Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2011

A trio of films by always-controversial director Lars Von Trier will be featured in an all-night screening at Shin-Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (3F, 1-43-5 Higashi-Ikebukuro Toshima-ku; www.shin-bungeiza.com), September 3, starting 10:30pm. The Danish filmmaker has been barred from the Cannes Film Festival after making political jokes this year, and at a previous appearance throwing his award certificate into the nearest trash can. However, top actresses continue to line up to work with the director, including Nicole Kidman in Dogville (2003; pictured), Bryce Dallas Howard in Manderlay (2005) and Charlotte Gainsbourg in Antichrist (2009)… Shinjuku Musashinokan (3-27-10 Shinjuku; http://shinjuku.musashino-k.jp) is continuing its series of masterpieces of the Hollywood renaissance of the ‘60s-‘70s with a screening of Days of Heaven (1978) from August 27. The Terrence Malick-directed drama stars Richard Gere as a struggling farmer in Texas at the beginning of the 20th century… The latest work by Czech animation master Jan Švankmajer is screening at Shibuya’s Image Forum (2-10-2 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; www.imageforum.co.jp) from August 27. The film uses cutout animation to portray the daydreams of a married man who fantasizes about meeting another woman.

Unless otherwise noted, Japanese films are shown without English subtitles and non-English language films are shown with only Japanese subtitles.