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| Culture & Press Division >Culture & Event> | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy Organizes Film Festival | ||||||||||||||||||||
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From 15 to 25 October 2012, the Embassy of Japan organized a Japanese Film Festival in Addis Ababa and Mekelle with films that varied from Period Drama, Animation and Comedy to Family Drama, with special emphasis on the reconstruction efforts of the Tohoku region through films that express the beauty and strong determination of the people in the region.
In total, six films were screened at the Alliance Ethio-Française (AEF), the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) and Addis Ababa University (AAU). The opening night was held at the AEF on Monday, 15 October at 8:00 p.m., and the film: “After the Flowers” was screened. “After the Flowers” is a period drama set in Japan during the Edo Era. It follows a talented young female sword master and her way of living the Samurai spirit. “The Twilight Samurai”, which was a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards, was screened at the IIC on Friday, 18 October. A film entitled, “Wanko- the story of me, my family and my dog”, which is based on the love and bond of a family that faces natural volcanic disaster was screened at the Mandela Hall of the AAU on Wednesday, 17 October. There was also a lighthearted, fun comedy film entitled, “Hotel Hibiscus” screened at AEF on Tuesday, 16 October. This is about a young energetic girl and her family who live in Okinawa, a beautiful island in Southern Japan. A critically acclaimed animation “The Girl who Leapt through Time”, a very popular film about a high school girl who can travel through time, was screened at IIC on Thursday, 18 October. This film shows the level of Japanese Pop Culture, and narrates the dramatic change in the life of a high school girl. The beautiful landscape of Miyagi Prefecture, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami during the 3.11 disaster, is featured in “Haru’s Journey” which was screened at the IIC on Thursday, 18 October. From 23 to 25 October, the Festival was extended to Mekelle, where the sole Japanese Language Unit in the country is stationed. Three night screenings, at the Business Campus and the Arid campus of Mekelle University and at the Milano Hotel, were very successful with participation of many students and academic staff from the university, as well as the general public of Mekelle city. All film shows in Addis Ababa and Mekelle were open to the public with free entrance. The festival is the Embassy’s third event of the Japanese Cultural Series in Ethiopia for the JFY2012, which started with a Kendo Demonstration in May, followed by a Karate Demonstration in August. This is the first time in Ethiopia that the Embassy has organized a two-week long film festival in two cities, Addis Ababa and Mekelle. |
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