Japan Foundation, Manila

Arts and Cultural Exchange

Events & Courses|

PELIKULA (Japanese Edition)

フィリピン映画に関する5つのエッセイを日本語で！
Five outstanding articles on Philippine cinema are now available in Japanese.

国際交流基金マニラ日本文化センターは、フィリピン大学フィルム・インスティテュート発行のフィリピ
ン映画オンラインジャーナル『Pelikula』（フィリピノ語で映画の意）の日本語版を制作。フィリピンの映
画、映画監督、評論家、視点を日本の皆さんに紹介します。

The Japan Foundation, Manila proudly supported the production of a Japanese-language version of PELIKULA, a journal of Philippine cinema published annually by the University of the Philippines Film Institute. The Japanese version aims to introduce and promote Filipino films, filmmakers, critics, and perspectives to Japanese audiences.

 

背景／Background

『Pelikua:フィリピン映画ジャーナル』は、フィリピン大学フィルム・インスティチュートが毎年発行しており、フィリピン映画に関する国内および地域の観点を幅広くカバーした学術論文、論考、レビュー、インタビュー、ビジュアル・エッセイなどを掲載しています。

今回で第6巻となる『Pelikula』では、当センターが制作を支援し、最新号および過去に発行されたジャーナルの中から優れた5本のエッセイを選び、日本語に翻訳しオンライン公開することになりました。フィリピンの映画、映画監督、評論家、そして視点が、日本の観客や読者にとってもより身近になることを期待しています。

Pelikula: A Journal of Philippine Cinema is published annually by the University of the Philippines Film Institute and broadly covers national and regional perspectives on Philippine cinema. It publishes academic articles, opinion pieces, reviews, interviews, and visual essays.

For its sixth Volume, The Japan Foundation, Manila proudly supported its production and chose five outstanding articles from its recent and previous editions to be translated and published into the Japanese language. PELIKULA (Japanese Edition) aims to bring Filipino films, filmmakers, critics, and perspectives closer to the Japanese audiences and readers.

 

日本語版について／About the Japanese Edition

フィリピン人著者による5本の優れたエッセイが、2022年1月21日よりアクセス可能になります。この日本語版では、日本で撮影されたフィリピン映画、東南アジアのSFジャンルの考察、フィリピンの地域映画の勝利と挑戦、政治映画とフィリピン社会発展との関連、COVID-19の時代における映画上映の進化など、フィリピン映画に関する幅広い話題を扱うエッセイを厳選しました。

各エッセイは、フィリピン映画の多様な風景への更なる理解と評価を促すものです。日本語版は、以下のリンクからアクセスできます。

Five outstanding articles written by Filipino authors will be available for access starting 21 January 2022. The articles are carefully chosen to cover a broad topic on Philippine cinema from Filipino films made in Japan; a look in the science fiction genre of Southeast Asia; the triumphs and challenges of regional cinema in the archipelago; political films and their connection with the development of Philippine society; and the evolution of film screenings in the time of COVID-19.

Each article will bring a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse landscape of Philippine moving images. You may access the Japanese version by clicking the links below:

 

 

 

Download PELIKULA (Japanese Edition)

 

 

人生、 愛、 労働：
21世紀初頭のフィリピン映画に描かれる
在日フィリピン労働者のサブカルチャー
アロナ・ゲバラ

Lives, Loves and Labor:
Depicting the OFW Subcultures in Japan
in Contemporary Philippine Films
by Alona U. Guevarra
Read the Japanese version here
 

時のテクノロジー：
東南アジアのサイエンス・フィクション
映画に向けて
ジャスミン・ナドゥア·トライス

Temporal Technologies:
Toward Southeast Asian Science Fiction Cinema
by Jasmine Nadua Trice
Read the Japanese version here
 

