By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Oct 5: The highly anticipated Japanese Film Festival (JFF) returns to participating Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) cinemas from Sep 8 to Oct 9, 2022, bringing the best of Japanese cinema to the big screen for all to enjoy.
The 18th edition of the annual celebration brings over 12 titles ranging from a variety of genres – drama, documentary, romance, youth and animation, highlighting various aspects of the Japanese culture through the cinema while satisfying the cinematic cravings and capturing the minds and hearts for film fans and newcomers alike.
JFF 2022 is held in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the ‘Look East Policy’ established in 1982.
Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, congratulated the Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur (JFKL) for successfully making the event a reality despite the many obstacles, and thanked Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) for their continued support of the JFF over the years, allowing the people of Sarawak to enjoy the best of Japanese cinema presented by the festival.
“Sarawakians, like Malaysians, are familiar with Japan. Everyone knows that the Japanese live a very disciplined life and are very successful.
“We can probably learn a lot about the Japanese through their films and from the way they live,” Abdul Karim said tonight at the JFF 2022 event, which was held at GSC CityOne Megamall here.
The festival’s highlight is the Malaysian release of Matsui Daigo’s ‘Just Remembering’, which tells the story of a couple recalling their sweet memories together.
Anime fans will be able to enjoy two titles: Tachibana Masaki’s coming-of-age story ‘Blue Thermal’ and Yuasa Masaaki’s period drama ‘Inu-Oh’.
Family-themed titles, on the other hand, include ‘And So The Baton Is Passed’ by Maeda Tetsu, a beautiful documentary filled with love based on the novel that won the 16th Japan Booksellers’ Award in 2019, ‘I Go Gaga: Welcome Home Mom’ by Nobutomo Naoko, and ‘Intolerance’ by Yoshida Keisuke, which highlights the intricate portrayals of the behaviour and psychology of people caught in extreme situations.
Also present were Abdul Karim’s wife Datin Zuraini Abdul Jabbar, MC Malaysia chief executive and Kuala Lumpur branch general manager Shiraishi Masashi, and JFKL director Shimada Seiya. — DayakDaily
