Bengaluru, watch your favourite Japanese films such as Dance With Me and Children Of The Sea at the Japanese Film Festival 

The 10-day Japanese Film Festival kicked off on December 6 at PVR Forum in Koramangala 
A still from Dance With Me
A still from Dance With Me

Film buffs in Bengaluru are in for a treat for the next 10 days. The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) hosted by PVR and Japan Foundation kicked off on December 6 at PVR Forum in Koramangala with the screening of the popular anime film Your Name.

The venue was packed with Japanese cinema fans both young and old. Delhi-based The Japan Foundation has been hosting JFF since 2017 but it was confined only to Delhi and Mumbai. This year, the third edition is being hosted at five more cities that include Gurugram, Chennai, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. 
 

A still from the anime film Your Name
A still from the anime film Your Name

The Bengaluru edition is being held between December 6 and 15. Talking about bringing the festival to the IT city, the Consul General of Japan in Bengaluru, Takayuki Kitagawa says, “Bengalureans are showing keen interest in knowing Japanese culture. When I came to the city about two-and-a-half years ago, there were five authentic Japanese restaurants. Now there are more than 35 restaurants, both authentic and not-so-authentic. This certainly shows there is a curiosity to know more about our food. The other indication is how the number of visitors to the Japan Habba Bangalore has increased over the years. At the first edition we saw 1,500 visitors, but earlier this year the third edition witnessed 6,300 visitors. So we thought why not showcase Japanese films and take this exchange to the next level.”
 

A still from Shoplifters
A still from Shoplifters

What’s unique about this edition of JFF is that the 25 movies selected are the best of new Japanese films. These are from genres such as anime, action, drama, thriller, suspense, horror, comedy, musical, romance, family, sci-fi and fantasy. Titles like Samurai Shifters, Shoplifters, Mirai, Weathering With You, Dance With Me, We Are Little Zombies, My Dad Is A Heel Wrestler, Little Love Song and more will be screened and entry is free for all the shows. “We understand that Japanese films are not very popular in India, so we deliberately have kept entry free so that more people come and watch our films. We believe films are a good means to know our culture. We also decided to partner with PVR because it is a commercial theatre that is easily accessible to a larger audience,” says Kaoru Miyamoto, Director General, The Japan Foundation.
 

JFF Bengaluru edition schedule
JFF Bengaluru edition schedule

The festival continues till December 15 with shows through the day. All the films are screened with English subtitles. Audience need to collect their free passes 30 minutes prior to the show timing. The festival travels next to Mumbai and concludes in Kolkata.

Entry free. Until December 15. At PVR Koramangala. Details: in.japanesefilmfest.org

ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax

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