Having been forced into a cut-down and re-arranged format as a result of COVID-19, MOOSIC LAB 2020-2021 will kick off its competition lineup next month, and is celebrating with a new trailer previewing the competition films.
When we last spoke about MOOSIC LAB 2020-2021, it was to comment on the musically inclined film festival’s scaled-down format for this most recent rendition, with the traditional screening time replaced by a screening of classic MOOSIC LAB films. This was to give more time for the smaller competition selection to be ready in February, a date which is now just around the corner. While at the time we knew little more than names for these films, we can see brief previews for these new productions In a new trailer fronted by 37 Seconds star Mei Kayama.
The trailer for MOOSIC LAB 2020-2021 emphasizes the idea of ‘building memories and futures with hands that can’t be connected’ to reference the way that we can’t connect as we once did due to the pandemic, while capturing the inspirational zeal that cinema has the ability to capture. The trailer features Mei Kayama moving using her wheelchair through the streets at sunrise before holding her hand up to the sun as this phrase is uttered. In the trailer, brief few-second clips of the films competing in competition are shown. While obviously not enough to pass sweeping judgement, they do give an idea of tone.
While that may be true for this trailer, in recent weeks many of these films have uploaded full trailers of their own that give us a greater indication of what to expect.
I have already noted that from visual alone Pop stood out because of the artist involved and the visual used, and the full trailer affirms my intrigue. It centers on Kashiwakura Rin, a 19-year-old working at a local TV station as part of a charity program, who is struggling with work, life, communication, and sheer exhaustion. It disappoints those around her while she falls apart. This insight into stress and a level of anxiety unique to those coming of age in turbulent times is prioritized here, cementing the film as the one to watch from the event.
All 8 competition films as part of MOOSIC LAB Joint 2020-2021 will screen from 27 February at K’s Cinema in Tokyo and Uplink Kichijoji. You can find out more over on the festival’s official website.