FOUR curated masterpieces will be featured at the Japan Film Festival, which is back after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
The four-day event will be held at the Bahrain National Museum auditorium from Wednesday to February 19.
Hosted by the Japanese Embassy and the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca), the event will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bahrain.
It features films that revolve around intergenerational relationships, small towns, grief and cats promising heart-warming live-action to the audience.
The films to be screened in the festival are: Bento Harassment, Finding Calio, The Takatsu River, and Samurai Cat, and will have English subtitles.
Bento Harassment (Kyo mo Iyagarase Bento) released in 2019 will be screened on the first day.
Directed by Renpei Tsukamoto, it is the story of a single mother who reconnects with her emotionally-distant teenage daughter by preparing homemade boxed lunches with funny and embarrassing messages.
Finding Calico (Sensei to Mayoi Neko) directed by Kimie Kurotaki was released in 2015. It revolves around a widower’s journey to accepting his feelings of grief as he searches for a missing stray cat his wife was fond of.
The Takatsu River released in 2019 and directed by Yoshinari Nishikori will be screened next Friday. It narrates a father’s attempt to preserve his town’s traditional custom, the ‘kagura’ Japanese dance, while struggling with the fact that his son does not want to learn the endangered craft.
The final film to be screened on the last day is Samurai Cat (Neko Zamurai), directed by Takeshi Watanabe and Yoshitaka Yamaguchi.
It tells the tale of an unemployed ex-samurai who is hired to assassinate a cat, but steals it instead, after becoming attached to it.
The film festival is sponsored by the Japan Foundation, an organisation created by the Japanese government to promote the nation’s culture, arts, and language. The festival was last held in March 2019.
“We hope this film festival will deepen Bahraini people’s understanding of Japan and its culture, and further develop friendly relations between the two countries,” Japanese Embassy’s economic, cultural and public relations affairs first secretary Hisazumi Yukioka told the GDN.
Screenings will start at 6pm and the event is only open to Covid-19 vaccinated and recovered individuals.
They must show their green shield on the BeAware application to enter the venue.
“Kindly note that seats are limited and social distancing and masks are required during showtime,” Baca stated in its announcement.
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