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| The World Heritage in Japan Exhibit |
Eiga
Sai 2013, the eagerly anticipated Japanese film festival at the Shang Complex,
started the month long celebration of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month by
the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation, Manila .
Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe , Japan Manila Director Shuji Takatori welcomed the guests
who gathered at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall’s Atrium for the opening cocktails
for this invitation only event. A contemporary dance number by Rhosam
Prudenciado and Mia Cabalfin, both of whom have been chosen for the
Artist-in-Residence program of Kyoto Art Center back in 2012, formally opened
the World Heritage in Japan Exhibit. Aside from the month long celebration of
the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month, the 40th Year of
ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation is also being celebrated this year as
well.
Ototo (おとうと)/About
Her Brother
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©2010 "About Her Brother" Film Partners
|
Just
like Always - Sunset on Third Street
One
of the things that I found remarkable in this film was that the focus was on
middle aged characters. I’ve been hearing a lot of middle aged and mature
actors that there is a lack of good and substantial roles for them in a film
industry obsessed with youth. I know wonder if movies with middle aged
characters are quite common in Japanese cinema or if About Her Brother is just one of the exceptions. Another thing that
struck me about the film was how important family honor is in Japanese culture.
I find it hard to imagine how easy it was for people to disown and cut ties
with the black sheep in their family. And I find it quite unbelievable how
Ginko went beyond expectations when she settled that massive debt without missing a beat. It
made me wonder also if Japanese women normally go through that length, be submissive and act like martyrs
just for the sake of family honor. On a lighter note, I found it amusing when I
recognized one of the minor actors in the film, Takashi Sasano who played one
of the quirky characters in the neighborhood. He also played a very similar role, that of a quirky neighbor, in Okuribito(おくりびと)/Departures (also another
tear jerker) which was the opening film of Eiga Sai 2011.
Eiga
Sai 2013 just concluded its Shang Cineplex run but it will tour in key places around the country starting at the FDCP
Cinemateque in Davao City July 19-28, 2013 , then on to the
Ayala Center Cebu on August
7-11, 2013 and lastly, at the UP Film Institute on August 19-25, 2013 .
SM Mall of Asia screens Japanese animated films
As if the Eiga Sai 2013 wasn't enough to satisfy the Japanese film buff, there
will also be a couple of anime screenings happening at Cinema 6 of the SM Mall of Asia this July 20-21, 2013 .
Two Japanese animated films, The Place Promised in Our Early Days and 5
Centimeters per Second, will be screened as part of the Film Cultural Exchange
Program presented by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines ,
together with the Japan Foundation Manila, in cooperation with the SM Mall of
Asia Cinema and the Film Development Council of the Philippines . And just like the Eiga Sai, the film screenings will be free admission which is the norm for all the events that are part of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month.
Here
is the screening schedule of the Japanese animated films showing at Cinema 6 of the SM
Mall of Asia:
July 21, 2013
11:30 AM 5
Centimeters per Second
Text by RAd
Photo by Roland Samson
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