PHOTO | Dillon McKinley
Japanese Film Festival Online 2022 is an event that aims gives everyone the chance to experience a wide variety of Japanese cinema. A total of 20 Japanese films have been selected to be available for streaming from Feb 14 to 25 completely free of charge.
The Japanese Film Festival has been held every year since 2016. However, the pandemic forced the festival to move online for the first time ever last year. The switch to online proved to be a great success, bringing in more than 200,000 views from 20 different countries over the four months it was available.
The Japanese Film Festival website states, “Due to the current pandemic, many people around the world are grappling with feelings of pain, sadness, and isolation. In these times, our hope is that this film festival can provide even some small sense of relief, and help people to live with a positive outlook on the future.”
This year, the festival is building on last year’s success, increasing the number of countries served from 20 to 25. The new countries included focus mainly on ones that would otherwise have very little access to Japanese film, such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The lineup for this year includes films from across many different genres, including thrillers, comedies, dramas, animations and even a few documentaries. Each film gives a unique glimpse into Japanese culture. The films also span a wide range of years, from the classic “RASHOMON,” released in 1950, to more modern examples like “Bread of Happiness” or “Aristocrats,” released in 2021. If you’re looking for a more informational piece, “SUMODO~The Successors of Samurai~” is a documentary covering the rise of sumo wrestling in Japan’s culture. If you want to experience breathtaking animation and an intriguing world, “Patema Inverted” has you covered. Regardless of what you’re looking for, there’s a good chance the festival will have something right for you.
To view the festival, all you need to do is go to the JFF+ website at https://watch.jff.jpf.go.jp. From there, you simply need to sign up with a free account. From the moment you start your first movie, you will have 48 hours to watch films and experience Japanese culture to your heart’s content!
