The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The richness and wonders of Japanese cuisine are set to be celebrated at Eiga Sai 2015, the latest edition of the annual Japanese film festival organized by The Japan Foundation Manila that will be held from July 9 to 19 at Shangri-La Plaza’s Shang Cineplex in Mandaluyong City.
Prepare for the visual feast that Eiga Sai is offering, for food is very prominently featured in five of the 11 English-subtitled films it has lined up. One of these is Wa-Shoku: Beyond Sushi, which tells the stories of chefs who, a statement from Shangri-La Plaza reads, “have dedicated their lives to crafting quality Japanese food that sets the standards for Japanese cuisine all over the world.”
Another is The God of Ramen, a heartwarming documentary about renowned ramen chef Kazuo Yamagashi, whose engaging personality and dedication to cook delectable ramen have attracted numerous customers to his humble restaurant through the years.
Family ties, friendship and food are highlighted in Patisserie Coin de rue, which follows the journey a cakemaker’s daughter embarks on as she finds herself in the company of a famous former patissier; A Tale of Samurai Cooking, a romantic drama about a young woman with a talent for cooking who tries to help her warrior-minded husband improve his culinary skills; and It’s a Beautiful Life—Irodori, about three friends in a depopulated and mountainous area who start a food-garnish venture that would later become a multimillion-dollar business.
The rest of the Eiga Sai lineup—all made within the last five years—are no less fascinating: Festival opener Our Family, acclaimed director Ishii Yuya’s drama about a middle-aged homemaker who learns that she has brain cancer, and how this news impacts her financially struggling family; Tada’s Do-It-All House: Disconcerto, about a handyman who finds himself in a jam when an old friend’s ex-wife puts their daughter into their care and gets caught up in the activities of a mysterious cult; and Wood Job!, the screen adaptation of Miura Shion’s bestselling novel about a city boy who finds himself thriving in a mountain village.
The remaining three films are based on manga, or Japanese comics: Princess Jellyfish, about a jellyfish-obsessed wannabe-illustrator who moves into a women-only apartment building and turns the lives of the other tenants inside out; Parasyte, a comic horror-thriller about a high-school student who forms an uneasy alliance with a knowledge-hungry parasite who took over his right hand, as a series of unexplained killings grips the teenager’s community; and Thermae Romae II, about a bathhouse designer in ancient Rome who time-travels to contemporary Japan to find inspiration for new designs and, in the process, finds himself caught up in a conflict that threatens to break up the Roman Empire.
After its run at the Shang Cineplex, Eiga Sai 2015 will be held at the Film Development Council of the Philippines Cinematheque in Davao City from July 14 to 19; the Abreeza Mall Cinema, also in Davao City, from July 24 to 26; the University of the Philippines Film Institute in Quezon City from August 12 to 15; and Ayala Center Cinema 4 in Cebu City from August 19 to 23. Alvin I. Dacanay
Eiga Sai 2015 is held as part of Philippines-Japan Friendship Month celebrations. For screening schedules, download this. For other inquiries, call The Japan Foundation Manila at (632) 811-6155 to 58 or visit its website; or Shangri-La Plaza at (632) 370-2597 or visit its official Facebook page.