Program Guide - Cleveland International Film Festival

106 FILMS A – Z [K–L] The 37th Cleveland International Film Festival
PACIFIC PEARLS
LOCAL HEROES
Key of Life
(Kagi-dorobô no mesoddo)
Directed by Kenji Uchida
JAPAN 2012
128 minutes
Friday, April 12 Saturday, April 13
8:30 PM I Code LIFE12 3:30 PM I Code LIFE13
In this comical farce from Japan, the lives of three people
intertwine thanks to a knock on the head. Takeshi is an outof-work
actor at the end of his rope—literally. Kondo is a
contract killer with ice flowing through his veins. But when
he slips and loses his memory, his identity is taken over by
Takeshi who must now play the most important role of his life:
Kondo the Killer. Kanae is a beautiful career woman who has
her wedding planned and ready to go. She just needs a groom.
Living as Kondo is fun for Takeshi who enjoys the fast life, but
Kondo is struggling to get by as Takeshi. Thanks to Kanae’s
help, Kondo learns he has quite the knack for playing a loser
actor who, only days before, tried to kill himself. With all the
classic farcical elements, KEY OF LIFE’s crisis of identity plays
out in hilarious fashion just as Takeshi finds he must actually
try to kill someone other than himself, and Kondo’s memory
begins to return. Funny, sweet, and charming, KEY OF LIFE
is another great screwball comedy from one of Japan’s best.
(In Japanese with subtitles) —T.W.
Producers~Satoshi Akagi, Kazumi Fukase, Hiroshi Ohnishi Screenwriting~
Kenji Uchida Cinematography~Akira Sako Editing~Shinichi Fushima Principal
Cast~Masato Sakai, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ryôko Hirosue
Print Source~Film Movement / rebeca@filmmovement.com /
www.filmmovement.com
About the Director~Japanese-born Kenji Uchida studied cinema at San Francisco
State University. He’s won numerous awards for directing and screenwriting
including three at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005 for “A Stranger of Mine.”
Filmography~“A Stranger of Mine” (2005), “After School” (2008), KEY OF LIFE
(2012)
Community Partner:
Kingsbury
Directed by Alexander Klein
USA 2012
76 minutes
Saturday, April 6 Sunday, April 7
11:30 PM I Code KING06 12:00 Noon I Code KING07
Monday, April 8
5:30 PM I Code KING08
As a documentary film crew sets out to profile the New York
art scene, their project takes a drastically different turn when
they meet Nicholas Forker. Known for his ink and pen renderings
of astronauts, Forker is a buzzing artist whose work has
been profiled by The Wall Street Journal. When he receives
an e-mail from a gallery in Cleveland interested in setting up
an exhibition of his work, the crew decides to follow him there
to document the event. The plan is to do a show in the tunnels
of Kingsbury Run, once the crime scene for murders committed
by the “Torso Killer.” That’s when things start to get weird.
When they arrive, they find that the e-mails weren’t what they
thought they were, leading them on a dangerous journey to
figure out what to do next. But is there something Forker isn’t
telling the filmmakers? KINGSBURY is a mix of “Exit Through
The Gift Shop” and “The Blair Witch Project,” always leaving
you wondering: who exactly is being punked here? —E.F.
Producer~Alexander Klein Cinematography~Alfredo Alcantara, Eric Chakeen,
Ben Altarescu Editing~Daniel Algarin Principal Cast~Nicholas Forker, Valentine
Bureau
Print Source~Alexander Klein / hialexklein@gmail.com
About the Director~Alexander Klein was raised in San Francisco and received a
degree in English Literature at UC Berkeley. Before entering the world of film,
Klein was a professional skateboarder and a contributing writer to various magazines
dedicated to the sport. He currently resides in New York. Filmography~
“God Went Surfing With The Devil” (2010), KINGSBURY (2012)
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