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Mark Player

@markplayer.bsky.social
91 followers 67 following 36 posts

Writer/researcher. East Asian cinema (mainly Japan), 8mm film, (cyber)punk and DIY media. Book: JAPANESE CINEMA AND PUNK - out now linktr.ee/markdplayer

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Aaron Gerow @dengerow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
News that Japanese film director Masuda Toshio died on August 26 at the age of 98. Famed for his Nikkatsu Action films, blockbuster movies like Tora! Tora! Tora! and the anime film Space Battleship Yamato. www.nikkansports.com/entertainmen...
nikkansports.com
映画監督の舛田利雄さん死去、98歳「二百三高地」「宇宙戦艦ヤマト」ジャンル超えて娯楽作生む - おくやみ : 日刊スポーツ
「赤いハンカチ」「二百三高地」など多くの娯楽作を生んだ映画監督の舛田利雄(ますだ・としお)さんが8月26日午前11時1分、老衰のため東京都の病院で死去した。9… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム(nikkansports.com)
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Jasper Sharp @jaspersharp.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Sad to hear of the passsing of Jeremy Thomas, one of those stalwarts who kept the British film industry alive and created more than a few classics on the way - THE SHOUT and MERRY CHRISTMAS MR LAWRENCE immediately spring to mind.
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Third Window Films @thirdwindowfilms.com · 18/08/2026
SURVIVE STYLE 5+ Coming to 4K UHD + Blu-ray October 19 UK cinemas from Sep 10 thirdwindowfilms.com/films/surviv... WORLDWIDE 4K UHD & BLU-RAY DEBUT SPECIAL FEATURES: ・New interview w/director Gen Sekiguchi ・New interview w/writer Taku Tada ・Original Making Of Booklet @simonsaybrams.bsky.social
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Lucas Peverill @lucaspeverillart.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
New Blu-Ray Reverse-Slipcover artwork used in Toy Robot Video X @arrowvideo.bsky.social release of Kōsei Saitō's Ninja Wars (1982) I am thrilled that I also got the chance one of my favourites Hiroyuki Sanada 🗡 Big thank you to @jaspersharp.bsky.social for the chance to work on this film.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The Asian Film Archive invited me to share some thoughts about their recent 'RECIPROCAL' collaborative film programme, which included films by Gakuryu Ishii, Takashi Ito, Kaori Oda, Daniel Hui, Ashish Avikunthak and more.
asianfilmarchive.org
The Meaning of Independent Cinema at Reciprocal 2026 | Asian Film Archive
Mark Player, an independent scholar with a focus on Japanese independent cinema reflects on the amateur and independent films presented in Reciprocal 2026.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
My article about the pioneering Japanese amateur filmmaker Taro Nakayama has been published online by the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive. This is part of a multi-year project on Nakayama. Context available here: toshokan.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/events/detai...
toshokan.city.fukuoka.lg.jp
エッセイ「中山太郎:アマチュア映画に捧げた生涯」寄稿:マーク・プレイヤー氏
本や地域資料、映像資料のほか映画館や喫茶もある、福岡市総合図書館のホームページです。本館・分館のおはなし会など、イベント情報も掲載します。
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Terracotta Distribution @terracottadist.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Re-issued in October! An epic tale of a woman's life from childhood to her last days living as a tramp. Stars Miki Nakatani, the film has been described as AMELIE on speed Preorder #terracottastore Shop.terracottadistribution.com #japanesefilm #japanesecinema #japanesemovie #japaneseactress
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Steven Sloss 🛸 @stevensloss.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I have a new bit of writing up on the BFI website, tying into their upcoming No Strings Attached: Puppets on Film season! Fun to explore the use of hand and marionette puppetry in five of Ishiro Honda's kaiju films: www.bfi.org.uk/features/all...
bfi.org.uk
All-out puppet attack! The monster puppetry in Ishiro Honda’s kaiju classics
From Godzilla to Ghidorah, the giant monster movies of Ishiro Honda made creative use of puppetry to depict the killer creatures and their colossal campaigns against mankind. Here, Steven Sloss, autho...
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Sean Gilman @theendofcinema.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
RIP Nansun Shi, one of the greatest producers in film history deadline.com/2026/07/nans...
deadline.com
Nansun Shi Dies: Film Workshop Founder & ‘Infernal Affairs’ Producer Was 75
Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi, whose credits include A Better Tomorrow, Infernal Affairs and multiple films with Tsui Hark, has died aged 75.
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matteoB @matteob.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"The National Film Archive of Japan has launched a crowdfunding campaign to protect film heritage, with a target of 100 million yen" this is the result of a series of cuts and "restructurings" proposed by the government...
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Some photos from my recent participation in the Reciprocal programme at the Asian Film Archive in Singapore. Many thanks to AFA and the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive for hosting me.
