C I T Y H U B SY D N E Y. C O M . AU
@CityHubSydney
JAPAN AT HOME BY MARK MORELLINI he 24th Japanese Film Festival (JFF) returns this year but owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this will be a streaming event which means the films can be watched at home. As an added bonus, the film festival will be free of charge for all to enjoy in Australia. “We are thrilled to bring the JFF online, uniting first-time viewers and seasoned festival-goers alike to come together in celebration of fanfavourites from past JFF’s to the latest in contemporary Japanese cinema,” enthused the JFF programmer, Susan Bui. “As with many festivals having gone online, it’s something to look
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forward to when most of the time you’re stuck at home twiddling your thumbs and everyone’s watched every single film on Netflix!” Having the privilege to watch festival films for free when other film festivals are charging may be a first in the industry. “When we started the film festival, we did provide it as a free program, but eventually when we expanded, we had to start charging ticketed events. But this year because we couldn’t offer the cinematic experience that was part of the reason why we offered it for free.” Presented by The Japan Foundation since 1997 this festival goes from strength to strength each year, having been presented in 58 cities across 12 countries in
2019 with a total viewership of 170,000. This year there will be 30 films available for viewing, with three documentaries, nine short films (animation and stop motion animation), and 15 Australian premieres. COVID-19 has brought film production to a standstill worldwide and as a result, the availability of films from Japan has been affected. “Owing to COVID-19 many distributors have put their new releases on hold for the year which means it was difficult for us to acquire films. The general process is that the distributors would prefer to release their films in Japan first then we as a festival present these films at the festival. So it has been difficult getting newer films, but
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This year’s Japanese Film Festival brings the greatest in Japanese cinema right to your living room having said that the Japanese film industry has picked up again.” Bui explained that Japanese cinema has had a long history compared to other countries and an extremely robust domestic market. “So many films are produced with only the Japanese market in mind. Basically, filmmakers aren’t concerned about how the films will perform internationally because the domestic market supports their film industry. In that sense when you’re watching a Japanese film you can really see the Japanese perspective and experience. Sometimes they might not be as relatable to people outside Japan and sometimes they may be and I think that is the charm of Japanese cinema.” Continued on page 2