratified by his soft organ, which reminds her of the delicate pad of a cat's paw.
However, the truth about Mr. Miyoshi's past and the nature of his behavior gradually become clear.
Each of the women thinks he is seeing only her, but he turns out to be quite a playboy.
When it becomes clear that he has been sleeping with most of the residents simultaneously, the women are astonished and angry, but they don't complain about having been fooled for very long.
Through their contact with Mr. Miyoshi, they had been able to shake off the role of "old lady" that society had pressed upon them, and that they themselves had accepted.
None of them regret getting reacquainted with the desires that had been slumbering within them.
Among the women, Mrs. Miyano and Mrs. Yokota (SHIRAKAWA Kazuko) face an unexpected development.
Mrs. Miyano had long had a strong sense of feminine solidarity, while Mrs. Yokota had been awakened to the prospect of leaving the framework of heterosexual love by the gentle pleasure she experienced with Mr. Miyoshi.
Perhaps for the two of them, Mr. Miyoshi's 'paw-pad' served as an introduction to the potential for bisexuality. In old age, they find themselves confronting for the first time the possibilities of lesbian love.
Born in 1948, HAMANO Sachi decided to become a movie director while she was in high school.She came to Tokyo and sought a way into the world of film-making, but at the time the Japanese movie business was a male-dominated society, and there were almost no studios willing to hire women as potential directors.
However, beginning in 1968 she worked as an assistant director in independent production companies, and in 1971 she debuted as a director.
In 1984 she founded her own production company, Tantansha. Since then, working as both producer and director, she has released over 300 films portraying sexuality from women's perspectives.
In 1998 she produced the independent film "In Search of a Lost Writer," which depicted the life and work of the forgotten female writer OZAKI Midori.
Funding for this film was provided in part by donations from over 12,000 women from all over Japan.
Hamano was awarded the 4th Women's Culture Prize in 2000; that same year she encountered MOMOTANI Hoko's novel of elderly sexuality, "Yurisai" (Lily Festival), and determined to adapt it for the screen.
She completed production on "Lily Festival" in 2001.
English title：Lily Festival
French title：Lys en Fete
Language of dialogue：Japanese
Date of completion：August 2001
Technical Data： Colour, 100min, 2,736m(9,031feet), 6reels, 35mm, 1,66, Mono
Director：Sachi HAMANO
Producer：Sachiko SUZUKI
Scriptwriter：Kuninori YAMAZAKI
Dir. of photo：Katuharu OYAMADA
Music：Sigemi YOSHIOKA
Art director：Jin SIODA
Editor：Naoki KANEKO
CAST： Kazuko YOSHIYUKI
Mickey CURTIS
Utae SHOJI
Kazuko SHIRAKAWA
Sanae NAKAHARA
Chisako HARA
Hisako OKATA
FESTIVALS
14th TOKYO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL.
The 26th Hong Kong International Film Festival.
9th FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE CINEMA DELLE DONNE.
The World Film Festival MONTREAL 2002.
2003 Mardi Gras Film Festival
Minneapolis/St.Paul International Film Festival
Flying Broom Women's Film Festival
OUTFEST2003
AWARD
9 festival internazionale CINEMA DELLE DONNE 『2' PREMIO』
Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 『Best Feature Film』
Mix Brasil 11 『Best Feature Film』
ADDRESS OF DIRECTOR : 7-12-3 Hontori, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka. JAPAN
〒420-0064
FAX : 81 54 272 1692
TELEPHONE : 81 54 272 1692
E-MAIL : sachi_ha@d8.dion.ne.jp
PRODUCTION COMPANY : Tantansha
ADDRESS : 7-12-3 Hontori, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka. JAPAN 〒420-0064
TELEPHONE : 81 54 272 1692
FAX : 81 54 272 1692
E-MAIL : tantan-s@f4.dion.ne.jp
PRODUCER : Sachiko SUZUKI
YEAR OF PRODUCTION : 1984
SHIPPING OF THE PRINT
SENDER : NIPPON CINE ARTS CO.,LTD
ADDRESS : 2-5 Ichigaya-Honmura-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. JAPAN
〒162-0845
FAX : 81 3 3268 5958
TELEPHONE : 81 3 3268 5201
E-MAIL : kaneki@cinearts.co.jp