ONGAKU ON THE BLOCK: Taking J-pop to the Streets
RJ Bar, 28 Jupiter Street, Makati City
October 27,2007 from 5PM to 1AM
Tickets at PhP 120 with FREE DRINK
Featuring Japanese and Boy/Girl Band Music by
Armada
Do 'Ahou
Himitsu Heiki
NEOtaku
PPF All-Stars
Progeny
tRANCE
Bellkreauxze
The CAB Story
The Ducklings
Jamais Derriere
Schiff
ONGAKU SOCIETY FRESH MEET: The Kids Go Wild!
November 17,2007 from 5PM to 1AM
Tickets at PhP 120 with FREE DRINK
Featuring Japanese and Boy/Girl Band Music by
3 Day Trial
Ethereal
Free Beer
Rotschreck
Unfinished Confessions
X Versus Zero
Yumbuh
Brainstorm
DynexMachine
Konata Fans Club
Molded Sushi
Photosynthesis
If you think we were crazy for giving away an iPod Shuffle in our last gig—we’re even crazier this time! Come to both gigs and win a brand new blue iPod NANO in our biggest raffle yet! Join the Cosplay Competition! Check out the awesome booths! And have lots of bubblegum pop fun!
Preferred Members get special ticket discounts, a fun goodie bag, and get a chance to win hot J-pop goodies in the Preferred Members Exclusive Raffle! That’s two great raffles for our fabulous card-carrying members!
Visit our Events page and our Forums for more information!
This back-to-back event is proudly sponsored by CSCENTRL, PSICOM, and FROMJAPAN. These events are also supported by THE JAPAN FOUNDATION MANILA and UP AME, and our media partners OTAKUZINE, GAMEX, COSPLAY MAGAZINE, and RJ UNDERGROUND RADIO 105.9FM.
some quick reminders: Read or Die will be hosting STEPPING OUT: A Literary Cosplay Competition and SELL INDIE: The Independent Book Baratillo at the Manila International Book Fair. also, the Japan Foundation Manila is holding a MURAKAMI HARUKI Essay Contest; the deadline for entries is on the 31st of august.
spread the word and feed a mind today :D
if you're pinoy and you're big on blogs, i'm pretty sure you've noticed the fairly large controversy that's cropped up in the local blogosphere these last couple of days. yes, i'm talking about the "AXE and CHARLIE" incident. and no, i will refrain from putting in my two cents.
i've always been a pretty insular blogger. rather than attempt to change the world through witty social commentary, i prefer writing about things i'm interested in. it could be something as mundane as shoes or something as byzantine as fandom politics, but as long as it holds my fascination for more than five minutes (and i can spare that much time to blog), it's probably going to end up here XD
if (with the stress on the if) somebody else finds this interesting as well, and they care enough to rant/squee/lolz in the comments page, then i consider myself lucky and rant/squee/lolz along with them. i'm honestly happy with what i get.
i have no plans of going around baiting people in the hope of increasing my page hits or upping my comment count (although some people i've heard of aren't averse to this sort of behavior). i'll leave that to the wannabe drama queens and their drooling sycophants. i'm sure it's all part of their grand master plan to gain global domination of the black-market chihuahua trade, but i'd rather not be privy to the ins and outs of their overly simple minds.
STEPPING OUT: A LITERARY COSPLAY COMPETITION
When: September 2, 2007 (Sunday)
Where: Manila International Book Fair (World Trade Center)
Organized by: Read or Die
Guidelines for Qualification
- All characters portrayed must originate from literary works. Characters that have originally come from anime, animated cartoons, video games, table-top games, television shows, and movies -- even those that have book adaptations or novelizations, are officially disqualified.
- Costumes must be tasteful and cover appropriate areas of the body. Absolutely no live weapons will be allowed as props. Fire works and messy props (i.e. confetti, fake blood, smoke bombs) are also not allowed.
- The competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify any entry that they consider to be unsuitable, inappropriate, or irrelevant for any reason.
