Film enthusiasts in provincial areas had a glimpse of the latest Japanese film works. The Japan Foundation, Manila, in partnership with SM Cinema, brought back the on-site screenings of the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) with its award-winning and must-see full-length films simultaneously screened at SM City Baguio, SM Seaside City Cebu, and SM City Davao.
During the opening ceremony at SM City Davao, The Japan Foundation, Manila Director Ben Suzuki welcomed guests with a video message, while Hon. Ishikawa Yoshihisa, Consul General of Japan in Davao, and Engr. Jonathan Nick D. Santos, Assistant Vice President for Mindanao of SM Supermalls officially opened the film festival at SM City Davao with a toast.
Guests at SM City Davao opening ceremony witnessed the drama/thriller film In The Wake directed by Zeze Takahisa. The film follows a series of baffling serial killings where the victims were tied up and left to starve. Tone (Satoh Takeru) who was just released from prison after serving his sentence surfaces as a suspect but detective Tomashiro (Abe Hiroshi) cannot nail down a conclusive proof.
Cinemagoers from Baguio, Cebu, and Davao also had the opportunity to watch other Japanese Film Festival offerings. These included animated films Belle by Hosoda Mamoru and Inu-Oh by Yuasa Masaaki; Drama/Youth/Animation film Blue Thermal by Tachibana Masaki; drama films Blue by Keisuke Yoshida, and So The Baton Is Passed by Maeda Tetsu, In Anime Supremacy! by Yoshino Kohei, and Every Day A Good Day by Omori Tatsushi; Drama/Suspense film Intolerance by director Keisuke Yoshida; and Drama/Thriller film Lesson in Murder by Shiraishi Kazuya.
Launched in 1997, the Japanese Film Festival (JFF), formerly known and appreciated in the Philippines as EIGASAI, is presented and run by the Japan Foundation, Manila. Since then, it has grown to become one of the largest film festivals featuring a wide variety of cinematic delights from drama, anime, and mystery to recently released films. JFF also brings guests from Japan for special talks and discussions.
The Japanese Film Festival is one of the exciting cultural events at SM Cinemas.