Today marks the start of the Japanese Film Festival. Since opening night is for invites only, I will watch the films in the next few days.
I’m so excited with this so I researched on the posters and synopsis of the films. I’ll watch based on visual creativity, meaning how they created the posters! hahaha! :)) But of course, I still have to read the plot of the movie. Based from my research, these are the films I’m likely to watch for the next couple of days. I ranked it to the most preferred to the least ones.
Departures (Okuribito)
Schedule: July 2 – 4:00 PM; July 8 – 7:00 PM; July 9 – 1:00 PM
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is an aspiring cellist newly hired by a symphony in Tokyo. No sooner than Daigo’s first performance with the orchestra he receives the devastating news that the orchestra will be disbanded. Daigo made the fateful decision to mortgage his future by purchasing a cello that cost well over $100,000. A newly unemployed cellist takes a job preparing the dead for funerals.
The Chef of South Polar (Omoshiro Nankyoku Ryurinin)
Schedule: July 2 – 1:00 PM; July 3 – 7:00 PM; July 10 – 7:00 PM
A comedy about food and life at a research station in Antarctica. A cook named Nishimura (Masato Sakai) leaves his family behind in order to assist the expedition. Out in the middle of nowhere, Nishimura manages to cook extravagant meals consisting of high-class ingredients like foie gras, spiny lobster, and Matsuzaka beef in this true story of wintering party male bonding.
One Million Yen Girl (Hyakuman-en to Nigamushi Onna)
Schedule: July 5 – 4:00 PM; July 6 – 1:00 PM; July 9 – 4:00 PM
Suzuko Sato (Yu Aoi) is an unremarkable young teen that has trouble fitting in. While her younger brother is often praised for his smarts, her family & neighbors have nothing to say about Suzuko. She decided to save up one million yen with the goal of moving out of town. She then plans to find another job, save one million yen, and then move on to the next town.
Your Friend (Kimi no Tomodachi)
Schedule: July 5 – 1:00 PM; July 7 – 7:00 PM; July 8 – 1:00 PM
Two girls at the age of ten, both with a physical handicap meet at school and become life-long friends.
Summer Days with Coo (Kappa no Kwu to Natsuyasumi)
Schedule: July 3 – 1:00 PM; July 10 – 1:00 PM
Japanese animated film about a kappa and its impact on an ordinary suburban family, directed by Keiichi Hara.
Feel the Wind (Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru)
Schedule: July 5 – 7:00 PM; July 7 – 1:00 PM; July 10 – 4:00 PM
A talented runner, who was not able to run due to injuries, meets another gifted runner who has left the track field after causing trouble. Their encounter revives their passion to run once again. Through the training and the experience, each member finds their inner strength and the joy of feeling the wind.
Climber’s High (Kuraimazu Hai)
Schedule: July 4 – 7:00 PM; July 6 – 4:00 PM; July 7 – 4:00 PM
The film looks at the impact the country’s worst airplane disaster had on a local newspaper as shock, excitement and chaos swirled around
Villon’s Wife (Viyon no tsuma)
Schedule: July 4 – 4:00 PM; July 9 – 7:00 PM
“Villon’s Wife” depicts the life of a novelist and his wife, who sticks with him despite his debts, alcoholism and affairs with other women.
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
Schedule: July 2 – 7:00 PM; July 3 – 4:00 PM; July 6 – 7:00 PM
During the Meiji era a team of explorers bravely search the last empty space on Japan’s maps: the peak of Tsurugidake in the Hida Mountains.
Yunagi City, Sakura Country (Yunagi no machi sakura no kuni)
Schedule: July 4 – 1:00 PM; July 8 – 4:00 PM
This is a story about those who at least initially survived the first U.S. atomic bombing of 1945 and their descendants in contemporary times. The film, based on a comic by Fumiyo Kono, jumps between the two time frames and quietly depicts the sorrow and mortification experienced through the everyday lives of laid-back and soft-spoken Hiroshima people.
To know more details for each film, visit Asian Media Wiki.
To check the complete list of schedules, visit: Eiga Sai 2011
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