| Start: | Jul 1, '09 |
| End: | Jul 31, '09 |
| Location: | philippines |
Originally celebrated in the month of February, the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month is now celebrated in the month of July to commemorate the designation of July 23 as Philippines-Japan Friendship Day by H.E. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries in 2006.
Some of the cultural events and activities to mark the Friendship month which I am interested in are:
Eiga Sai'09
A select lineup of films which have garnered positive media reviews and attracted the attention of a large number of Japanese viewers will be shown in Manila (July 2-12, Shangri-La Mall Cinema 3, Mandaluyong City), Baguio (August 7-11, Baguio Center Mall), Cebu (July 28 – August 2, Ayala Center Cebu Cinema 4) and Davao (July 18-19, Gaisano South CitiMall Cinema). This year's Eiga Sai brings together eight feature films from different genres that will provide the audience with a glimpse into Japanese culture and society (from 1950's to contemporary). Admission is open to the public and free of charge. (For the detailed film screening schedules, please visit www.jfmo.org.ph or call 811-6155)
J-Classic Concert - A Night of Japanese Harmony
The highlighting event of this year's Friendship Month. Four internationally renowned and acclaimed musicians from Japan will serenade the audience for two nights (July 14-15) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino with their rendition of a repertoire of well-loved western classical music and Japanese popular pieces. Mr. Susumu Aoyagi (piano), Ms. Takako Hagiwara (flute), Ms. Ayako Ishikawa (violin) and Ms. Risa Kataoka (koto) will be joined by special guest guitarist Mr. Sixto “Butch” Roxas for their performance. (For ticket reservations, please call 811-6155 or email: email@jfmo.org.ph )
New Generation Art Exhibit
An exhibition of contemporary Japanese art including paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and video works by eleven young artists. This exhibit will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design of the School of Design and Arts of the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde from July 7 to August 7.
J-Pop Anime Singing Competition Grand Finale
Ten best groups selected out of eighty-five will perform their favorite J-Pop/anime numbers at the Market! Market! Activity Center on Saturday, July 25. The audience will also be treated to other activities such as the JFM's manga library, anime-making demonstration by TOEI Philippines and musical performance by special guests. Short classic animes produced during the budding period of Japanese animation (between the 1920s and 1950s) will also be shown on the Activity Center big screen to coincide with the J-Pop Anime Singing Competition. This event is presented with the cooperation of HERO TV, TOEI Animation Philippines, Nihongo Center Foundation, Ayala Malls Market! Market! and MAX FM 103.5.
3rd International Silent Film Festival
From July 30 to August 27, classic masterpieces from the bygone era of silent films will be brought back to the limelight with the screening of the 3 rd International Silent Film Festival to be held at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City. Live musical performances from talented artists accompany the screening to recapture the glory days of silent films through music.
Japanese Film Festival “Eiga Sai ‘09” opens on July 2
ReplyDeleteThis year’s offering brings together 7 contemporary films and 1 anime film in 35mm format. An invitational screening of Always – Sunset on Third Street (Always San-chome no yuhi, 2005) by director Yamazaki Takashi will be held on July 2, 2009 (Thursday) at 7:00 p.m. at the Shangri-La Plaza Cinema 3, Edsa, Mandaluyong City.
Other films to be featured are Memories of Matsuko (Kiraware Matsuko no issho, 2006) directed by Nakashima Tetsuya, Kamome Diner (Kamome shokudo, 2006) directed by Ogigami Naoko, Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no kioku, 2006) directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko, The Milkwoman (Itsuka dokusho suru hi, 2005) directed by Ogata Akira, Turn Over - An Angel Is Coming on a Bicycle (Futari biyori, 2004) directed by Nomura Keiichi, Tony Takitani (Toni Takitani, 2004) directed by Ichikawa Jun, and the sole anime film Mind Game (Mind Game, 2004) directed by Masaaki Yuasa.
Enjoy Cat!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ted..I had hoped for more anime..but oh well...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you have seen some of the films mentioned?
wow, good luck cat and enjoy! are you gonna be in costume?
ReplyDeleteNah, I'm not big on Japanese movies or Anime.
ReplyDeletehmm...how about movies which are not particularly Japanese? Although I've always liked Kurosawa-sama's movies, I also like other countries' movies
ReplyDeletehi Ozz..nope..just going to watch..I never participate in cosplay exhibits (more a problem of where do I get the costume etc.)... I like watching how Pinoys come up with their creative ways of duplicating the costumes though...
ReplyDeleteI like Kurosawa of course, and Itami of "Tampopo" fame, but generally they seem to be pretty lousy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in the U.S. I preferred foreign films and independent films to Hollywood films. However, after moving to Japan I lost the subtitles I relied on for all those French, Italian, Chinese etc. films. Even Japanese films were ironically cut off as my language skills are not good enough to watch them without subtitles.
Last year we bought a DVD player from a stall in Akihabara and now we can buy DVDs from the United States and foreign films are now open to me again. However, I haven't bought many films and have been buying TV series instead like LOST, which is much much cheaper than it would be to buy in Japan roughly half the price.
Take care
aha! Tampopo..now that was interesting..I saw it first in B-school (something about leadership hehehe) and then later when I found out that it was censored I became curious and finally got my hands on a copy :-)
ReplyDeletethat is good..though I commiserate that you have not been able to see more films but more on tv series.
