bury me in this dress

The Japan Foundation, in cooperation with Embassy of Japan, the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and the UP Film Institute, will be holding Eiga Sai 2010 in celebration of Japan-Philippines Friendship Month. Eiga Sai 2010 is all about contemporary films. I’m looking forward to the lineup.

All films will be shown with English subtitles. Admission is free.For detailed screening schedules and inquiries, please access the Japan Foundation, Manila website: www.jfmo.org.ph or call the JFM telephone numbers (+632) 811-6155 to 58.

Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor
Running Time: 0:21
Director: Yamamura Koji
Cast: Shigeyama Sensaku, Kanehara Hiromi, Shigeyama Ippei

A country doctor gets an emergency call in the middle of a snowy winter night. The doctor finds an open wound full of worms on the side of the sick boy. To the singing of children, the doctor is stripped of his clothes and placed in bed with the boy.

Miyori in the Sacred Forest (Animation)
Running Time: 1:56
Director: Yamamoto Nizo
Cast: Aoi Yu

Eleven-year-old Miyori shuts her heart from the rest of the world after her separated parents desert her. She is entrusted in the care of her grandmother who lives near a forest. Miyori soon encounters unbelievable things and gradually realizes that the forest is more than what it seems.

TOKYO TOWER Mom & Me, and
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 2:22
Director: Matsuoka Joji
Cast: Odagiri Jo, Kiki Kirin, Uchida Yayako

The film alternates between the past, in which Masaya narrates his life story, and the present, in which Masaya watches his mother die of cancer in the hospital.

Fourteen
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 1:54
Director: Hirosue Hiromasa
Cast: Namiki Akie, Hirosue Hiromasa

The film portrays the faint hope that is generated by the interaction between adults who have not recovered from trauma they suffered when they were 14 years old.

Glasses
Running Time: 1:46
Director: Ogigami Naoko
Cast: Kobayashi Satomi, Mitsuishi Ken, Ichikawa Mikako

It’s early spring and still chilly when Taeko a stressed out career woman leaves her stressed out life in the city for an island vacation. There is no sightseeing spot on the island and people come here to “twilight.” Taeko stays at “Hamada,” run by Yuji (Mitsuishi Ken). Expecting to be left alone, she’s put off when Yuji sits down to eat with her. She’s even more disgruntled when Sakura, a mysterious woman who comes yearly from somewhere in the early spring, takes the liberty of entering her room to wake her up! But seeking haven at another hotel proves absurd and Taeko awkwardly returns to her unconventional hosts.

There is also an intriguing exercise called “merci taiso,” which the residents on the island do as part of their daily routine but only during spring. Taeko is bewildered but begins to yield to their pace as she spends more time in the island. (more…)

I love film festival season. The French Film Festival will start if off on June 3 at the Shangri-la Cineplex 4 in Mandaluyong City. Like the previous French Film Festivals, admission is free. Below are the schedule and synopses.

June 3, Thursday
7:30 p.m. – L’Amour c’est mieux a deux

June 4, Friday
12 p.m. – L’Heure d’ete’
3 p.m. – La Fille du RER
6 p.m. – La Graine et le Mulet
9 p.m. – Les Bureaux de Dieu

June 5, Saturday
12 p.m. – L’Amour c’est mieux a deux
3 p.m. – Le Premier Venu
6 p.m. – Welcome
9 p.m. – Dans La Vie

June 6, Sunday
12 p.m. – Le Genou De Claire
3 p.m. – Le Beau Mariage
6 p.m. – L’Heure d’ete’
9 p.m. – La Fille du RER

June 7, Monday
12 p.m. – La Graine et le Mulet
3 p.m. – Les Bureaux de Dieu
6 p.m. – L’Amour c’est mieux a deux
9 p.m. – Le Premier Venu

June 8, Tuesday
12 p.m. – Welcome
3 p.m. – Dans La Vie
6 p.m. – Le Genou De Claire
9 p.m. – Le Beau Mariage

June 9, Wednesday
12 p.m. – Les Bureaux de Dieu
3 p.m. – La Graine et le Mulet
6 p.m. – La Fille du RER
9 p.m. – L’Heure d’ete’

