Japanese Film Festival 2008

From 5-14 November 2008, the annual Japanese Film Festival will be held at the State Library of Western Australia.

Admission is free, but you need to pick up a ticket (limit of 2 per person) from the State Library Shop at 25 Francis Street. Tickets are available from this Saturday, 24 October, and normally disappear fast.

All movies start from 7pm (doors open from 6:30).

The lineup and schedule (including an Otoko wa tsurai yo! fest) is:

Always – Sunset on Third Street (PG) Wednesday 5 November

Based on Japan’s best-loved comic book series Sunset on Third Street, this multi-Japanese Academy Award winning film takes viewers on a nostalgic journey back to Tokyo circa 1958. Set in the old residential area of Yuhi, Tokyo, this moving story of hope reveals the lives and struggles of ordinary residents in a time of economic depression. The heart-warming residents of Third Street will surprise you with their optimistic outlook in life that demonstrate the inner strength of a blue-collar community.

Love and Honour (M) Thursday 6 November

Young samurai Shinnojo’s world is shattered when he loses his vision after a tragic poisoning and loses his wife to his sly superior and renowned swordsman, Shimada. After discovering that he has been deceived by deceitful plans, the blind Shinnojo challenges Shimada to a duel in a passionate battle to regain his love and honor.

The Girl who Leapt Through Time (PG) Friday 7 November

When 17-year-old Makoto gains the ability to leap backwards through time, she sets about preventing personal mishaps. Yet she soon realises that changing the past isn’t so simple! Can she use her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends?

Tora-san’s Rise and Fall (G) Thursday 13 November

Tora-san is travelling around the northern part of Japan. During his travels he meets a strange middle-aged man who has left home to find the woman he first loved.

Tora-san’s Forbidden Love (G) Friday 14 November

Tora-san meets a high-flying young stock-broker and, after a long night of drinking, ends up at his house where he meets the stockbroker’s wife. He feels a secret attraction for her…