Suteki na Dynamite Scandal

Natural born rebel and entrepreneur Akira Suei became Japan’s porn-mag mogul in the ’80s. While he flooded the market with erotic pictures, he also introduced the sophisticated work of now-acclaimed writers and photographers, including Araki Nobuyoshi and Moriyama Daido. Director Tominaga Masanori brings Suei’s 1982 memoir to the screen with this monumental biopic that chronicles his rise from sign painter to publisher and beyond. Suei’s pivotal struggle with Japan’s prudish moral right is woven with tales of personal demons, from his mother’s literally explosive demise to his own turbulent relationships, set against the backdrop of Japan’s bursting bubble economy. (New York Asian Film Festival)