Dive into the rich film culture of Japan with the Japanese Film Festival Philippines 2024.
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Ever wanted to embrace your inner cultured cinephile but felt like you needed a push? Consider this your sign, as the Japanese Film Festival Philippines 2024, or EigaSai (“えいがさい” = “film festival”), is giving Filipinos a chance to broaden their horizons and glimpse into Japanese film culture with select screenings of 14 feature films.
Organized by the Japan Foundation Manila, the film festival aims to champion cultural exchange and celebrate filmmaking through screenings of Japanese movies in theaters across the nation. From Metro Manila to Davao, catch Japanese movies for free starting February until March 2024.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Launched in 1997, the JFF showcases a variety of Japanese films in different countries like the Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia. The Japan Foundation began the initiative as a way to promote cultural exchange between Japan and other nations. As the world is blurring cultural borders more and more, people are more easily exposed to different forms and expressions of art and creativity from all corners of the world—and in Japan’s case, not just in terms of anime.
This year, fourteen films will be screened at different cinemas in Metro Manila, Baguio, Iloilo, and Davao. Check out the screening schedule and take your pick. For now, only the Shangri-La Plaza Red Carpet Cinema 4 has a complete schedule of screenings, with the rest of the screenings TBA, but keep an eye on JFF 2024’s socials (Facebook, Instagram) and website. Admission is free to every single screening—how cool is that?
THE LINEUP
The Japanese Film Festival 2024 lineup consists of a handful of movies you probably haven’t heard of yet, or are associated with a pop culture artifact you’re familiar with (like Voltes V). Regardless, it’s a whole bunch of new media you can check out. Below is the list of all offered films.
- The First Slam Dunk (2022)
- Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom (2023)
- We Made a Beautiful Bouquet (2021)
- Tokyo Story (1953)
- Detective Conan The Movie: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper (1997)
- Detective Conan The Movie: The Private Eyes’ Requiem (2004)
- And Yet, You Are So Sweet (2023)
- Not Quite Dead Yet (2020)
- Angry Son (2022)
- MONDAYS: See You “This” Week! (2022)
- The Father of the Milky Way Railroad (2022)
- A Man (2022)
- Voltes V: Legacy – The Cinematic Experience (2023)
- Voltes V: The Liberation (1977-1978)
From 1950s dramas to 2023 romance anime, indies to comedies, movies that’ll immerse you into the culture of Japan to movies that will highlight connections between the Philippines and Japan, the festival’s lineup brings something new to the fore. You can read up on the details of each movie on their website to see if any catch your fancy and to see which films will be screened when and where.
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