28 JAPANESE FILMS, STREAMING FOR FREE AT THE JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL PLUS!

TO continue sharing Japanese culture to the world amid the COVID 19 pandemic, the Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM) migrates its highly-anticipated Japanese Film Festival to an online platform!

The JFF PLUS: Online Festival is the digital edition of the Japan Film Festival that will run from November 20 to 29, 2020. JFM has carefully curated 28 Japanese films of different genres to be screened via the JFF Plus: Online Festival portal, watch.jff.jpf.go.jp.

This year, the festival puts 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 website. Here’s the lineup of the films:

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) by OKITA Shuichi
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.

Fans of anime and other animated flicks out there must also catch the following titles:

14. Sumikkogurashi: Good to be in the Corner (2019) by Mankyu
15. Production I.G Animation: Tokyo Marble Chocolate (2007) by SHIOTANI Naoyoshi
16. GON, THE LITTLE FOX (2015) by YASHIRO Takeshi
17. Moon of a Sleepless Night (2015) by YASHIRO Takeshi
18. Norman the Snowman – The Northern Light (2013) by YASHIRO Takeshi
19. Norman the Snowman – On a Night of Shooting Stars (2016) by YASHIRO Takeshi
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
24. The Girl from the Other Side (2019) by KUBO Yutaro.

For those who love documentaries, JFF Plus also offers these films:

25. Peace (2010) by SODA Kazuhiro
26. Tora-san in Goto (2016) by OURA Masaru
27. Tsukiji Wonderland (2016) by ENDO Naotaro
28. 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. 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.

Mr. Suzuki Tsutomu, director of the Japan Foundation, Manila, feels excited to see the event’s new format and to bring the JFF Plus: Online Festival to Filipinos’ homes.

“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 con- fines of our homes.” said 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 jff.jpf.go.jp/ or the JFM website. Follow the official JFM pages on Facebook and Instagram. (ROHN ROMULO)