Pics from the Premiere of Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE!

If there's been a better brain-breaking erotic hip-hop musical at Midnight Madness than Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE, I sure haven't seen it. A packed house at the Ryerson was treated to rap battles, kung-fu action, and what I'm convinced is some of the most unique 'furniture' that will grace the TIFF screen this year!

Check out intrepid photographer Ian Goring's snaps from last night's wild ride:

Didn't you miss these lines, folks? 

Two of the best-dressed producers to ever grace the Midnight Madness stage! Gotta love that upholstery suit, and in such a tasteful yellow.

Young Dais throws up my personal favourite gang sign - the dreaded "pleasant wave"!

Sion Sono reps the hard streets of Milwaukee (by way of Japan) with his 'EHHHHH!' gang sign.

Does two people constitute a gang? When you're Young Dais and Sion Sono it does!

Sion Sono and Colin Geddes discover the hidden crop of invisible scary mangoes growing outside the Ryerson. Try to spot them at your next screening, they're delicious and spooky.

The Ryerson crowd getting packed in for the first screening of Midnight Madness 2014!

Colin hypes up an already-hyped Ryerson crowd for TOKYO TRIBE!

And as if the crowd weren't already rabid for rap-battling Tokyo gangs, Sono and Dais let loose on stage to let everyone know what time it is! (The time was approximately 12:15am.)

Sion Sono wraps up one of the most bizarre screenings I can recall. 

You can still catch TOKYO TRIBE at the last screening here at TIFF! And don't forget about the nine other films we've got on tap for the rest of the fest

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

Video: TOKYO TRIBE Midnight Madness International Premiere Post-Screening Q&A

Tokyo Tribe had it's International Premiere last night at midnight madness. The Ryerson theater is still shaking with the bass from the speakers. Here is Colin Geddes' intro and post-screening Q&A with director Sion Sono and actor and Japanese hip-hop superstar Young Dais. The complete intor and post-screening Q&A video is below.


TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

Twitter buzz for Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE!

Your faithful bloggers have been scouring social media to see what the Midnight Madness audience's been saying about the completely insane TOKYO TRIBE, which brought the house down at the Ryerson last night for the first screening at 2014's Midnight Madness programme!

If these tweets have whet your appetite for Sion Sono's erotic rap battle musical tribute to West Side Story (that's right), check out one of the other screenings at TIFF!

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

Video: SION SONO TOYKO TRIBE Red Carpet Interview: "Cinema Is My Life"

Mic Check! Tokyo Tribe! Mic Check! Tokyo Tribe. Testing 1, 2, 3. Yo! Raise your hands up! This is an epic hip-hop battle. Guns, samurai swords, round house kicks to the head and the unrelenting pulsing thump, thump of bass. Sion Sono director of Why Don't You Play In Hell winner of the 2013 Midnight Madness People's Choice award returned to midnight madness last night with his latest picture Tokyo Tribe. Robert Mitchell wasn't going to be allowed on the red carpet but said Yo! Bum Rush The Show! and spoke with the amazing director Sion Sono and lead actor and Japanese hip-hop superstar Young Dias.



TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

5 Facts about TOKYO TRIBE director SION SONO!

 Director SION SONO returns with this year's opening film Toyko Tribe! He's directed some very unique films  including Last's years Midnight Madness hit  Why Don't You Play in Hell --and Love Exposure, Cold Fish, Suicide Club, and Noriko's Dinner Table to name a few. Sono is a charismatic figure in Japan, with a very interesting personality!  Here are some things I would never have guessed about him:

1. When he was a teenager, he was a prolific poet, and was published in several magazines.

2. He has a band called Revolution Q (which originated from one of his movies Love and Peace (coming 2015), and will be participating in a  battle of the bands  with another band called ART-SCHOOL sept 30th in Tokyo.

3. After being a filmmaker for some time, and even some moderate success he was homeless for 6 months in America. He faced this hardship with a positive attitude, seeking to be enriched by this unique life experience. During this period he drew Japanese Manga Style Portraits at the beach for money.

4.  Sono has the actor's touch of gold: in Japan many actors who work with him experience evolved careers, and go on to have great success.

6.  His film Suicide Club is a result of him watching American Z-movie indie films, and noticing that as a filmmaker, you don't only have to be traditional--that he can do something crazy. "I was incorrect before, this is ALSO a movie, and I should just make it with this "low level" feeling."

Then he called his friends, and said: "I wanna make Bizarre movies."

And the first film of this new wave was Suicide Club, which went on to win 2001 Fantasia Festival's  Grand Jury Prize.

Special Thanks to my wife for translating!

Sources:
http://jisin.jp/news/2626/6996/
www.Sionsono.com
www.art-school.net/liv.html

TOKYO TRIBE screening times: 

Thu., Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON 

Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8 Sun., 

Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3