フィリピン地域映画の形成：
シネマ·レヒヨン映 画祭のプログラミング
カトリーナ・ロス・タン

Shaping Filipino Regional Cinema:
Film Festival Programming in Cinema Rehiyon
by Katrina Ross Tan
Read the Japanese version here
 

理由ある反抗：
フィリピン政治映画コレクティブと
ピープルズシネマ
ジュリアン B. バト

Rebels With a Cause:
Filipino Political Film Collectives and
Their Cinema for the People
by Julian B. Bato
Read the Japanese version here
 

メディア配信時代のフィリピン映画：
COVID-19パンデミック以降のフィリピンにおけ
る ストリーミング・プラットフォーム
イコ・パスカル

Philippine Cinema in the Age of Media Deliveries:
Streaming Platforms from the Philippines
since the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Icho Pascual
Read the Japanese version here

すべてのエッセイは、『Pelikula』の公式サイト（https://www.pelikulajournal.com/）と当センターのFacebookページ（facebook.com/jfmanila）からもアクセスできます。

All resources will also be made available on the official sites: PELIKULA’s official website: https://www.pelikulajournal.com/ and JFM’s FB page: facebook.com/jfmanila

 

Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief Patrick F. Campos
Associate Editors Tito R. Quiling, Jr.
Louise Jashil Sonido
Associate Editors for the Japanese Edition Kanami Namiki
Ramon Alberto L. Garilao
Artist and Cover Designer Sarah Villareal
Editorial Assistant Icho Pascual

 

About The Japan Foundation, Manila

The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 by special legislation in the Japanese Diet and became an Independent Administrative Institution in October 2003. The mission of the Japan Foundation is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. As the 18th overseas office, the Japan Foundation, Manila was founded in 1996, active in three focused areas: Arts and Culture; Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange; Japanese-Language Education Overseas.   

Events & Courses|

WE Project : Inclusive Design for People with Disabilities

WE Project is proud to announce the winners of the Inclusive Design Challenge.

Congratulations to Pic-A-Talk – an assistive mobile application for non-verbal children with special needs, and Gabay – an app mobility companion to bridge the gap in transportation for PWDs. The two winning teams will receive Seed Funding from The Japan Foundation, Manila and will have the opportunity to take part in the UPSCALE Incubation Program. Thank you to all the participating teams and we wish you success in your future endeavors. WE Project is supported by JTI, UP Engineering R&D Foundation, Inc., and our media partner Young Star.

 

Program Launch + Fireside Chat October 14, 2021

From braille to wheelchair-friendly infrastructure, creative minds have innovated to help build livable communities and surroundings for people with disabilities. If you’re a designer or innovator with an imaginative concept that promotes inclusive design, then this is your chance to turn those ideas into actual solutions. The We Project Innovative and Inclusive Design Challenge offers mentorship, prototyping support, and more, including the possibility of seed funding courtesy of the Japan Foundation, Manila.

WE PROJECT is a collaboration between the Japan Foundation, Manila and UPSCALE Innovation Hub to showcase and develop inclusive design for people with disabilities in the Philippines and Japan through an innovation and design thinking program among Filipino students and young professional innovators.

The project will commence with a call for participation and a fireside chat with inclusive innovators and beneficiaries in both countries including Ms. Ito Asa, Director of Future of Humanity Research Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology. This event will be held online on Oct. 14, 1:00 pm and will be broadcasted live through the Japan Foundation, Manila Facebook page.

This will be followed by a series of innovation and design thinking workshops for selected teams, culminating with a demo day pitch to potential industry partners and investors. The teams may receive seed funding from the Japan Foundation, Manila for prototype development. Top performing teams will be eligible to participate in the incubation program of UPSCALE Innovation Hub and will have the chance to receive a total of P250,000.00 as seed fund for their project.

For more information about the project, including instructions on how to join the design challenge, and to register for the kick-off event, please follow link below:

https://weproject.carrd.co/

This project is supported by JTI and Young Star.

