The Embassy of Japan and Japan Foundation is organising their annual Japanese Film Festival in Kathmandu starting today. The four-day event will screen a total of nine Japanese films, both classic and contemporary. The festival will be held from March 13-14 in Pokhara.

Japanese cinema dates back over a century, and over the years it has become popular among cinephiles, especially for Japanese animated films like Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro, and of the diverse works put forth by filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, Takeshi Kitano.

Hosted almost every year, the Japanese Film Festival hopes to bring people closer to their culture and lifestyle through notable Japanese movies. The festival is targeted towards students learning Japanese and towards movie-lovers who enjoy watching movies from different cultures. The Post picks some films to look forward to in the event:

Sanjuro

The 1962 black and white Japanese movie directed by the acclaimed Akira Kurosawa is an adaptation of Shugoro Yamamoto’s novel Hibi Heian and a sequel to Kurosawa’s 1961 Yojimbo. Sanjuro, the wandering Samurai, is pulled into politics when his uncle is framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent who intends to kill the Chamberlain’s staff. Sanjuro, a crafty samurai, tries to protect them. The movie was Toho’s, a Japanese film theatre production, highest-grossing film in 1962. The movie will be screened in Tribhuvan Army Officer’s Club, Tundikhel at 1:00 pm, on February 28.

Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t

The 1992 movie, directed by Japanese director Masayuki Suo, had won the best film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony. In the movie, Shuhei, a college senior to graduate, is impelled to join the college’s sumo team to please his professor. But the disinterested Shuhei and his team members are inspired by their professor’s determination to do their best. The movie will be screened in Tribhuvan Army Officer’s Club, Tundikhel, at 2:45 pm, on February 29.

Oshin

Oshin is based on the Japanese television series of the same name, and is about a young girl’s patience and endurance as her family struggles financially. The film, however, focuses on Oshin’s child, unlike the television series. Oshin was one of the most-watched serials and was aired in 68 countries with subtitles in various languages. And the character went on to become a symbol for perseverance and strength. The movie will be screened in Pokhara Chamber of Commerce & Industries Hall, Gaira Patan at 12:00 pm, on March 14.

The Japanese Film Festival will be screened at Tribhuvan Army Officer’s Club, Tundikhel and Pokhara Chamber of Commerce & Industries Hall, Gaira Patan.