June 10, Thursday
12 p.m. – Dans La Vie
3 p.m. – Welcome
6 p.m. – Le Premier Venu
9 p.m. – L’Amour c’est mieux a deux

June 11, Friday
12 p.m. – La Fille du RER
3 p.m. – L’Heure d’ete’
6 p.m. – Le Beau Mariage
9 p.m. – Le Genou De Claire

June 13, Sunday
12 p.m. – Le Premier Venu
3 p.m. – L’Amour c’est mieux a deux
6 p.m. – Les Bureaux de Dieu
9 p.m. – La Graine et le Mulet

Synopses

Lola
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Cast: Anita Linda, Rustica Carpio, Tanya Gomez, Jhong Hilario, Ketchup Eusebio, Camille Solari

Brillante Mendoza’s Lola features two grandmothers who are linked together by a homicide-robbery case. Lola Josefa “Sepa” Quimpo (Anita Linda) lost her grandson, while Lola Purificacion Burgos’ grandson Mateo is the suspected killer. Both elderly women set about raising money from their meager possessions for their beloved grandsons.

Le Beau Mariage (The Good Marriage)
Director: Eric Rohmer
Cast: Béatrice Romand, André Dussollier, Féodor Atkine, Arielle Dombasle, Huguette Faget

Sabine, an Art History student, no longer wants to be Simon’s mistress. Simon is an artist and a good family man, but Sabine is altogether fed up with being a mere mistress and decides to get married. With who is another matter: her priority is to “marry well”. In this frame of mind, she meets Edmond, who just happens to be “handsome, young and available”. Sabine declares, all too quickly, that she will make him marry her.

(more…)

Was there a Korean Film Festival last year? I don’t remember. Anyway, I just learned about this.

click to enlarge

Korean Film Festival 2009
September 24 – 29
Cinema #3
Screening Schedule:

Sept. 24 (Thursday)
2:00 PM-Barking Dogs Never Bite (R-13)
5:00 PM-Sa-kwa (R-13)
8:00 PM-Forbidden Quest (R-13)

Sept. 25 (Friday)
2:00 PM-Driving with My Wife’s Lover (R-18)
5:00 PM-Forbidden Quest (R-13)
8:00 PM-The Show Must Go On (R-13)

Sept. 26 (Saturday)
2:00 PM-Beyond the Years (PG-13)
5:00 PM-Barking Dogs Never Bite (R-13)
8:00 PM-Old Boy (R-18)

Sept. 27 (Sunday)
2:00 PM-Beyond the Years (PG-13)
5:00 PM-Barking Dogs Never Bite (R-13)
8:00 PM-Driving with My Wife’s Lover (R-18)

Sept. 28 (Monday)
2:00 PM-The Show Must Go On (R-13)
5:00 PM-Driving with My Wife’s Lover (R-18)
8:00 PM-Sa-kwa (R-13)

Sept. 29 (Tuesday)
2:00 PM-Forbidden Quest (R-13)
5:00 PM-The Show Must Go On (R-13)
8:00 PM-Old Boy (R-18)

Driving with My Wife’s Lover
Won triple awards in 2007 in the Sundance International Film Fest, International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Belgrade International Film Festival.

The story revolves around Tae-han, who runs a stamp shop in a small town. His life changes when he decides to play witness to his wife’s infidelity.

Forbidden Quest
Won honors in the Grand Bell Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Korean Film Awards in 2006.

Forbidden Quest is an interesting historical comedy that follows the journey of writer Yun-Seo, a man born into a life
of privilege. He decides to become the best erotic author of his time, creating palace intrigues as his work increases in popularity.

Beyond the Years
Beyond the Years is about two siblings who were adopted separately by singer Yu-Bong. Dong-ha falls in love with Song-hwa, but decides that the relationship would not work and eventually leaves home. Still, he never really stops loving his sister, and everything he does ultimately traces back to her.

The Show Must Go On
A dramatic film that revolves around the life of gangster In-gu, who dreams of nothing but moving his family out of their crowded apartment into a more spacious home. His wife tells him to find a more respectable job. His daughter will not
acknowledge him so he begins the challenge of finding a means to provide for his family.