 

Events & Courses|

Golden Realms: Inheriting The Panay Sugidanun

Webinar 3: Worldviews In Conversation

November 13, 2021 | 10:00AM

Professor Norio Akasaka Professor of Folklore and Japanese Culture ,Gakushuin University

Dr. Allan Derain Director of the Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices, Ateneo de Manila University

Moderated by Professor David Gowey Professor of Anthropology, Phoenix University

Explore the parallels between Japanese and Filipino folklore

Across all of Asia are countless communities with their own distinct mythologies. Between the Philippines and Japan alone are interweaving threads in a cultural tapestry of multi-faceted worldviews telling of how we relate to nature, the world, and each other. This is the focus of the third webinar of the Golden Realms: Inheriting the Panay Sugidanun webseries that will take place on Zoom at 10:00AM on November 13, 2021, presented by The Japan Foundation, Manila and ThriveArt Projects.

Professor Norio Akasaka of Gakushuin University will dive into the world of Tono Monogatari [Legends of Tono], a collection of folk legends, stories, and traditions published by pioneering folklorist Kunio Yanagita. The Iwate Prefecture, where these stories originated from, is rich with famous yōkai (monsters) such as the river-child kappa, and mischievous zashiki-warashi. The lively lore of Tohoku has inspired different cultural practices such as shikaodori dancing and other forms of honor for Raiho-shin and deities from the outer world.

Providing a conduit between Japanese and Filipino mythologies is an upcoming manga adaptation of sections of the Sugidanun by  ThriveArt Projects slated for release in December 2021, in both English and Japanese languages. Ultimately these projects aim to honor the Panay Sugidanun in the present, and celebrate the resonances in oral literature between Japan and the Philippines. Golden Realms is under The Japan Foundation’s Asian Literature Project, Yomu, which bridges connections between literary traditions around Asia, and explores how literature is read today. 

The talk will be moderated by Sugidanun researcher David Gowey of Phoenix University.

[Click to register for Webinar 3: Worldviews In Conversation]

The online webinar is open to the public / Admission is free.

Join the LIVE webinar on November 13, 2021 via https://www.facebook.com/jfmanila/ 

Events & Courses|

Award-winning Japanese Film “Passage of Life” (2017) to be showcased at the Cinemalaya 17: Philippine Independent Film Festival

Passage of Life (僕の帰る場所)
[ 2017 | 98 min | Drama | Color ]
MANILA (August 2021) — Award-winning Japanese film “Passage of Life” (2017) to have a limited free screening and talk back at the Cinemalaya 17: Philippine Independent Film Festival.

The Japan Foundation, Manila continues its long-standing partnership with the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival as it brings another award-winning Japanese film accessible for free from August 19 until 21, 2021 as part of the festival’s Allied Screenings section.

Presented by the Japanese Film Festival (JFF), “Passage of Life” (2017) is a story about a Burmese boy living in Japan and how he grows as a human being. The story depicts his experience of a world that lacks reason and his resistance to it, as well as his hatred and love for his family. The film is a Japan-Myanmar co-production that has won several awards such as the Best Asian Future Award at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival, and the Spirit of Asia Award by the Japan Foundation Asia Center to the film’s director Akio Fujimoto.

To watch the screening of “Passage of Life” (2017), visit Cinemalaya’s streaming link at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/cinemalayalibre/. The film can only be accessed from the Philippines and FREE ACCESS will be made available on the screening dates.

LIVE online discussion with the film’s Director and Producer

In addition to the film screening, the Japan Foundation, Manila brings you a LIVE online discussion on the film “Passage of Life” (2017) with its director Akio FUJIMOTO and producer Kazutaka WATANABE on August 20, 2021, 7PM – 9PM.

The discussion will be moderated by JFM’s Direcor Ben SUZUKI and will be joined by Filipino film director Janus VICTORIA who will add a broader perspective on co-productions with Japanese film producers and film companies.