- Failure to comply with any rule, as well as disregarding written and verbal instructions from the Cosplay Team and the competition organizers, will result in the disqualification of the participant from the competition.
Guidelines for Registration
- Contestants must register on or before 14:00 (2 PM) at the READ OR DIE booth. Participants will be asked to provide all information required in the registration forms, as well as sign the release and indemnification agreements at the back of these forms.
- Participants are also asked to bring four (4) full-color full-body photos, print-outs, or photocopies illustrating the character they will be cosplaying. If none can be found, please bring photocopies of the text where the character’s description has been provided in the book or other printed material.
Competition Proper
- Cosplayers will be pre-judged immediately after they have completed the registration process. They well be escorted by the Cosplay Team to the Judging Area, and then escorted out once the process is finished. The competitors are then free to explore the main exhibition space, but are requested to remain in costume for as long as possible.
- At approximately 18:00 (6 PM), the top ten Cosplayers will be asked back by the Cosplay Team for the final judging round, which will commence promptly at 19:00 (7 PM). Competitors who have qualified for the final round but have already left the venue or have shed their costumes at this time will be excluded from the final round.
Criteria for Pre-judging and Judging
- Accuracy: 30% (How closely the costume follows the original design of the character portrayed.)
- Craftsmanship: 30% (How well the costume has been made, the level of difficulty involved in creating the costume, and the creativity employed in materials and construction techniques.)
- Characterization: 30% (How well the contestant portrays the personality of the character they are cosplaying.)
- Over-all Impact: 10%
Competition Awards
- The Grand Prize Winner will receive an iPod NANO courtesy of VIBAL PUBLISHING.
- Winners will receive specialty goodie bags containing books and other prizes from the Manila Book Fair, Read or Die, and our Sponsors.
Others
- All cosplayers will be responsible for their own safety as well as the safety of their belongings. Neither the staff nor the organizers are responsible for any injuries and/or inconveniences resulting from their participation in the competition.
- At any point, the competition organizers reserve the right to cancel the contest and put on hold the distribution of prizes. However, this will only occur under extreme circumstances.
- Information given is subject to change by the competition organizers without prior notice.
STEPPING OUT is part of ANG BAGONG LIBRO, the Read or Die series of functions and events at the 28th Manila International Book Fair.
The Japan Foundation, Manila is pleased to announce the Haruki Murakami Essay Writing Contest. The essay on Murakami's novel/s must be an original and unpublished work; it has to be within 1,000 words in English typewritten on A4 size paper (12 Arial, double space).
Entries may be sent to: email@jfmo.org.ph or via fax # (02) 811-6153 together with the writer's Name and Contact Details on or before Friday - August 31, 2007. Winner/s of the contest will receive a Haruki Murakami book and Gift Certificate. All participants/writers will be entitled to Free Membership in the JFM Library wherein a Haruki Murakami collection is available. Further announcement/details to follow.
For details/clarifications, please contact the Japan Foundation, Manila
12/F, Pacific Star Bldg., Makati Ave., Makati City
tel. # 811-61-55 to 58 / fax # 811-61-53 or e-mail : email@jfmo.org.ph
About Haruki Murakami
Murakami is a Japanese novelist and translator born in Kyoto, but grew up in Kobe. He is often distinguished from other Japanese writers with the Western influences heavily present in his writings. His first novel, “Hear the Wind Sing” (1979), inspired by a baseball game he watched, won first prize in the Gunzou literature contest. His works have received citations and prizes locally and internationally. Some of his writings include Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (1995), and Kafka on the Shore (2002) – which received the Franz Kafka Prize.
Good news, Manila PINKY:ST™ fans! Kalye Pinky will have a booth at The 6th Philippine Toys and Collectibles Convention!
The convention will be held at the SM Megamall Megatrade Halls 2-3 on July 16 and 17 from 1000 to 2100. Kalye PInky will be at Booth 61 next to Wasabi Toys.