Sa-Kwa
A romantic drama that tells the story of Hyeon-jeong, who is unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend of 7 years. She
vows to find a new suitor to replace him as soon as possible, as her biological clock keeps ticking away. She ends up falling in love with the most unlikely man at the same time that her ex-boyfriend tries to win her back.

Old Boy
The film follows the journey of a man who has been imprisoned for 15 years without him knowing why. He is released, only to find out that his kidnapper is not done with him yet.

Barking Dogs Never Bite
A satirical film about a lazy university lecturer who depends on his pregnant wife’s salary yet wonders how he can bribe his
way to professorship. The constant yapping of a dog in their apartment block finally gets to him, and he sets out to find it with the intention to murder it.

I’m curious about Old Boy, Forbidden Quest and Sa-Kwa. Admission to the festival is free.

The 14th French Film Festival will be held in Shangri-la Cineplex from June 5 to 14. Admission is free on a first come, first serve basis. This year’s lineup is a retrospective on 14 films which were shown during the Cannes Film Festival as well as a preview of our very own Raya Martin’s La Independencia.

Below is the synopsis of the films:

ÇA BRULE
Director: Claire Simon
Cast: Camille Varenne, Gilbert Melki, Olivia Willaumez, Kader Mohamed, Marion Maintenay, Morgane Moré, Jean-Quentin Châtelain, Nabil Radi, Mathieu Bagnis
Running time: 1h 51mn
She lives in the Var, she has a horse, and she’s angry.
The exalted love story of an adolescent 15-year-old, with a local man: Jean, 37 years old, teacher, voluntary fireman, married and father of two. It’s the beginning of vacation and the eternity of summer.

A TOUT DE SUITE
Director: Benoît Jacquot
Cast: Isild Le Besco, Ouassini Embarek, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Laurence Cordier, Fotini Kodoukaki, Catherine Davenier, Nicolas Pignon, David Ayala, Odile Vuillemin, Léonor Graser, Emmanuelle Bercot, Olivier Augrond, Sabri Lahmer, Fatiha Chériguene
Running time : 1h 35mn
Set in the 1970s, A Tout de Suite is the story of a 19-year-old girl who discovers that her lover, seemingly a Prince Charming, is actually a thief who has just committed murder. “Tout de suite,” instantly, her safe and comfortable world is turned upside down and she is swept into an adventure that takes her from Spain to Morocco and Greece.

LA PIANISTE
Director: Michael Haneke
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Benoît Magimel, Annie Girardot, Anna Sigalevitch, Susanne Lothar, Udo Samel
Running Time: 2h 10mn
Erika Kohut, 40 years old, is a respectable piano teacher at the Conservatory of Vienna. Living a single life, hardened by a possessive mother, she is a musician who leads a frustrated sex life. Frequenting peep shows and watching porno films, Erika dives into a morbid voyeurism and practices masochism. Until one day, when Walter, a 20-something student falls in love with her. From this affection is born a troubled relationship, emotional and perverted, between master and disciple.

MARIE JO ET SES DEUX AMOURS
Director: Robert Guédiguian
Cast: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan, Julie-Marie Parmentier, Jacques Boudet, Yann Trégouët, Frédérique Bonnal, Souhade Temimi, Maïa Sevleyan, Frédéric Garbe, Danielle Stefan, Jacques Germain, Axel Koehler
Running Time: 2h 5mn
Marie-Jo loves her husband Daniel dearly, but is also passionately in love with her lover Marco. She is torn between the two, with tragic consequences.

FLANDRES
Director: Bruno Dumont
Cast: Adélaïde Leroux, Samuel Boidin, Inge Decaesreker, Patrice Venant, Henri Cretel, Jean-Marie Bruveart, David Poulain, David Legay
Running Time: 1h 31mn
In Flanders, Demester other and young local men enlist as soldiers to fight in a distant land. He also falls in love deeply with the young Barbe, even accepting her strange ways and her many lovers. Tragically, the war exacerbates the relationship between them, leading them to extremes.

(more…)

Here’s the schedule according to the Alliance Francaise website

All the films will be shown at Shangri-la Cinema. I’m looking forward to watching Les Chansons d’ Amour, Un baiser s’il vous plait, La Mome, and Qui m’aime me Suive.