The LIVE online discussion is open to the public and will be streamed simultaneously on the Japan Foundation, Manila (facebook.com/jfmanila), and Cinemalaya’s (facebook.com/CinemalayaOfficial) Facebook pages. REGISTER NOW through this link to join the discussion: bit.ly/POLCinemalaya.

Follow the official Japan Foundation, Manila website (www.jfmo.org.ph) and visit the film’s Cinemalaya webpage for more details: https://cinemalaya.org/passage-of-life/.

For press inquiries, please contact:
The Japan Foundation, Manila
Kanami Namiki, Ph.D.: knamiki@jfmo.org.ph | Mon Garilao: rgarilao@jfmo.org.ph

Posts|

STAGE BEYOND BORDERS: Selection of Japanese Performances

The Japan Foundation (JF) has started the project “STAGE BEYOND BORDERS—Selection of Japanese Performances,” which presents outstanding Japanese stage performances online for people throughout the world who are seeking opportunities to enjoy Japanese stage performances amid the spread of COVID-19.

Performing arts is one of the earliest forms of entertainment that through strangers and various environments stirs the imagination about ongoing stories and provides hopes and hints about the real world. The Japan Foundation’s online project “STAGE BEYOND BORDERS—Selection of Japanese Performances” is expected to encourage hope for all people who enjoy performing arts by presenting outstanding Japanese stage performances beyond borders in multiple languages. The Japan Foundation hopes to cultivate new fan bases for performing arts and also approach theater professionals in order to hold performances at overseas theaters once interactions among people are allowed to resume.

Please visit the STAGE BEYOND BORDER website https://stagebb.jpf.go.jp  to view the performances.

国際交流基金（JF）は、新型コロナウイルスの影響により日本の舞台公演に接する機会を求める世界の人々に向けて、日本の優れた舞台公演作品をオンライン配信するプロジェクト「STAGE BEYOND BORDERS –Selection of Japanese Performances–」を展開します。 舞台芸術は、知らない人や環境を通じ、物語の続きについて想像を喚起し、現実世界への希望やヒントを示唆してくれる、最も原始的なエンターテインメントの一つです。国際交流基金のオンラインプロジェクト「STAGE BEYOND BORDERS –Selection of Japanese Performances–」は、日本の優れた舞台作品を、国境を越えて、多言語で発信することで、舞台芸術に親しむ全ての人への希望となることを期待して企画しました。 人の往来が復活した際には、海外の劇場での上演を実現するべく、新しいファン層を開拓すると共に、劇場関係者にアプローチすることも意識しています。 詳しくは特設サイト（ https://stagebb.jpf.go.jp ） をご確認ください。

Events & Courses|

TAHANAN

 FUJITA Takahiro’s Online Theater Project between Japan and the Philippines

 

Japan’s prominent playwright-director collaborates with Filipino actors

Background

The performing arts sector is one of the most affected by the current crisis. Since March last year, shows were canceled, theaters remained closed indefinitely, and performers were forced to stay home. While dealing with  uncertainty during these trying times, theater makers find ways to continue creating. Can theater artists create a different space where they can (re)create what they used to do?

About the Project

The Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM) is pleased to present TAHANAN, a collaborative online theater project of FUJITA Takahiro, a prominent figure in the world of Japanese contemporary theater, and twenty-four actors from all over the Philippines. In partnership with Tanghalang Ateneo, Kasing Sining and Teatro Guindegan, this project aims to explore the possibility of creating a different “shared space” where artists from Japan and the Philippines are connected and united to tell familiar but unique stories.

FUJITA Takahiro who is the founder of mum&gypsy, a leading contemporary Japanese theater company, leads the team. He is known in Japan for “pioneering a form of theater that takes memories as expressions of a person’s inner world and depicts them from different angles in repeated scenes that take on the feeling of refrains.” Although he had a couple of collaborations in Europe and in other parts of the world, this is his and his company’s first project in Southeast Asia.