Senior members of the community will be exhibiting their dolls and spreading the PINKY:ST™ love! Hope to see you there!
rael took me out to dinner at SERENDRA, to cheer me along as i attempted to not. spend. money for the next couple of months leading up to the J gig. i think she's really nervous about me flying out this time around since i am literally going to be on my own -- no financial safety net from a japanese scholarship committee or the german bosses at our workplace.
anyway, we had dinner at CONTI'S who -- as some people on the flist already know, make the best cake ever (the honor belongs to their mile-high MANGO BRAVO). their entrees are also good -- although i have to say i've had better at other places like AMICI or PIQUANT. i rather liked their fish and chips, although my opinion could be biased since i never saw a plate of the stuff that i didn't like.
contrary to some some online reviews of the place, their service wasn't really horrible. sure, they were a bit slow with the check and had to be reminded several times to bring us some iced water, but it's all perfectly understandable for a place that's run by caterers and pastry chefs as opposed to carreer restaurateurs.
besides, cake always makes up for slow service :D dinner was capped off with a really nice slice of tiramisu -- of which i made a mental note to purchase a whole tub of next time i dropped by~
still feeling a but peckish and perhaps fuelled by curiosity, we also dropped by SONJA's, whose cupcakes have been featured in every single food, fashion, and lifetsyle magazine i've had the misfortune of flipping through at the supermarket check-out line. it was okay, but not nearly as rave-worthy as most newsbites have made it out to be. truth be told, if it boiled down to a choice, i would spend my last PhP 1000 on two cakes from CONTI'S than ten cupcakes from SONJA'S.
verdict? all this sweet stuff is gonna ruin my teeth :D
one of the things that annoyed me when i switched companies was that just as i was about to move from arid, lifeless FORT BONIFACIO to AYALA AVENUE with their decent restos and coffeshops on every corner, HIGH STREET and SERENDRA we just about to open :/
anyway -- am not so bitter about the whole affair now since i do know my way in and around SALCEDO and LEGAZPI VILLAGES. here's a couple of my favorite places for lunch; and while they are mostly raves, i've included some things that bothered me from time to time as i feel a need to save people from disappointment.
AMICI DE DON BOSCO (FRIENDS OF DON BOSCO)
AMICI is best described as a school cafeteria for grown-ups :D everything is self-service, and the dining area resembles your high school mess hall -- but that's where the resemblance ends. AMICI serves the best, cheapest, and most authentic italian fare you could get in MAKATI (if not MANILA).
the place is run by the friars of DON BOSCO, who set it up as a place to give good people decent jobs, as well as serve home cooked italian meals the way they were meant to be. they're very rarely empty, since employees from the nearby tower blocks usually drive in en masse for their pizza, pasta, and gelatto. now that i think about it, the gelatto alone is worth the trip XD
AMICI DE DO BOSCO can be found on ARNAIZ AVENUE EXTENSION on the grounds of the DON BOSCO TECHNICAL INSTITUTE (next to WALTERMART). parking is limited but cabs are not, so commuting would be the better option.
SANGO BURGERS
this little gem of a burger shop is tucked away in an easy-to-miss spot in AMORSOLO AVENUE, MAKATI CITY. it's run by a nice, middle-aged japanese man who likes to give away tiny origami aimals to kids, and remembers many of his regular customers by face. burgers from SANGO are absolutely delicious, and thes chili fries (called MASTER FRIES on the menu) are out of this world.
SANGO is a quick two minute walk from MAKATI CINEMA SQUARE :D just keep your eyes peeled as i'm not going to divulge any more information beyond that XD
NEW BOMBAY
a couple of months back, pals from the office and i used to take a cab and attempt to squeeze into NEW BOMBAY's tiny, cumin and curry powder-scented DELA COSTA store. now, we simply walk a block and a half to their GIL PUYAT corner AYALA AVENUE store -- well-lit, well-ventilated, and sparkling new.
the authentic indian home-cooked meals are affordable and excellent. we all rave about their chicken and vegetarian samosas, and i personally am in love with their curried dahls (i can finish one family-sized serving by myself). all their entrees are not only lovely with rice, but also with chapatis or naans.
bring friends and dine as a large group to get the best out of their portions. also, be patient with their service; i'd be the first to admit that it's not exactly MICHELIN STAR top-notch.
