Mark Player
@markplayer.bsky.social
Writer/researcher. East Asian cinema (mainly Japan), 8mm film, (cyber)punk and DIY media.
Book: JAPANESE CINEMA AND PUNK - out now
Book: JAPANESE CINEMA AND PUNK - out now
Pinned
Mark Player
@markplayer.bsky.social
· Apr 11
Japanese Cinema and Punk
In Japanese Cinema and Punk, Mark Player examines how the do-it-yourself ethos of punk empowered a new generation of Japanese filmmakers during a period of cris…
www.bloomsbury.com
Big news!
My first book, JAPANESE CINEMA AND PUNK, is out next month, published by Bloomsbury Academic.
My first book, JAPANESE CINEMA AND PUNK, is out next month, published by Bloomsbury Academic.
Reposted by Mark Player
The full line-up for the V-Cinema focus program I curated for the International Film Festival Rotterdam is up now:
iffr.com/en/iffr/2026...
Miike, Kurosawa, Aoyama, Takashi Ishii and lots of films that have never been shown in a theater before. Plus the full Crime Hunter trilogy!
iffr.com/en/iffr/2026...
Miike, Kurosawa, Aoyama, Takashi Ishii and lots of films that have never been shown in a theater before. Plus the full Crime Hunter trilogy!
Focus: V-cinema Archives - IFFR EN
Japan’s direct-to-video phenomenon V-Cinema emerged in the late 1980s and left a lasting mark in contemporary film culture. The V-Cinema production model responded to the rise of video rental, by prod...
iffr.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:34 AM
The full line-up for the V-Cinema focus program I curated for the International Film Festival Rotterdam is up now:
iffr.com/en/iffr/2026...
Miike, Kurosawa, Aoyama, Takashi Ishii and lots of films that have never been shown in a theater before. Plus the full Crime Hunter trilogy!
iffr.com/en/iffr/2026...
Miike, Kurosawa, Aoyama, Takashi Ishii and lots of films that have never been shown in a theater before. Plus the full Crime Hunter trilogy!
Reposted by Mark Player
The Garden Cinema in London will be hosting a season of Japanese 80s films, with a few Third Window titles included: Typhoon Club, Crazy Family, Tetsuo and His Motorbike Her Island.
Put it in your calendars!
Put it in your calendars!
1980s: The Lost Decade of Japanese Cinema / The Garden Cinema
The 1980s were the zenith of Japan’s bubble economy, an era which saw the accumulation of vast wealth, alongside rapid technological and commercial growth. City centres sprouted neon-emblazoned…
www.thegardencinema.co.uk
December 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM
The Garden Cinema in London will be hosting a season of Japanese 80s films, with a few Third Window titles included: Typhoon Club, Crazy Family, Tetsuo and His Motorbike Her Island.
Put it in your calendars!
Put it in your calendars!
There's a great season of 1980s Japanese cinema coming up at The Garden Cinema in the new year, including a couple of films that I wrote about in Japanese Cinema and Punk.
I'll be introducing Tetsuo: The Iron Man on Thurs 26th Feb.
Season and booking info: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/1980s...
I'll be introducing Tetsuo: The Iron Man on Thurs 26th Feb.
Season and booking info: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/1980s...
1980s: The Lost Decade of Japanese Cinema
YouTube video by The Garden Cinema
youtu.be
December 18, 2025 at 10:33 PM
There's a great season of 1980s Japanese cinema coming up at The Garden Cinema in the new year, including a couple of films that I wrote about in Japanese Cinema and Punk.
I'll be introducing Tetsuo: The Iron Man on Thurs 26th Feb.
Season and booking info: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/1980s...
I'll be introducing Tetsuo: The Iron Man on Thurs 26th Feb.
Season and booking info: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/1980s...
First teaser for Street Kingdom: Make Your Own Sound (2026), based on Yuichi Jibiki's book about the punk-inspired Tokyo Rockers scene of the late 1970s.
Reunites the Iden & Tity (2003) writer/director partnership of Kankuro Kudo and Tomorowo Taguchi.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJa...
Reunites the Iden & Tity (2003) writer/director partnership of Kankuro Kudo and Tomorowo Taguchi.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJa...
映画『ストリート・キングダム 自分の音を鳴らせ。』特報映像
YouTube video by リアルサウンド映画部（サブチャンネル）
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:04 AM
First teaser for Street Kingdom: Make Your Own Sound (2026), based on Yuichi Jibiki's book about the punk-inspired Tokyo Rockers scene of the late 1970s.
Reunites the Iden & Tity (2003) writer/director partnership of Kankuro Kudo and Tomorowo Taguchi.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJa...