Artistic Process

By conducting a week-long online interview in February 2021 with actors from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, he was introduced to 24 actors who generously answered his main question which is about the layout of the actors’ homes. While listening to the interviews, the playwright-director got to know the actors and the Philippines. He wrote a script based on the interviews and was later on translated to Filipino by playwright-director Guelan Luarca, who is currently developing a collaborative playwriting process called “Actors-sourced Playwriting.”

The Output

TAHANAN is composed of four segments which will be streamed starting from March 26 to 28, 2021. To kick off the event, an interview with FUJITA Takahiro and Guelan Luarca (interviewed by JFM’s director, Mr. SUZUKI Ben) will be streamed on March 26 at 7:30pm (PH time) to help audiences know about their works, artistic process and this collaborative project. This event is a good opportunity for audiences to celebrate World Theater Week and witness the fruition of a collaboration between theater makers from Japan and the Philippines.

Playwright-director FUJITA Takahiro and translator Guelan Luarca were interviewed by JFM’s director (Mr.  SUZUKI Ben).

Interview transcript in English & Japanese.

Premiered in March 2021 |  

Cast (in order of appearance) Phi Palmos, Brian Sy, Jam Binay, Lhorvie Nuevo, Sabrina Basilio, Xander Soriano

Premiered in March 2021 

Cast (in order of appearance) Noel Pahayupan, Jerrey David Aguilar, Ron Matthews Espinosa, Arjay Babon, Onna Rhea Cabio Quizo, Hope Tinambacan

 

 

 

Premiered in March 2021 

Cast (in order of appearance) Felimon Bonita Blanco, Hassanain Magarang, Rosalie Escala-Sharif, Denise Mordeno Aguilar, Ted Nudgent Tac-an, Kenn Erwin Velasquez

 

Premiered in March 2021

Cast (in order of appearance) Skyzx Labastilla, Che Ramos-Cosio, Kath Nobleza, Luisito Nario, Jerome Dawis, Joshua Tayco, Hope Tinambacan

All resources will also be made available on the official sites: mum&gypsy’s official website: http://mum-gypsy.com and JFM’s FB page: facebook.com/jfmanila 

FUJITA Takahiro  藤田 貴大
Playwright-director 

Born 1985 in Date city, Hokkaido. Playwright, director. Majored in Theater Arts in the Liberal Arts College of J.F. Oberlin University (Japan). In 2007, Fujita founded the theater company “mum&gypsy.” New cast and staff are gathered for the performance of each new work. He has written and directed all the works produced by the company, with performances primarily in the Yokohama area. Since the work Horohoro that premiered in March 2008, Fujita’s style has been characterized by a new methodology in which story lines develop in parallel through a complex interweaving of scenes. Symbolic scenes are repeated in the form of “refrains” that are presented from different characters’ perspectives, much like the technique of quickly shifting scenes in a movie. This method also makes creative use of the “physical transformations” that occur in the actor during these shifting perspectives. The works also make use of Fujita’s observations of the actors’ distinct personalities and the way he applies them to the characters in the play to achieve a special sense of reality, as well as the diverse acting qualities of the cast. In recent years Fujita’s main creative theme is people’s memories.

Guelan Varela Luarca
Translator

He is a published playwright and translator, actor and director for the stage. He has twice won First Prize in the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for his one-act plays. He has participated in the Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama (TPAM), and the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM), and many other international festivals, often giving seminars/lectures/delivering papers about Shakespeare, Adaptation, Translation, and other Theater Practices. He teaches directing, Shakespearean performance, and theater theory. He is the current artistic director of Tanghalang Ateneo.

