Japan festival and film show

August is here and so get ready to mark several important dates on your calendars!

From August 7 to 12, the 2012 Japanese Film Festival or Eiga Sai will be held at the Cinema 4 of the Ayala Center, with free admission for all interested!

This year, the following 10 films will be shown for all to enjoy - 1) Villain, a gritty social critique about a woman on the run with a murderer; 2) Railways, a heartwarming tale about the turning point of an elite business man in his 50s and a local train that has been running since 1911; 3) Happy Flight shows Flight No.1980 bound for Honolulu from Japan forced to turn back due to several challenges but which are happily overcome; 4) In His Chart, a penetrating look at healthcare in Japan’s provinces through the personal growth of an honest young doctor; 5) Colorful, a story of a person who has just died but his soul is put into the body of a boy in junior high school who has just committed suicide; 6) Abacus and Sword portrays the inner workings of a samurai household fighting to tighten finances in the final days of the Tokugawa shogunate; 7) Tomorrow’s Joe is a live-action adaptation of Takamori Asao and Chiba Tetsuya’s Japanese manga history about two boxing rivals engage in a fierce battle that will determine their fate; 8) PEAK –The Rescuers is based on the popular comics by Shinichi Ishizuka which highlights dramatic mountain rescue operations, 9) Permanent Nobara, based on Rieko Saibara’s manga series of a love story for grown-ups that shows that a woman’s pursuit for love never dies and also portrays feminine strength and compassion with humor; and, 10) Ninja Kids, a live-action adaptation of Soubei Amako’s cute ninja animated television series which presents the comical slapstick antics of a group of boys training to be elite ninjas.

Aside from this annual Eiga Sai, the Japan Festival 2012 will be held August 11-12 at the Ayala Center Cebu’s Activity Center Stage and The Terraces.

According to Counsellor and Consul Yoshiaki Hata of the Consular Office of Japan in Cebu, “The Philippine-Japan Friendship Month has been established five years ago. The Japan Festival is not celebrated annually but this year’s Japan Festival is a response to the high level of interest and enthusiasm among Cebuanos to learn more about Japanese culture. It is also a way to express deep gratitude and appreciation to Cebu Province for their heartfelt and huge support for the Japanese people after the Great East Japan 2011 Earthquake.”

Come and watch the 17 members of the highly acclaimed Wakodaiko Drum Club from Saitama do two performances at the Ayala Activity Stage Center on August 11-12. Japanese and Filipino dancers wearing “Yukata” or Japanese summer kimonos, will also perform the traditional dance, Awa Odori, in the afternoon of August 11.

There will be a Karate Show to be done by a very skilled instructor from the Japan Karate Association (JKA-Japan). COSplay (or costume play) will show Japanese “ANIME” characters to be introduced by a group of Filipino university students. There will also be free cooking demonstration of sushi and Japanese noodles organized by the Japanese restaurants in Cebu and a Karaoke Sing-along Competition for Japanese contestants who will sing Filipino songs and for Filipino contestants who will sing Japanese songs.

 Enjoy these happy events and the 10 films, open to all, and organized by the Consular Office of Japan in Cebu in cooperation with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Cebu, Inc. (JCCI-CI), Japanese Association Cebu, Inc. (JACI), Japan Foundation Manila (JFM), Japan International Cooperation Agency Philippines (JICA), Japanese Association of Travel Industries in Cebu (JATIC), Philippine Association of the Japanese Ministry of Education Scholars Cebu Chapter (PHILAJAMES-CEBU), Ayala Center Cebu, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu and with the support of Cebu City Government.

For more detailed information please contact 231-7321 to 7323. You can also visithttp://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp (Embassy of Japan) or http://www.jfmo.org.ph (Japan Foundation, Manila).