Reunites the Iden & Tity (2003) writer/director partnership of Kankuro Kudo and Tomorowo Taguchi.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJa...
Reposted by Mark Player
The Japanese film director Harada Masato (原田真人) died on December 8 at the age of 76. He made hit films like Climber's High as well as art films like Kamikaze Taxi. He appears as an actor in The Last Samurai.
www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainmen...
www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainmen...
原田真人さん死去 76歳 映画監督 「クライマーズ・ハイ」「燃えよ剣」「ヘルドッグス」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能
「クライマーズ・ハイ」など社会派の作品で知られる映画監督の原田真人（はらだ・まさと）さんが8日死去した。76歳。静岡県出身。葬儀は近親者で行う。後日、お別れ…
www.sponichi.co.jp
December 13, 2025 at 1:41 AM
The Japanese film director Harada Masato (原田真人) died on December 8 at the age of 76. He made hit films like Climber's High as well as art films like Kamikaze Taxi. He appears as an actor in The Last Samurai.
www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainmen...
www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainmen...
Reposted by Mark Player
Masao Adachi’s Escape is screening at the ICA from 16th January
ICA | UK PREMIERE Escape + online Q&A
The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is London’s leading space for contemporary culture. We commission, produce and present new work in film, music, performance and the visual arts by today’s most...
ica.art
December 11, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Masao Adachi’s Escape is screening at the ICA from 16th January
Reposted by Mark Player
"The Documentary Cinema of Haneda Sumiko
Japan in Transition through Gender, Arts, Nature and Society"
is finally out next March.
I've contributed with a chapter on Ode to Mt. Hayachine (a.k.a. The Poem of Hayachine Valley, 1982)
www.routledge.com/The-Document...
Japan in Transition through Gender, Arts, Nature and Society"
is finally out next March.
I've contributed with a chapter on Ode to Mt. Hayachine (a.k.a. The Poem of Hayachine Valley, 1982)
www.routledge.com/The-Document...
December 11, 2025 at 10:05 PM
"The Documentary Cinema of Haneda Sumiko
Japan in Transition through Gender, Arts, Nature and Society"
is finally out next March.
I've contributed with a chapter on Ode to Mt. Hayachine (a.k.a. The Poem of Hayachine Valley, 1982)
www.routledge.com/The-Document...
Japan in Transition through Gender, Arts, Nature and Society"
is finally out next March.
I've contributed with a chapter on Ode to Mt. Hayachine (a.k.a. The Poem of Hayachine Valley, 1982)
www.routledge.com/The-Document...
Cinema Skhole
Opened by Koji Wakamatsu in 1983, just a couple of minutes walk from Nagoya train station.
So many of Japan's longtime mini theatres have disappeared in recent years. It's great to see this one still open.
Opened by Koji Wakamatsu in 1983, just a couple of minutes walk from Nagoya train station.
So many of Japan's longtime mini theatres have disappeared in recent years. It's great to see this one still open.
December 10, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Cinema Skhole
Opened by Koji Wakamatsu in 1983, just a couple of minutes walk from Nagoya train station.
So many of Japan's longtime mini theatres have disappeared in recent years. It's great to see this one still open.
Opened by Koji Wakamatsu in 1983, just a couple of minutes walk from Nagoya train station.
So many of Japan's longtime mini theatres have disappeared in recent years. It's great to see this one still open.
A massive thank you to those who came to Japanese Cinema and Punk - Live in Nagoya yesterday.
Thanks again to Nagoya University for hosting me. Sorry for overrunning.
Thanks again to Nagoya University for hosting me. Sorry for overrunning.
December 10, 2025 at 4:41 AM
A massive thank you to those who came to Japanese Cinema and Punk - Live in Nagoya yesterday.
Thanks again to Nagoya University for hosting me. Sorry for overrunning.
Thanks again to Nagoya University for hosting me. Sorry for overrunning.
Reposted by Mark Player
Japan mutuals:
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
December 4, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Japan mutuals:
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
Japan mutuals:
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
December 4, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Japan mutuals:
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)
Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)
info below👇
Finally visited Video Market in Shinjuku, which stocks cult Blu-ray/DVD imports.
It's pleasantly strange seeing releases I've worked on in a Japanese shop, like 88 Films' recent blu of Zebraman (I wrote the essay).
Also decided to treat myself to the new New Wave Video release of Rubber's Lover.
It's pleasantly strange seeing releases I've worked on in a Japanese shop, like 88 Films' recent blu of Zebraman (I wrote the essay).