PIQUANT
introduced to me by a former boss, this is actually one of the last places you would expect me to eat at XD PIQUANT features organic meals and south-beach diet-style sets, which i'm sure are very tasty, but not really my thing XP having said that though, i love it there, and order the same things over and over again XD their sandwiches and pasta dishes are yum, and their grilled filipino food choices carry our stamp of approval.
PIQUANT is on the second floor of the RCBC TOWERS on the corner of GIL PUYAT and AYALA AVENUES (and across the street from NEW BOMBAY :D ). seating could be difficult during the lunchtime rush, but things are more laid-back for dinner so i suggest you dine during those times instead.
LA GROTTA
i've only eaten once at LA GROTTA but it proved memorable since it was the first of many times i would see our boss get cheerfully wasted (honestly -- i find it endearing) :D the food was excellent, and the prices are not too bad considering i've seen food like this go for far more at local hotels. it's the wine though that sets the place apart :D i loved their whites -- i think i had four or five glasses before calling it a night.
reservations are recommended, and bring your credit cards to play safe. LA GROTTA is on HERRERA near the corner of DELA ROSA.
SALT & PEPPER
i've had lunch twice or thrice here, and while some of their food items were quite pleasant, i was disappointed by some of their entrees. their chicken curry was frankly too dry, and the salad i tried was bit of a let-down. i guess because they charged a bit more than usual lunchtime fare, i had set my expectations to high, only to have them crash down to earth.
it's an okay enough place, but given a choice i would rather walk the added block and a half to eat somewhere else. S&P is along HERRERA AVENUE, near the corner of AYALA AVENUE.
Come to UP Tomo-Kai's Cultural Night on July 13, 2007 from 6:00PM to 10:00PM at the UP Ang Bahay ng Alumni, Diliman, Quezon City.
Every year UP Tomo-Kai (also known as Philippines Japan Friendship Club) upholds an org tradition -- the Cultural Night, which officially culminates the UP Tomo-Kai Anniversary Week.
On Cultural Night, a spectrum of cultural performances is sure to amaze and amuse all of our guests. Various expressions and interpretations of traditional and contemporary aspects of Filipino and Japanese culture like songs and dances will performed by the UP Singing Ambassadors, UP Repertory Company, bands from the UP Underground Music Community and Ongaku Society, the Philippine Okinawan Society, and the Japanese exchange students
For more information, you can visit their website at uptomokai.edu.ms. You can also e-mail them at uptomokai @gamil.com.
The Japan Foundation Manila -- the prestigious Culture and Arts arm of the government of Japan in the Philippines, and one of OngakuSociety's most valued supporters, is about to unleash their newest and most exciting offerings on Manila's Japanese pop culture fans, with the opening of their new library-and-classroom space at the ground floor of the Pacific Star (Gil Puyat corner Makati Avenue) in Makati City.
The new space will serve as the venue for the Foundation's many Japanese Language and Culture lectures for academics and enthusiasts alike, with kimono kitsuke (kimono-wearing), origami (paper-folding), and Nihon ryouri (Japanese cooking) lessons, as well as film screenings of classic and contemporary Japanese films from the Foundation's extensive media collection.
The space will also house the Foundation's all-new and exciting book and media library. The new library now features not just reading material on traditional Japanese arts and culture, but also fun pop culture finds with close to 1000 volumes of manga (Japanese comic books) and up to 100 Japanese pop music albums. Through this new initiative, the JFM -- and in essence the Japanese government, would like to reach out to the younger generation and encourage them to learn more about the country and its people.
Excited already?! There's more! You can get to name the new space and win a fabulous prize to boot with the JFM's Room Naming Contest! Just come up with the catchiest, most appropriate name you can think of for the new space, and e-mail it with your personal information and contact details to mailto:email@jfmo.org.ph on or before August 31, 2007! You can also fax your entry to the JFM at (02)811-6153. For more information, please visit the official JFM website.