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William Andrews @william-andrews.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
It gives me great pleasure to share the release of my decade-in-the-writing critical biography of filmmaker/activist Adachi Masao. Pink Auteur, Red Outlaw: Adachi Masao and Japan’s Cinema of Revolution is out September 1 via Awai Books. awaimedia.com/WilliamAndre...
Pink Auteur, Red Outlaw: Adachi Masao and Japan’s Cinema of Revolution
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
This year's Japan Cuts in New York are premiering new 4K restorations of Gakuryu/Sogo Ishii's short films Shuffle (1981) and Master of Shiatsu (1989). Screening on 11 July. japansociety.org/events/shuff...
japansociety.org
Shuffle & The Master of Shiatsu
World 4K Premiere. Two essential short and mid-length works from Gakuryu (Formerly Sogo) Ishii: Shuffle, a Katsuhiro Otomo-adapted, mile-a-minute monochrome sprint, and Master of Shiatsu, the inaugura...
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matteoB @matteob.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Nakamura Yuko's excellent documentary A Room of Her Own: Rei Naito and Light あえかなる部屋 内藤礼と、光たち (2015) is free on YT until the end of the month: youtu.be/lHJ_6xh-yg4?...
youtu.be
あえかなる部屋 内藤礼と、光たち
YouTube video by YouTube Movies
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Very excited to announce that I will be taking part in Reciprocal 2026, taking place at the Asian Film Archive in Singapore next month. Initial programme info: asianfilmarchive.org/event-calend...
asianfilmarchive.org
Reciprocal 2026 - Asian Film Archive (AFA) x Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (FCPLA) | Asian Film Archive
In the 2026 edition of RECIPROCAL, Asian Film Archive and the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (FCPLFA) come together to showcase selections from their archives.
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Andrew Pope @andrewpope.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Sad to hear of the passing of Koji Suzuki, aged 68. Ring, Spiral, Dark Water… his fiction helped birth J-horror, and rewired how the whole world thinks about dread. A huge loss. Unlike Sadako, rest in peace. ❤️
Koji Suzukiリング (1998)
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Jasper Sharp @jaspersharp.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
So excited to see this monolithic title finally getting an HD release - disc extras include a conversation between me and Joe O'Rourke, and a wonderful introduction from @dengerow.bsky.social - all filmed and edited by @sarahappleton.bsky.social
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Jasper Sharp @jaspersharp.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Some very say news just in, but Shozin Fukui, director of Pinocchio 964 and Rubbers Lover, passed away on 2 April. As some might know, in the midst of a resurgence of interest in his work that culminated with a 2025 retrospective at K's Cinema in Shinjuku, he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
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Aaron Gerow @dengerow.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
It was announced that one of the greatest manga artists of all time, Tsuge Yoshiharu, died on March 3, at the age of 88. His unique world inspired many, including many filmmakers. RIP. sp.m.jiji.com/english/show...
sp.m.jiji.com
Japanese Manga Artist Yoshiharu Tsuge Dies at 88
Prominent Japanese manga artist Yoshiharu Tsuge, best known for "Nejishiki," which was published in 1968, died of aspiration pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on March 3. He was 88. Born in Tokyo's Ka...
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matteoB @matteob.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"Oakland-based Yanasa is proud to announce the launch of 3 Dragons Ltd. in partnership with Tokyo-based Cogitoworks Ltd. This new venture is dedicated to preserving, presenting, and expanding the work of pioneering Japanese filmmaker Gakuryu Ishii." www.einnews.com/pr_news/8987...
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
One of the most fascinating Japanese films of the 1970s.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Many thanks to those who came to yesterday's packed screening of TETSUO at The Garden Cinema in London. Thank you to The Garden for letting me say a few words about this head-banger of a film.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Less than three weeks to The Garden Cinema screening of Tetsuo: The Iron Man, with an introduction by me. www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/tetsuo-...
thegardencinema.co.uk
Tetsuo: The Iron Man / The Garden Cinema
Our screening on Thursday 26 February will be introduced by Mark Player, author of Japanese Cinema and Punk, and will be followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.    A strange man kn...
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Paul Roquet @inqualia.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Join us for a follow-up conference to Cultural Politics of the Computational Image, this time online. Friday, January 23, day/night. Register for the zooms at: globalmediations.mit.edu/cpci-workshop/
Poster for "More Cultural Politics of the Computational Image," Friday Jan 23, 2026. 

