Asia House announces new Film Festival Artistic Director
Jasper Sharp is the new Artistic Director of the Asia House Film Festival
Asia House announces new Film Festival Artistic Director
05 February 2015
Asia House is pleased to announce independent film curator, writer and filmmaker Jasper Sharp as the new Artistic Director for our 2015 Asia House Film Festival, which will take place from 27 March to 31 March, 2015.
Sharp is one of the world’s leading experts on Japanese cinema and has a deep interest in films from Asia and about the Asia Pacific region. He will be responsible for the programming of the Asia House Film Festival working closely with Asia House Head of Arts and Learning Pamela Kember.
“We very much looking forward to working with Jasper who brings his vast knowledge of cinematic history and new digital enterprises to form part of our exciting and ongoing Asia House Film Festival, made possible each year, through the generous support of Prudential. Jasper has an immense insight into the new generation of filmmakers from and focusing on Asia and we greatly look forward to seeing the line-up for this year’s Festival.”
Sharp currently resides in London. He previously lived and worked in Montreal and Amsterdam and spent three years in Tokyo, where he nurtured his passion for Japanese cinema and its illustrious history.
He has curated numerous film events and has a PhD from the University of Sheffield in Film Studies, with his thesis being on Japanese production and exhibition technologies of the 1950s.
He has written extensively on Japanese cinema, with books including The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film (which he co-authored) and The Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema.
His film reviews and articles have appeared in numerous publications across the world, from Poland to South Korea, including chapters in several anthologies: The Cinema of Japan and Korea (24 Frames) for Wallflower Press; Film Out of Bounds: Essays and Interviews on Non-Mainstream Cinema Worldwide for McFarland & Co; and Ga Netchu! The Manga Anime Syndrome for Deutsches Filmmuseum and Tokyolife. He has also contributed liner notes, commentaries and video interviews for numerous DVD releases. As a filmmaker, he has directed the feature-length science documentary The Creeping Garden, which is about plasmodial slime moulds.
He programmed for London’s Raindance Film Festival (between 2005-9) as well as curated a number of high-profile seasons and retrospectives at the British Film Institute, the Deutches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt, Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival.
Sharp said: “I am really excited to be working with Asia House and using this opportunity to help expand understanding among London audiences of the rich and diverse array of cinemas, cultures and societies across the whole of the Asian continent.”
naomi.canton@asiahouse.co.uk
To read about this year’s Asia House Film Festival announcement click here.