ARTISTIC TEAM AND PRODUCTION STAFF

Script and Direction Fujita Takahiro (mum&gypsy)
Filipino translation Guelan Varela Luarca
Video direction Mesuda Jitsuko
Production assistant Matoba Hiromi, Yuihara Narumi
Video assistant Konishi Kaede, Miyata Mariko
Production Hayashi Kana, Koga Shiori (mum & gypsy. LCC)
Interpreter Yumi Calderon

About the Organizer    

The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 by special legislation in the Japanese Diet and became an Independent Administrative Institution in October 2003. The mission of the Japan Foundation is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. As the 18th overseas office, the Japan Foundation, Manila was founded in 1996, active in three focused areas: Arts and Culture; Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange; Japanese-Language Education Overseas.

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Events & Courses|

Japanese Animation Classics to be showcased in the 14th International Silent Film Festival Manila

MANILA (November 2020) – Japan’s film lineup includes the oldest Japanese Animated short film straight from the National Film Archives of Japan (NFAJ) collection.

The Japan Foundation, Manila pays tribute to the foundations of Japanese animation by featuring classic animated works in the upcoming 14th International Silent Film Festival Manila this year which will run from December 4 to 6 and will be available to everyone online through www.iwatchmore.com.

Six (6) unique animated short silent films taken from the Japanese Animation Classics collection, digitalized and subtitled in English by the National Film Archive of Japan (NFAJ) will be featured in this year’s silent film festival, including the oldest existing Japanese Animation “The Dull Sword.” The four-minute animation classic was directed by Junichi Kouchi and produced in 1917 which is considered the birth year of domestic animation in Japan.

The Dull Sword is about a samurai who tests his new sword by attacking a blind person. He purchased the sword from a swordsmith, known as “Dull Smith,” for four gold coins.

The other Japanese Animation Classics to be featured are Burglars of “Baghdad” Castle (1926 | 14 mins), The Animal Olympics (1928 | 13 mins), Two Worlds (1929 | 15 mins), Old Man Goichi (1931 | 11 mins), and A Day after a Hundred Years (1933 | 10 mins).

The Japanese Animation Classics in the festival will be accompanied by the musical scores created by the HJH Composers Collective. The group is composed of Hiroko Nagai, Jordan Peralta, and Harold Andre Santos,  contemporary music composers with a diverse musical palette of pop, classical, folk, jazz, electronic music, and traditional Philippine and Japanese music, and they frequently collaborate with other artists to create music for film, theatre, dance, and visual arts.

The 14th ISFF Manila will also hold a webinar entitled “Saving Memory: Making Silent Films Talk to Us,” on December 4. Joining the list of international panelists from Japan is DAIBO Masaki, Head of Film Collections at the National Film Archive of Japan (NFAJ). DAIBO will be sharing his expertise in the archiving and digitizing of Japanese films and how he manages the preservation of the NFAJ collection.

The featured Japanese Animation Classic films  are curated by benshi KATAOKA Ichiro from the collection of newly digitized animated films by the NFAJ, in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Japanese Animated Films in 2017.

For more information, check out the official portal of the 14th ISSF www.iwantmore.com to watch the films from December 4 to 7 at the comfort and safety of your own homes. Follow the official Japan Foundation, Manila website (www.jfmo.org.ph) and Facebook page(facebook.com/jfmanila) for updates and full screening schedules.

For press inquiries, please contact:

The Japan Foundation, Manila
Kanami Namiki, Ph.D.: knamiki@jfmo.org.ph | Rolando Samson: rsamson@jfmo.org.ph

# # #

 

About the Japan Foundation, Manila

The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 by special legislation in the Japanese Diet and became an Independent Administrative Institution in October 2003. The mission of the Japan Foundation is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. As the 18th overseas office, the Japan Foundation, Manila was founded in 1996, active in three focused areas: Arts and Culture; Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange; Japanese-Language Education Overseas. For more information please visit our website at www.jfmo.org and facebook.com/jfmanila.