This even is brought to all you fab J-pop fans by The Japan Foundation Manila , with the special participation of OngakuSociety's. See y'all at the space real soon!
The Japan Foundation, Manila, in cooperation with the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the UP Film Institute, proudly presents slices of Japanese life as seen through the eyes of contemporary Japanese directors of “Eiga Sai 2007”: a showcase of modern film genre at the Shang Cineplex, UP Film Institute and CCP Dream Theater.
Among the films to be featured are Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogatari, 2004, directed by Tetsuya Nakashima), Harmful Insect (Gaichu, 2002, directed by Akihiko Shiota), Hotel Hibiscus (Hotel Hibiscus, 2002, directed by Yuji Nakae), No One
"No One’s Ark" (Baka no Hakobune, 2002, directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita), Inochi (Inochi, 2002, directed by Tetsuo Shinohara), Out of this World (Kono Yo no Sotoe-Club Shinchu Gun, 2003, directed by Junji Sakamoto), The Stars Converge (Chirusoku no Natsu, 2003, directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe), Blue (Blue, 2001, directed by Hiroshi Ando), Blue Spring (Aoi Haru, 2001, directed by Toshiaki Toyoda) and Shangri-la (Togenkyo No Hitobito, 2002, directed by Takashi Miike).
The Eiga Sai (literally, ‘film festival’ in Japanese) opens at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall on June 20 with light comedy, “Kamikaze Girls” (2004, 103 minutes, Color), written by Novala Takemoto and directed by Nakashima Tetsuya. It tells the story of two very different teenagers who become best friends, even though neither will admit it. J-Pop star Kyoko Fukada stars as Momoko, a 17-year-old girl so obsessed with everything rococo that she wears old-fashioned frilly white clothing and carries a parasol. After Momoko’s mother leaves her small time crook husband, her young daughter grows up on the farm, 60 miles from Tokyo, with her ex Yakuza father who sells fake Versace merchandize and grandmother, a woman with an extraordinary ability to catch flies in mid air. Desperate for money, Momoko starts selling the remainder of her father's counterfeit clothing, but her only customer is a tough-talking young biker chick, Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya), who belongs to an all-girl gang. Their lives exemplify some of the fascinating intricacies of Japanese youth culture in a feel good film with art direction creatively designed to blow your socks off. The movie garnered critical acclaim and won numerous awards in Japan and abroad.
All films will be shown with English subtitles. Screening venues are at the Cinema 3, Shangri-la Plaza Mall (June 20-26), UP Film Institute (July 2-5), and CCP Dream Theater (July 4-8). Admission is free. For detailed screening schedules and inquiries, please check the Japan Foundation, Manila website: www.jfmo.org.ph or call the JFM telephone numbers 811-6155 to 58.
“Kamikaze Girls” (2004, 103 minutes, Color), written by Novala Takemoto and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. Screenings will be held on June 20, 7pm, June 23, 5pm & June 24, 2pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 3, 7pm – UP Film Institute; July 6, 7pm - CCP Dream Theater.
"Blue Spring" (2001, 83 minutes, color), the first film adaptation of a book by popular manga-artist Taiyo Matsumoto and directed by Toshiaki Toyoda. The film opens with the quiet yet brutal Kujo (played by Gohatto's Ryuhei Matsuda) winning a particularly hair-raising version of chicken -- clapping as many times as you can while hanging on the outside of the school's rooftop railing. The winner of the game traditionally gets to rule the school. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. (June 21, 5pm & June 24, 8 pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 2, 7pm – UP Film Institute; July 4, 7pm - CCP Dream Theater)
“Harmful Insect” (2002, 92 minutes, color), this film is about a junior high school girl who is determined to choose her own way of life amidst the cruel tricks of fate. The film won the Special Jury Award and the Best Actress Award at the 2001 Festival des 3 Continents, Loire-Atlantique, France. It tells the story of Sachiko, a 12-year-old girl in junior high school who has a very complicated life. When she was still an infant, her father disappeared. Her mother, who works in a bar, is secretive and distant. Longing for an escape from her dreary existence and lacking any kind of pa
rental guidance, Sachiko has a short-lived affair with her sixth-grade teacher, Ogata. But fearing that his indiscretion might be discovered, Ogata moves to a town far away.
