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After selling out multiple venues across Vancouver, Jeffery’s Chen Baker band is back (and bigger than ever) to present a set of city pop and jazzy J-pop before the screening of the hilarious underdog comedy Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t (1992). Featuring an ensemble seasoned gigging musicians and rising stars, the septet will be celebrating the music of Miki Matsubara, Taeko Ohnuki, Lamp, and more!
Kitty Jia — vocals
Brittany Or — keyboard
Jack Lee — trumpet
Neal Wang — saxophones
Piyotr Kao — bass
Dario Acosta — drums
Jeffery Chen — guitar
+ Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t (Masayuki Suô, Japan, 1992, 103 min)
This hilarious sports underdog story from the director of Shall We Dance won 5 Japan Academy Awards including Best Film, and was the inspiration for the recent Disney+ spin off series. Deftly sidestepping the problem that few actors make convincing sumo wrestlers, Suo sets his scenario at the bottom of the ladder, at a college sumo club so low in the standings it only has one member, who has yet to graduate after eight years of trying. Shuhei (Masahiro Motoki) is talked into joining by his wily professor, but decides to stick around when he gets sight of the pretty manager, Natsuko (Misa Shimizu). Humiliated in his first tournament, Shuhei swears to turn things around…
[A] fully entertaining, sometimes laugh out loud movie about sports underdogs who rise to success….
Japan On Film
A rare treasure, and a pinnacle of its genre.
Grant Watson, Fiction Machine
Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t is still the best sumo movie and one of the best Japanese sports comedies ever.
Mark Schilling
Media Partner
Chen Baker
Jun 14
7:30 pm
VIFF Centre, VIFF Cinema
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Credits
Screenwriter
Masayuki Suô
Cinematography
Naoki Kayano
Editor
Jun’ichi Kikuchi
Original Music
Yoshikazu Suo
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