Japanese Film Fest explores metaphorical bridges

FOR ITS 29" year, the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) is presenting a selection of 12 full-length films from various genres to “share the love of Japanese cinema,” according to the Japan Foundation, Manila.

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The annual film festival runs from Sept. 18 to Oct. 26 at the Shangri-La Plaza cinemas in Mandaluyong City, the University of the Philippines Film Institute in Quezon City, and in several SM malls across the country: Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Clark, and Manila.

The JFF kicks off at the Shangri-La Plaza from Sept. 18 to 28.

“One film we knew had to be included from the very beginning was Shunji Iwai’s Love Letter, a timeless classic that continues to resonate with audiences across generations,” Ben Suzuki, director of The Japan Foundation, Manila, said in an email to BusinessWorld.

He added that screening the 4k remaster of the film for the festival’s opening was a way to commemorate its 30" anniversary.

Other beloved classics as well as critically acclaimed new releases, ranging in genre from romance to comedy to action-packed epics, follow this year’s theme of “Bridg(e)ing.”