Although he and Sachiko continue a written correspondence, soon the absence of her only real friend and confidant leads Sachiko into a deep melancholy. When her mother attempts to commit suicide, the turbulence of Sachiko's life becomes too much to bear. After dropping out of school, she finds temporary solace in the company of others who have fallen through the cracks of middle-class society. But when she is forced back into the confines of her classroom, her long-dormant rage begins to surface and her life quickly spins out of control. (June 26, 8 pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 5, 2pm – UP Film Institute; July 7, 4pm - CCP Dream Theater)
“Hotel Hibiscus” (2002 / 35mm / 92min / Color) is a story of one very young energetic girl named Mieko and her extraordinarily international family who live in Okinawa. They live in a run down old hotel called Hotel Hibiscus with only one room for rent. It is an extraordinarily serene film that shares similarities in style to some of Takeshi Kitano's stone cold calm film moments as well as owing a bit to Hayao Miyazaki in its celebration of childlike irreverence. The film focuses on a dilapidated hotel which is run by an interesting melting pot of a family that never ceases to remind themselves of their international roots.
The story begins when Mieko and her two friends saves a teenage boy named Notojima (Toshihiro Wada) and he becomes the hotel's sole guest. Along with her classmates, Mieko spends her days trying to find Kijimuna the Forest Fairy. One day, her mother and half sister depart for the States to meet her sister's real father, leaving Mieko very busy with all the cooking and cleaning chores at the hotel. She delivers a letter to her father, who's working at a pineapple orchard, and meets a strange old man who calls himself Old Man Kijimuna. She also runs into a girl that's a dead ringer for herself. Mieko's summer holiday is filled with all sorts of experiences. (June 22, 2pm & June 24, 5pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 4, 7pm – UP Film Institute; July 8, 7pm - CCP Dream Theater)
"No One’s Ark" (2002 / 35mm / 111min / Color), the second feature film from director Nobuhiro Yamashita, well-known on the international festival circuit and whose first feature Hazy Life won the Grand Prix for independent films at the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival in the year 2000.The young Daisuke Sakai (Hiroshi Yamamoto)and his girlfriend Hisako Shimada (Tomoko Kotera) are in debt five million yen. They leave Tokyo in a small motorboat and go off to Daisuke's hometown, a small island in an attempt to persuade the locals to buy a health drink named "Akajiru" which, due to its awful taste, they haven't been able to sell in Tokyo.
However, not even his family and childhood friends are willing to support their enterprise. Besides, Daisuke's ex-girlfriend and her younger sister complicate matters in his relationship. Set in the early 90's, this picture shows how it's hard for the young generation to find a place in the economy of its country. (June 22, 8pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 5, 5pm – UP Film Institute; July 8, 4pm - CCP Dream Theater)
"Inochi" (2002 / 111min / Color), the film is based on a bestselling novel, in which the Japanese-Korean author Yu Miri candidly wrote down her own experiences. Yu Miri (Makiko Esumi) is a writer who's just become pregnant by her married lover. When she decides to keep the baby without his help, her ex-boyfriend Yutaka (Etsushi Toyokawa), now struggling with terminal cancer, decides to help raise him, pledging to "live long enough to hear the child call his own name." (June 22 & June 25, 5pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 3, 5pm – UP Film Institute; July 6, 4pm - CCP Dream Theater)
“Out of this World” (2003 / 35mm / 123 min / Color), Featuring a multinational cast directed by Junji Sakamoto (KT, Bokunchi), Out Of This World is an ensemble drama set in the aftermath of World War II. Kentaro (Masato Hagiwara) returns to U.S.-occupied Japan after being stationed in the Philippines, and is shocked to see what has become of his country. The sound of jazz drifts through the streets, as do thousands of American GIs, and the drink of choice is now Coca Cola. Sensing an opportunity, Kentaro hooks up with Shozo (Jo Odagiri) and some other likeminded musicians to form a jazz band called "The Lucky Strikers."