ReplyDeletesometimes when I get too busy and can't see the film (like the current Transformers movie), I just console myself and say - I will wait till it is shown on cable tv (^_^)
It got censored? The nudity is very minor in that film.
ReplyDeleteyup, they cut it out when they showed it to us...
ReplyDeletethat egg scene though sure got me shaking my head..
Yeah. That was something.
ReplyDeleteoh dear..tomorrow I do so wish to start on Eiga Sai but an unhappy incident with plumbing may not allow me to watch it (for that day at least)...we were supposed to start off with the drama of "Memories of Tomorrow".
ReplyDeleteon second thought, I don't like drama...so maybe I will see if I can queue for "Mind Game"
oh shoot..I can't also see Mind Game on Sunday...due to my pending move of things to another place...
ReplyDeleteI got this from the net (IMDb when I googled the movie...
The film follows Nishi, a loser who has a crush on his childhood girlfriend. After an encounter with the Japanese mafia, the film follows Nishi as he journeys to heaven and back, and ends up trapped in an even more unlikely place. Nishi (and some friends) attempt to break out of their trap, and discover what it truly means to be alive along the way. This is a mind-bending trip that uses some of the most innovative animation ever created. Written by animenewsnetwork.com
This award-winning film is a journey of self-discovery based on Japan's cult underground comic "Mind Game" by Robin Nishi. The story follows Nishi himself through the life experiences that directly inspired the semi-autobiographical "Mind Game" comic. As a college-age loser addicted to porn and aspiring to write seedy adult comics, Nishi aspires to overcome his addiction to perversion in a tale that is lighthearted yet painful and touching. What starts off as an innocent meeting between old friends quickly turns into a psychedelic extravaganza, filled with violence, sex, love, redemption, and the infinite possibilities of the human mind. Director Masaaki Yuasa rejoices in experimental animation techniques, filling the screen with virtuoso wackiness, mixing in rough lines and storyboards, then inserting photographic touches.
Sorry your having so much troubles getting to see these films. I think I would skip "Mind Game" myself.
ReplyDeletehi Ted...
ReplyDeletereally? I would probably skip Memories of Tomorrow..I think the subject is Alzheimer's...and I am so easily affected by drama...I'd feel sad after the movie..
anyway, the group cancelled and will just resked as most people are not available this weekend also...too bad as we had planned to watch the most recent installment of Ice Age afterwards :-)
btw, last chance for those who want to see it in Shang...July 12 at 2 pm is the last showing for Mind Game..
ReplyDeletetmrw I hope to see Kamome Diner :-)
a synopsis of Kamome Diner taken from a HIFF post:
ReplyDeleteSachie, from Japan, opens the "Kamome Diner" in Helsinki, Finland. The specialty menu is Onigiri rice ball or o-musubi. However, the only customer day after day is a geeky Japan enthusiast, Tommi, a Finnish boy obsessed with the Gatchaman cartoon. One day, two Japanese ladies, each with some personal issues, come to help at Sachie's diner. The number of customers gradually increases, but the diner seems to attract only those with problems. Conversation with Sachie and the tasty food seem to resolve people's woes. The film is visually arresting, photographing the various Japanese food as if the camera is ready to satiate its own appetite. You'll be heading towards your favorite okazuya after viewing this film!
KAMOME DINER conveys the topsy-turvy sensation of being a stranger in a strange land, while presenting food, no matter how alien it may be, as the center of community and cultural understanding. The film, which opened in 2005 in Japan, opened in one theater as a little, indie film with no PR budget. But it soon captured the hearts of audiences and slowly, it gained a massive following and became a box-office success.
DIRECTOR: Naoko Ogigami
WRITER: Naoko Ogigami
CAST: Hairi Katagiri, Masako Motai, Satomi Kobayashi
PRODUCER: Mayumio Amano
cinematographer: Tuomo Virtanen
for Kamome Diner, here is also one interesting review..and best of all, this movie touches upon food, Japanese food!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jeremysilman.com/movies_tv_js/Kamome_Diner.html
Waaah...although the release of the tickets were supposedly at 1 pm (1 hour before the show), we were not able to get any even if we had queued up...
ReplyDeleteso we just sat down and waited for the next show at 4:30 pm. It was "Tony Takitani".
although I was somewhat dreading the thought of dramas (which seemed to be the majority if not all of the films in this year's Eiga Sai), I surprisingly liked the movie. I immediately thought after the end that it seemed to be short story adapted to film (I found out later I was right, it was based upon based upon the short story by Haruki Murakami.)
I especially liked how the film was presented (am sure there is a technical term somewhere on how one scene slides into the next by continuing on when a barrier is seen on one side of the screen) - it made the simple story interesting.
While the synopsis found in wikipedia is quite prosaic and to the point, it is only upon seeing the film that one is again hit home by the idea of loneliness and how prevalent it seems to be in the life of successful Japanese men.
Lest all who read my comment think its a depressing film, there were funny parts for me...one where I couldn't stop grinning for a long time is when the woman who was supposed to be employed by Tony to wear his dead's wife's super-duper-branded and pretty clothes while working for him (and no, it didn't hit me as being malicious or perverted), cried hard and long while trying the clothes on....
and why was I grinning uncontrollably? because the seatmate at my right commented half-seriously "e di ka ba naman maiyak sa tuwa" (well, wouldn't you also cry with happiness?).
LOL and I was actually going the way of feeling sad of how the guy was trying to get over his wife's death when I heard this..