Also decided to treat myself to the new New Wave Video release of Rubber's Lover.
December 3, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Finally visited Video Market in Shinjuku, which stocks cult Blu-ray/DVD imports.
It's pleasantly strange seeing releases I've worked on in a Japanese shop, like 88 Films' recent blu of Zebraman (I wrote the essay).
Also decided to treat myself to the new New Wave Video release of Rubber's Lover.
It's pleasantly strange seeing releases I've worked on in a Japanese shop, like 88 Films' recent blu of Zebraman (I wrote the essay).
Also decided to treat myself to the new New Wave Video release of Rubber's Lover.
Tokyo Tower at night🗼
November 30, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Tokyo Tower at night🗼
An important dispatch from 'the other site'
November 28, 2025 at 12:19 PM
An important dispatch from 'the other site'
Many thanks again to Hiroshi Harada for helping with my research.
I'm off to Japan next week to give out more copies of Japanese Cinema and Punk to other filmmakers whose input made this project possible.
I'm off to Japan next week to give out more copies of Japanese Cinema and Punk to other filmmakers whose input made this project possible.
Mark Player著「Japanese Cinema and Punk: Intermedial Exchanges」(日本映画とパンク/2025年刊) に、1992年「地下幻燈劇画 少女椿」赤猫座興行と、1986年 京都ライブハウス CBGBで「二度と目覚めぬ子守唄」と 氷室京介主演「裸の24時間」が同時上映された事が掲載されました。
November 25, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Many thanks again to Hiroshi Harada for helping with my research.
I'm off to Japan next week to give out more copies of Japanese Cinema and Punk to other filmmakers whose input made this project possible.
I'm off to Japan next week to give out more copies of Japanese Cinema and Punk to other filmmakers whose input made this project possible.
Reposted by Mark Player
Mark Player著「Japanese Cinema and Punk: Intermedial Exchanges」(日本映画とパンク/2025年刊) に、1992年「地下幻燈劇画 少女椿」赤猫座興行と、1986年 京都ライブハウス CBGBで「二度と目覚めぬ子守唄」と 氷室京介主演「裸の24時間」が同時上映された事が掲載されました。
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Mark Player著「Japanese Cinema and Punk: Intermedial Exchanges」(日本映画とパンク/2025年刊) に、1992年「地下幻燈劇画 少女椿」赤猫座興行と、1986年 京都ライブハウス CBGBで「二度と目覚めぬ子守唄」と 氷室京介主演「裸の24時間」が同時上映された事が掲載されました。
Reposted by Mark Player
Tatsuya Nakadai riding a demon motorcycle to death in The Wicked City. What a legend.
November 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Tatsuya Nakadai riding a demon motorcycle to death in The Wicked City. What a legend.
Reposted by Mark Player
Shocked to hear of the death of Oki Hiroyuki, one of the pioneer queer filmmakers in Japan. He was only 61. Working in a variety of media and genres, from experimental and documentary film to performance art, Oki-san was a daring artist who made the body both the subject and the method of his art.
October 16, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Shocked to hear of the death of Oki Hiroyuki, one of the pioneer queer filmmakers in Japan. He was only 61. Working in a variety of media and genres, from experimental and documentary film to performance art, Oki-san was a daring artist who made the body both the subject and the method of his art.
Reposted by Mark Player
My partner appears in the Asahi newspaper, describing the collection of interviews she is putting together of filmmakers attending this year's Yamagata Film Festival.. Please support the crowd funding if you can.
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
世界各国の監督の声を届けたい 山形映画祭がCFでインタビュー集：朝日新聞
山形市で9日に開幕する山形国際ドキュメンタリー映画祭で、世界各国から訪れる映画監督のインタビュー集を作る資金をクラウドファンディング（CF）で募っている。インタビュー集編集長の小野聖子さんは「様々な…
www.asahi.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:28 AM
My partner appears in the Asahi newspaper, describing the collection of interviews she is putting together of filmmakers attending this year's Yamagata Film Festival.. Please support the crowd funding if you can.
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
Yoshihiko Matsui, director of Noisy Requiem, has made a new film - his first in 18 years. It's called Kon'na koto ga atta (こんな事があった)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLT5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLT5...
映画『こんな事があった』予告編｜9.13公開
YouTube video by イーチタイム
www.youtube.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Yoshihiko Matsui, director of Noisy Requiem, has made a new film - his first in 18 years. It's called Kon'na koto ga atta (こんな事があった)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLT5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLT5...