They land a gig at a servicemen's club on an American air force base but their audience doesn't have much patience for their substandard performances, especially the antagonistic jazz aficionado Russell (Shea Whigham). Kentaro's insensitivity towards the friendly club manager Jim (Peter Mullan) gets them barred from the base. Drug addiction, poverty and ideology draw them away from their music, and eventually the band members go their separate ways. Upon the death of one of their number, The Lucky Strikers reform and are given another chance to play at the American base. They perform one of Russell's songs, "Out Of This World," in tribute to their friend. (June 21 & June 25, 8pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 2, 5pm – UP Film Institute; July 4, 4pm - CCP Dream Theater)
"The Stars Converge" (2003 / 35mm / 114 min / Color), in 1977 in the port city of Shimonoseki, Ikuko (Yuri Mizutani) is an entrant in a track and field meet being held as a goodwill event with South Korean sister city Pusan. There she meets and falls in love with South Korean boy An Tei Hou (Junpei), a fellow high jump competitor. A year later on the day of the Tanabata festival (known as "Chirusoku" in Korean), the young lovers are reunited and vow to meet again in four years time. Some twenty-six years later, Ikuko has become a high school P.E. teacher and fondly remembers her youthful love affair. The track and field event she competed in has not been held since the onset of Japan's economic recession, but is to be revived this year. Ikuko participates as a coach, and she comes to know that a Korean man is the sponsor to make this event happen again. (June 23, 8pm & June 26, 5pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 5, 7pm – UP Film Institute; July 7, 7pm - CCP Dream Theater)
“Blue” (2001 / 35mm / 116 mins. / Color) based on a manga created by very popular artist Kiriko Nananan. Mikako Ichikawa received the best actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her performance. Set in a small seaside town in Japan, Kayako Kirishima (Mikako Ichikawa) has become a third-year student. She’s concerned about her classmate Masami Endo (Manami Konishi), who for some reason has failed and stayed behind in the same year. Everyone in the class ignores Masami even though they all have an interest in her. One day Kayako asks her to join lunch with the others and they quickly become close friends. Though Kayako never believed herself to be a lesbian, she ends up sharing a kiss with Masami. Their feelings for one another are put to the test when Masami sets off to visit the man who had impregnated her sometime earlier, and Kayako is left on her own. (June 23 & June 25, 2pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 3, 2pm – UP Film Institute; July 5, 4pm - CCP Dream Theater)
"Shangri-la" (2002 / 35mm / 109 mins. / Color), this film is a story of a typical small business printing company heading straight into bankruptcy after another burst over the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Umemoto Printers, already creaky thanks to antique equipment, is only the smallest domino to fall as owner Seisuke Umemoto fails to collect on debts from the larger companies he supplies; in turn, he can't pay his loyal employees. This mousy man-of-honor goes on a near-suicidal bender, eventually ending up in a ramshackle shantytown on the edge of Tokyo. Far from being a creepy slum, the ad-hoc village is well run by a quiet powerhouse and possible former yakuza everyone calls the Mayor.
With the help of super-organized squatters, like an unemployed postal worker, a blocked novelist, and a would-be private snoop, Umemoto is able to navigate tricky bureaucratic waters in order to get the goods on Nagashima, a corporate CEO who has declared high-profile bankruptcy while secretly funneling his assets through various mistresses and side-companies. After several smaller schemes, the Mayor and company finally get back to Umemoto's beloved Heidelberg presses where they literally give him a license to print money -- or something as good as money. (June 21 & June 26, 2pm – Shangri-la Plaza Mall; July 2, 2pm – UP Film Institute; July 5, 7pm - CCP Dream Theater)
from the official JFM Press Release
