Eiga Sai film festival to usher in PHL-Japan Friendship Month

The Japanese Foundation, Manila (JFM) will launch the annual Eiga Sai film festival in Metro Manila next week as part of its celebration of July as Philippine-Japanese Friendship Month.

This year's Eiga Sai theme will revolve around the value of family, which is seen as a commonality between the Filipino and Japanese people—as well as living in calamity-prone territories.

According to JFM assistant director Yukie Mitomi, these commonalities can be used to further deepen relations between the two Asian countries.

“I felt indeed that we, the Japan Foundation, have a lot of things to do to bridge our two countries, which share the tragic history of natural disaster,” Mitomi said.

“It is precisely because in times of the difficulties we all come to realize the value of family, not only the immediate family members but also the members of the extended family, which include other relatives, our neighbors, the barangay and the communities,” she continued.

There will be 16 contemporary Japanese films with English subtitles dealing with various stories of families to be shown during the Eiga Sai.

The opening film, “Homeland” (“Ieji”), involves a broken family seeking for hope after being affected by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

Also included in the film lineup is “Reunion” (“Itai Asu e no tokakan”) which features the story of a retired man who volunteers his funeral business expertise at a temporary morgue following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

The Metro Manila screenings will run from July 3 to 13 at Shangri-La Plaza's Cinema 4.

The Eiga Sai film festival will also be shown in the following venues:

Abreeza Mall Cinema, Davao City from July 25 to 27.
FDCP Cinematheque, Davao City from July 29 to August 3.
Ayala Center Cinema 4, Cebu City from August 6 to 10. — BM, GMA News

This article will be updated with the screening schedule once it comes out.