THE Japan Foundation-Manila has recently announced the full lineup of films, guests and special talks for this year’s Japanese film festival, more popularly known as Eigasai.
In honor of the Philippine-Japan friendship month, Eigasai’s 21st edition will run from July 4 to August 26, with 15 full-feature films of diverse genres selected for more than 100 screenings across five major cities nationwide.
This year’s film festival is considered unique, as it will collaborate with other Japan Foundation arts, cultural and dialogue projects.
Eigasai 2018 officially kicks off with encore screenings of Chihayafuru Parts 1 and 2, as well as the Philippine premiere of the series’s Part 3, the live-action film adaptation of Yuki Suetsugu’s manga series of the same title, which will be shown at Greenbelt 1-Cinema 2 on July 4. Its director Nori Koizumi will grace the film showing. The opening night gala will be held on the same day at the Greenbelt 5 gallery.
For the July 4 screenings at Greenbelt 1-Cinema 2, Chihayafuru Part 3 is invitational, while parts 1 and 2 are open to the public.
Koizumi is also scheduled to give a talk on July 6 at the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and on July 7 at Greenbelt 1-Cinema 2.
There will also be a karuta, or Japanese card game, as featured in the Chihayafuru film series, with a demonstration on July 4 and 5 at the AdMU, one hour prior to the screenings.
Together with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Japan Foundation-Manila’s continued support toward independent filmmakers bring’s another Japanese independent film to town: Of Love & Law.
This documentary is about a couple who operates Japan’s first openly gay firm. It won the Best Film award at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival’s Independent Japanese Cinema category. Director Hikaru Toda will be present at its Philippine premiere on August 4 at the CCP during the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, an allied commemoration of Eigasai since 2016.
Screenings, panel discussion
THERE will also be a special screening and panel discussion on August 5 at Cinematheque Centre Manila surrounding issues on lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT), minorities and the importance of inclusion.
This is in collaboration with a project of the Japan Foundation Asia Center—EYES for Embracing Diversity—for practitioners, researchers and educators in the Southeast Asian region, as well as Japan, who have been striving to create a diverse and inclusive society.
This is coorganized by the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce (PLCC), which is led by Brian Tenorio—2017 EYES fellow as well as, the founder and chairman of the PLCC and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
Another unique film screening and talk is organized in conjunction with Japanese playwright-director Oriza Hirata’s Manila Notes, the Philippine version of the award-winning play Tokyo Notes, which premiered in 1994 in Japan’s capital city. The original play has since been translated into 15 different languages and presented across the world.
This Philippines-Japan collaborative theater project will be Tanghalang Pilipino’s third play for its 32nd season, which opens on November 30.
Hirata will also give a one-time special talk during the Eigasai at the CCP Dream Theater on August 17, along with the screening of When the Curtain Rises, an adaptation of his novel about a high-school drama club in a provincial town. He will talk about the film and the fascination of acting and theater performance, and will also introduce the Manila Notes project.
Martial arts, samurai
WITH strong interest in Japan’s martial arts and samurai culture, the Japan Foundation-Manila will also bring one of the greatest films ever made: Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, which will be screened at the UP Film Institute-Cine Adarna leg of Eigasai in August.
It will coincide with The Spirit of Budo: The History of Japan’s Martial Arts exhibition, to be held at the National Museum of the Philippines from July 21 to September 26.
Completing the lineup are nine more films with English subtitles that were carefully selected by the Japan Foundation Asia Center and the Japan Foundation-Manila that will offer viewers the chance to experience their favorite genre while discovering something new: Let’s Go, Jets! From Small Town Girls to US Champions; Rudolf, the Black Cat; Survival Family; Honnouji Hotel; Memoirs of a Murderer; Tora-san of Goto; Tori Girl; Re-life and Daytime Shooting Star.
Japan Foundation-Manila Director Hiroaki Uesugi shared, “The Eigasai has grown into one of the largest international film festivals in the Philippines [which attracted] more than 26,000 viewers last year. Film is a fascinating and powerful medium that journeys across borders and inspires all walks of life. Celebrating the Philippine-Japan Friendship Month and as part of [our] commitment to promote art and cultural exchange between the Philippines and Japan, we are pleased to showcase once again the best of contemporary and classic Japanese films.”
Uesugi added, “We hope Filipinos [will] enjoy accessing and experiencing Japanese culture through films, and also expand understanding through several talks organized in collaboration with the Japan Foundation’s theater, exhibition and dialogue projects.”
Nationwide engagement
SCREENING venues are set in Greenbelt 1-Cinema 2, Makati City (from July 4 to 8); AdMU (from July 4 to 6); CCP Complex (August 4 and 5 during the Cinemalaya, and August 17); Cinematheque Centre Manila in Ermita, Manila (August 5); the UP Film Institute-Cine Adarna in UP Diliman (from August 15 to 18); SM City-Davao (from July 12 to 15); SM City-Naga City (from July 27 to 29); SM City-Bacolod City (from August 9 to 12); and Ayala Center-Cebu City (from August 23 to 26). Organizers are planning another Eigasai spin-off in other regions later this year.
Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis, except screenings at Greenbelt 1-Cinema 2, which costs P100 per screening. Tickets are available through sureseats.com or at the cinema ticket booth starting on June 27.
Eigasai 2018 is generously supported by the CCP, FDCP, AdMU, Ateneo de Naga University, UP Film Institute, Arts Council of Cebu, Ayala Malls-Greenbelt, Ayala Mall Cinemas, SM Supermalls, SM City-Bacolod, SM City-Naga, PLCC, JT International (Phils.) Inc., Mitsubishi Corp., Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. and GEM. Follow the official Eigasai Facebook page @eigasaiPH for updates.
The Japan Foundation-Manila was established in 1972 by a special legislation in the Japanese Diet and became an independent administrative institution in October 2003. Its mission 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 and is active in three focused areas: arts and culture, Japanese studies and intellectual exchange, as well as Japanese language education overseas. For more information, visit www.jfmo.org and its Facebook page.