Events & Courses|

Live-action Mazinger Z-inspired film headlines the 2020 Japanese Film Festival in the Philippines

MANILA AND TOKYO (November 16, 2020) – The Japan Foundation, Manila kicks off its first digital edition of the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) with a drive-in cinema experience at the SM Mall of Asia — a ode to a manga and anime classic.

Festival opening film Project Dreams – How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar 前田建設ファンタジー営業部 (2020, 115 mins) follows the journey of Maeda Corporation’s fantasy marketing department on a mission to make the impossible possible and challenge the boundaries between reality and fiction.

Will they be able to appease the fans and hit their business goals at the same time? Catch the Special Screening of this workplace comedy on November 20 to 22, 6:00 pm at the SM CINEMA Drive-in at the Mall of Asia complex, Pasay City for answers! Tickets are available at Php100 each via SM Tickets’ portal https://smtickets.com/sm-drive-in-cinema.

The film, which is coincidentally based on real-facts wherein the firm Maeda Corporation exist and does the file on Mazinger Z Hangar is directed by HANABUSA Tsutomu. He is known by regular JFF viewers by his film Kakegurui 賭ケグルイ, which was voted as one of the festival’s fan favorites in 2019. The cast includes TAKASUGI Mahiro, KAMIJI Yusuke, and KISHII Yukino, with screenplay by UEDA Makoto

This screening is part of the JFF Plus: Online Festival, made possible by festival partners: JTI International, Philippines, Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and SM Cinema.

Visit the newly-launched JFF Plus website (https://watch.jff.jpf.go.jp) to watch the rest of the films from November 20-29 at the comfort and safety of your own homes. Follow the official Japan Foundation, Manila website and social media pages for updates and full screening schedules.

 

For press inquiries, please contact:

The Japan Foundation, Manila

Kanami Namiki, Ph.D.: knamiki@jfmo.org.ph | Rolando Samson: rsamson@jfmo.org.ph

# # #

About the Japan Foundation, Manila

The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 by special legislation in the Japanese Diet and became an Independent Administrative Institution in October 2003. The mission of the Japan Foundation is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. As the 18th overseas office, the Japan Foundation, Manila was founded in 1996, active in three focused areas: Arts and Culture; Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange; Japanese-Language Education Overseas. For more information please visit our website at www.jfmo.org and Facebook.

Events & Courses|

Japanese Cinematic Experience Right At Your Home With JFF Plus: Online Festival

The Japan Foundation, Manila mounts the first online Japanese Film Festival to continue sharing Japanese culture to the Filipino people amid the pandemic

MANILA and TOKYO –  The Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM) continues its tradition of bringing quality Japanese films and sharing its diverse culture to the Filipino people through the digital edition of Japanese Film Festival, dubbed JFF PLUS: ONLINE FESTIVAL, screening starting on November 20 to 29, 2020.

In response to the current social climate and the global pandemic, the JFM decided to push through with its much-anticipated annual film festival; however, the featured films will be streamed online, instead of screening them in movie theaters.

Mr. SUZUKI Ben, director of the Japan Foundation, Manila, feels excited to see the event’s new format and happy to bring the JFF Plus: Online Festival to every Filipino home.

“In this time when we can’t go out and visit places, films allow us to take glimpses into new worlds, experience things, see places and gain new perspectives while staying safe in the confines of our homes. Online movies have become the trend due to pandemic. The Internet has also become a venue for instant exchange of information and culture,” said Mr. Suzuki.

Since 2016, Japan Foundation has re-branded its most-anticipated film event and began to call it simply Japanese Film Festival. It started in ASEAN countries and Australia, and expanded its reach to China, India and Russia.

With a central mission to promote Japanese film around the world, the Japanese Film Festival positions itself as an avenue to celebrate Japanese culture in the Philippines and increase people’s interest in Japanese films, as well as bridge the Asia-Pacific film market and the Japanese film industry for possible collaborations.

Last March, here in the Philippines, JFM  bid sayonara to the popular “EIGASAI” brand and embrace “Japanese Film Festival” with a fresh selection of fun and exciting films this November.