Reposted by Mark Player
If you're at FrightFest this weekend, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, with a wad of banknotes in your hand which I'll happily exchange for a signed copy of the new edition of Behind the Pink Curtain! #frightfest #pinkueiga #pinkfilm #behindthepinkcurtain #fabpress @fabpress.bsky.social
August 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
If you're at FrightFest this weekend, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, with a wad of banknotes in your hand which I'll happily exchange for a signed copy of the new edition of Behind the Pink Curtain! #frightfest #pinkueiga #pinkfilm #behindthepinkcurtain #fabpress @fabpress.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Player
Call for Papers: Mechademia 2026 Conference
Theme: Traversing Trans-Asian Imaginaries: Anime, Manga, and Media Cultures
Dates: 29–30 May, 2026
Location: National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
networks.h-net.org/group/announ...
Theme: Traversing Trans-Asian Imaginaries: Anime, Manga, and Media Cultures
Dates: 29–30 May, 2026
Location: National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
networks.h-net.org/group/announ...
CFP: Mechademia 2026 Conference (National University of Singapore, 29-30 May 2026; deadline 15 Oct. 2025) | H-Net
Annual ConferenceCall for Papers: Mechademia 2026 ConferenceTheme: Traversing Trans-Asian Imaginaries: Anime, Manga, and Media CulturesDates: 29–30 May, 2026Location: National University of Singapore ...
networks.h-net.org
August 20, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Call for Papers: Mechademia 2026 Conference
Theme: Traversing Trans-Asian Imaginaries: Anime, Manga, and Media Cultures
Dates: 29–30 May, 2026
Location: National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
networks.h-net.org/group/announ...
Theme: Traversing Trans-Asian Imaginaries: Anime, Manga, and Media Cultures
Dates: 29–30 May, 2026
Location: National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
networks.h-net.org/group/announ...
Reposted by Mark Player
Calling film fans in the UK!
Hong Kong Film Festival UK has announced full line-up for their latest edition. Opening with MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD (dir. Oliver Chan) and concluding with DRIFTING PETALS (dir. Clara Law).
For details: www.hkff.uk/fullprogramme
Hong Kong Film Festival UK has announced full line-up for their latest edition. Opening with MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD (dir. Oliver Chan) and concluding with DRIFTING PETALS (dir. Clara Law).
For details: www.hkff.uk/fullprogramme
August 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Calling film fans in the UK!
Hong Kong Film Festival UK has announced full line-up for their latest edition. Opening with MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD (dir. Oliver Chan) and concluding with DRIFTING PETALS (dir. Clara Law).
For details: www.hkff.uk/fullprogramme
Hong Kong Film Festival UK has announced full line-up for their latest edition. Opening with MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD (dir. Oliver Chan) and concluding with DRIFTING PETALS (dir. Clara Law).
For details: www.hkff.uk/fullprogramme
Reposted by Mark Player
Happy Publication Day to Me
Darkness Visible the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer is available from the publisher at the lowest price £16 in the UK or $18 US
stickingplacebooks.com/darkness-vis...
Darkness Visible the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer is available from the publisher at the lowest price £16 in the UK or $18 US
stickingplacebooks.com/darkness-vis...
Darkness Visible: The Cinema of Jonathan Glazer - Sticking Place Books
John Bleasdale Jonathan Glazer has created some of the most unforgettable images in twenty-first-century cinema. From the dreamlike menace of Sexy Beast to the haunting abstractions of Under the Skin ...
stickingplacebooks.com
July 28, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Happy Publication Day to Me
Darkness Visible the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer is available from the publisher at the lowest price £16 in the UK or $18 US
stickingplacebooks.com/darkness-vis...
Darkness Visible the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer is available from the publisher at the lowest price £16 in the UK or $18 US
stickingplacebooks.com/darkness-vis...
Reposted by Mark Player
Keishi Kondo's slowburn horror NEW RELIGION is part of our 20th Anniversary #Sale going on til June 6 @terracottadist.bsky.social!
20% off in cart!
shop.terracottadistribution.com/products/new...
Bluray has loads of bonus features @keishikondo.bsky.social
Region free release
20% off in cart!
shop.terracottadistribution.com/products/new...
Bluray has loads of bonus features @keishikondo.bsky.social
Region free release
May 28, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Keishi Kondo's slowburn horror NEW RELIGION is part of our 20th Anniversary #Sale going on til June 6 @terracottadist.bsky.social!
20% off in cart!
shop.terracottadistribution.com/products/new...
Bluray has loads of bonus features @keishikondo.bsky.social
Region free release
20% off in cart!
shop.terracottadistribution.com/products/new...
Bluray has loads of bonus features @keishikondo.bsky.social
Region free release