Schedule
SESSION 1. 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST  
Amitabh Vikram (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University), “Holy Pixels: Temple CCTV, Darshan Livestreams, and Crowd Vision”
Ann Wang (University of Pennsylvania), “Amphibious Tropics: Automation, Extraction, and the Imaging (Making) of Malaysia’s Geospatial Landscape”
Hansun Hsiung (Durham University), “NHK Engineers Meet Media Theory: The Televisual Image in Japan’s ‘Informationalizing Society’”

SESSION 2. 8:00 – 9:30 PM EST
Ding-Liang Chen (National Tsing Hua University), “Prospecting Resource: Early Satellite Vision and War Ecologies in Southeast Asia”
Joia Duskic (UCLA), “The Procession Does Not Proceed, It Gets Prompted from the Sidelines”
Yedong Sh-Chen (Harvard University), “Under the Chinese Skin: A Digital Dermatology of Video Games”

Register at https://globalmediations.mit.edu/cpci-workshop/
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Tom Mes @midnightmes.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
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
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...
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Third Window Films @thirdwindowfilms.com · 20/12/2025
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!
thegardencinema.co.uk
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…
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
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...
youtu.be
1980s: The Lost Decade of Japanese Cinema
YouTube video by The Garden Cinema
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
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...
youtube.com
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)
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Aaron Gerow @dengerow.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
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...
sponichi.co.jp
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…
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Hayley Scanlon @hayleylscanlon.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Masao Adachi’s Escape is screening at the ICA from 16th January
ica.art
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...
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matteoB @matteob.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
"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...
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
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.
Exterior view of Cinema Skhole on Nagoya, Japan.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
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.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
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👇
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
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👇
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
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.
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Tokyo Tower at night🗼
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
An important dispatch from 'the other site'
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
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.
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Kiyubaru @kiyubaru.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
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。
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Dylan Cheung @dylancheung.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Tatsuya Nakadai riding a demon motorcycle to death in The Wicked City. What a legend.
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Aaron Gerow @dengerow.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
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.
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Aaron Gerow @dengerow.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
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...
asahi.com
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…
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Mark Player @markplayer.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
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...
youtube.com
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
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Jasper Sharp @jaspersharp.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
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
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The Murders in the Brian Ruh Morgue @brianruh.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
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...
networks.h-net.org
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 ...
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Siu Heng @siuheng.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
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
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John Bleasdale @www.johnbleasdale.com · 28/07/2025
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...
stickingplacebooks.com
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 ...
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Third Window Films @thirdwindowfilms.com · 28/05/2025
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
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Third Window Films @thirdwindowfilms.com · 29/05/2025
Save 20% on all Third Window x Nobuhiko Obayashi blurays until June 6th as part of our 20th Anniversary Sale going on now @terracottadist.bsky.social‬! shop.terracottadistribution.com/collections/... 20% off in cart!
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