This year, the festival put the spotlight to 28 short and full-length feature films in various genres, which will be available for 24 hours in the newly launched JFF Plus, https://watch.jff.jpf.go.jp/ a website run by the Japan Foundation to spread Japanese films overseas.

The JFF Plus: Online Festival featured films are: 1) Our 30-Minute Sessions (2020) by HAGIWARA Kentaro;  2) Little Nights, Little Love (2019) by IMAIZUMI Rikiya; 3) The Great Passage (2013) by ISHII Yuya; 4) Project Dreams – How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar (2020) by HANABUSA Tsutomu; 5) Café Funiculi Funicula (2018) by TSUKAHARA Ayuko; 6) 0.5mm (2014) by ANDO Momoko; 7) Ecotherapy Getaway Holiday (2014) and 8) A Story of Yonosuke (2013) by OKITA Shuichi; 9) Railways (2010) by NISHIKORI Yoshinari; 10)  Lady Maiko (2014) by SUO Masayuki; 11) Stolen Identity (2018) by NAKATA Hideo; 12) Key of Life (2012) by UCHIDA Kenji ; 13) DANCE WITH ME by YAGUCHI Shinobu.

Anime fans can enjoy the animated films: 14) Sumikkogurashi: Good to be in the Corner (2019) by Mankyu; 15) Production I.G Animation:Tokyo Marble Chocolate (2007) by SHIOTANI  Naoyoshi; stop motion animation shorts 16) GON, THE LITTLE FOX (2015), 17) Moon of a Sleepless Night (2015), 18) Norman the Snowman – The Northern Light (2013), and 19) Norman the Snowman – On a Night of Shooting Stars (2016), all by YASHIRO Takeshi; and Production I.G Short Animations 20) Pigtails (2015) by ITAZU Yoshimi; 21) Kick-Heart (2013) by YUASA Masaaki; 22) Li’l Spider Girl (2012) by KAIYA Toshihisa; 23) Drawer Hobs (2011) by KISE Kazuchika; and 24)  The Girl from the Other Side (2019) by KUBO Yutaro.

Completing the line-up are documentary films: 25) Peace (2010) by SODA Kazuhiro and 26) Tora-san in Goto (2016) by OURA Masaru; 27) Tsukiji Wonderland (2016) by ENDO Naotaro, and 28) the 1952 classic The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice by OZU Yasujiro.

Aside from the featured films, everyone will get to know more about the film directors in the Watch section of the website or the official JFF Plus YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsPBI-8qZXhqIur-nTJjH7A/]. There, they can watch the interviews of directors IMAIZUMI Rikiya, OKITA Shuichi, SODA Kazuhiro, YASHIRO Takeshi, and SHIRAISHI Kazuya, conducted by film critic Mark Schilling.

“To make this film festival both successful and safe for everyone during this time, we have made these films available online.  Let’s stay home and enjoy watching Japanese films,” concluded Mr. Suzuki.

The JFF Plus: Online Festival is made possible together with Japan Foundation Asian Center, in partnership with JT International (Philippines), the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and SM Cinema..

To view the full schedule of the films, visit http://jff.jpf.go.jp/ or the JFM website (http://www.jfmo.org.ph). Follow the official JFM Facebook page and social media accounts.

For press inquiries, please contact:

The Japan Foundation, Manila

Kanami Namiki, Ph.D.: knamiki@jfmo.org.ph | Rolando Samson: rsamson@jfmo.org.ph

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About the Japan Foundation, Manila

The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 by special legislation in the Japanese Diet and became an Independent Administrative Institution in October 2003. The mission of the Japan Foundation is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. As the 18th overseas office, the Japan Foundation, Manila was founded in 1996, active in three focused areas: Arts and Culture; Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange; Japanese-Language Education Overseas. For more information please visit our website at www.jfmo.org and Facebook.

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