A festival of film from the Land of the Rising Sun
A selection of 12 quality movies of various genres from Japan will be screened at the Japanese Film Festival 2019, taking place in three cities over the course of a month. Held to mark the 132nd anniversary of Thai-Japanese diplomatic relations by the Japan Foundation and SF Cinema Group, the 42nd edition of the Bangkok leg of the film festival will feature 11 recent and older films that reflect Japanese art, culture and ways of life, at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Road, from Jan 24 until Feb 3. On Jan 24 at 8pm, the festival opens with The Crimes That Bind, a suspenseful drama directed by Katsuo Fukuzawa and starring veteran actor Hiroshi Abe. This will be followed by a special selection of award-winning films. These include Life Is Fruity (2018), a touching documentary by Kenshi Fushihara that earned the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year in the Culture Section; Lu Over The Wall (2017), a Masaaki Yuasa animation which won the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2017 and the Ofuji Noburo Award at the Mainichi Film Awards 2018; Mixed Doubles (2017), a comedy starring Yui Aragaki, who won Best Actress at the 60th Blue Ribbon Awards 2018; and Yakiniku Dragon (2018), a drama by Chong Wishing based on his own award-winning play. The popular Chihayafuru trilogy will be screened on Jan 26, with director Nori Koizumi set to give a special talk that same day. The line-up also includes Laughing Under The Clouds (2018), an action-horror set at the end of Samurai era; Shashin Koshien Summer In 0.5 Seconds (2017), a drama about 18 high schools competing for top honours in a national photography contest; and The Scythian Lamb (2018), a mystery thriller about six strangers with a past arriving in a small shabby harbour town. There will be at least one screening each weekday (not including Jan 28) at 7pm and five to six screenings each weekend, starting at 3pm. All films have Thai and English subtitles. Tickets cost 120 baht. After Bangkok, t he festival will bring six of the aforementioned movies, plus the animation Mirai (2018), to SFX Cinema at Maya Chiang Mai from Feb 8-10, and SFX Cinema at Central Festival Phuket from Feb 22-24. Tickets cost 80 baht at both venues.