Self-Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle | LIFFF

This is a film screening from Features Competition Section of 2024 London International Fantastic Film Festival.

Gakuryu ISHII, a professor at the Kobe Design University film course, suddenly
disappears, driven into a state of madness by the practice of his own ideology, the “Self-Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle”. His colleague, Assistant Professor TAKEDA, and his assistant TANIMOTO are baffled by the treatment of his “work textbook for the revolution
of the inner consciousness, which aims at the expansion of the individual imagination and perception, and the strengthening of the will”. After some conflicts, they choose to try the work with voluntary students, while Takeda follows the shadow of the missing Ishii, which eventually leads to a mysterious cave exploration. By practising the texts they have chosen, the students find themselves lost in a labyrinthine world of expanded imagination and expanded consciousness, as if in a film.

Through this experience, they become aware of the invisible shadowy pressures that constrain their will, imagination and perception, and of the sense of stagnation, powerlessness and isolation that covers them. However, Ishii, the man who disappeared, is slaughtered by a symbolic shadow pressure during the ultimate work he was doing deep in the mountains beyond the cave. But the film is stopped and the real world is documented.

The director, Professor Ishii, is confused and distressed about the direction of his work while editing the film “Self-Revolutionary Film Struggle” with Takeda. He hides his difficulties and devotes himself to rehearsals, persuading the students who do not understand the intentions of the script for the rest of the shoot, in order to break the stalled production and rebuild the film. Suddenly, however, an unprecedented corona disaster strikes, which also affects the filming of the film, leading to the closure of the university and a ban on extracurricular activities.

The cinema is a cave that is essential to modern cities, a shelter for the hearts of modern people.
The ʻfilmʼ that we experience in the cinema envelops the hearts of modern people,
who are separated, divided and isolated, with darkness, magical light and sound
resonance, and gives us a precious experience and inspiration.
The ʻSelf-Revolutionary Film Struggleʼ is
a record of the ʻstruggleʼ with ʻfilmʼ to ʻrevolutioniseʼ ʻoneselfʼ in everyday life.

London International Fantastic Film Festival (LIFFF), debuting this year, is a celebration of extraordinary and visionary cinema. Founded by a passionate collective of cinephiles, LIFFF is dedicated to showcasing the most imaginative and boundary-pushing films from across the globe. The festival’s board and advisors represent a diverse range of expertise across science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the avant-garde. As a not-for-profit organization, LIFFF serves as a vital platform for independent filmmakers and cinephiles alike. It provides an immersive space where filmmakers can present their creative work and where audiences can experience the fantastic and surreal. We seek to foster meaningful interactions between filmmakers and cinephiles locally and internationally, through in-person and online screenings and events.

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