The annual Japanese Film Festival in Kolkata is back this year with five movies made between 2020 and 2024. Held at Nandan, the festival will be inaugurated by the Consul General of Japan in Kolkata Ishikawa Yoshihisa today and will continue till Sunday. Organised by the Consulate-General of Japan in Kolkata, Japan foundation, Nandan, and Federation of Film Societies of India, viewers will be able to watch five movies ranging from comedy to drama and biographies. While the movies are in Japanese, they will have English subtitles for ease of understanding.
The opening screening, The Zen Diary, by Yuji Nakae is a literary adaptation made in 2022. It follows the life of Tsutomu, who live with his pet dog in the mountains. His otherwise disciplined routine is broken by visits from Machiko, his editor, a break that he clearly looks forward to. And yet amidst all this he dearly holds on to the ashes of his wife who passed away more than a decade ago. The 112 minute movie will be screened on Sept 4 at 1 pm and Sept 5 at 5:35 pm.
Animation lovers should not miss out on another literary adaptation, The House of the Lost on the Cape by Shin’ya Kawatsura on Sept 4 at 3.15 pm and Sept 6 at 1 pm. 17-year-old Yui and 8-year old Hiyori, find refuge with Kiwa in a strange house. Soon enough, magical beings start appearing to them and it paves the way for a grander adventure.
We Make Antiques! Kyoto Rendezvous by Masaharu Take is sure to appeal to the mystery loving audience. An antique dealer and a potter find themselves entangled with a fraud client. Now the duo has to embark on a perilous journey of their own to expose the criminals and reclaim their clean reputation. The 106 minutes movie will be screened on Sept 4 at 5.30 pm and Sept 6 at 3 pm.
The penultimate movie, Father of the Milky Way Railroad is an autobiographical cinema based on the life of Miyazawa Kenji who pursued his own agricultural and gemstone interest over the expected inheritance of his wealthy father’s pawn-broking business. Directed by Izuru Narushima it will be screened on Sept 5 from 1 pm and Sept 6 from 5.15 pm.
The Dancing Okami by Toshiro Saiga narrates the story of a young woman who leaves the city after a failed attempt to pursue her dreams, and ends up in her hometown becoming an Okami by following the footsteps of her mother. It will be screened on 5 Sept from 3.30 pm.
Japan Talkies extends from September 4 -6 with free entry, on first-cum-first-serve basis for all.
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