To
officially launch the 9th Japanese Film Festival in Sydney,
the Japan Foundation, Sydney will host an exclusive Gala Opening
on 28 November. The Opening Night will feature the Samurai masterpiece,
Hidden Blade, directed
by the highly regarded, Yoji Yamada, best known for The Twilight
Samurai and Tora-san series.
This
event is by invitation only.
SPECIAL
CHARITY SCREENING
Wed
30 Nov 6:30 pm
International
premiere of the heart-warming documentary Horumaika.
Includes Q&A with the filmfs Director and Producer.
Komatsugura is a tiny
village in the mountains. For hundreds of years, the villagers
were virtually cut off from the outside world due to the heavy
snowfall in winter months. Many had died as a result of this
isolation, so in 1933 the villagers decided to dig their own
tunnel beneath the mountain. After 16 years of digging for almost
one kilometre, they completed what is the longest hand-dug tunnel
in Japan. For the next fifty years, the Nakayama Tunnel would
be their precious lifeline to the outside world...
This
amazing story of the courage and determination of the Komatsugura
villagers is recorded in the documentary Horumaika
(Letfs Dig!), filmed in 2003. Tragically, in October 2004,
the following year after the film was made, a devastating
earthquake hit the area and Komatsugura was severely damaged.
Almost 2000 people were airlifted to safety but to this day
these villagers have not been able to return to their homes.
In
response to this disaster, the staff of Horumaika
established an earthquake rescue fund, raising money by organising
charity screenings of the film around Japan. This will be
the first time this inspiring story has been screened outside
Japan.
The Director (Shinichi
Hashimoto) and Producer (Kunio Takeshige) of Horumaika,
and the villiage mayor at the time of the earthquake, Mr Tadami
Nagashima, will be special guests at this charity screening,
to share their experiences and present exclusive footage from
the earthquake rescue efforts.
*All
proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Horumaika
Rescue Fund*
HINOKIO:
PRE-SCREENING EVENT
Fri
2 Dec 10 am
Prior
to the screening of Hinokio, there will be a special
guest appearance by two of the 3D animators
who worked on the film. This is an ideal opportunity for fans
to find out about what goes into making an animated feature
film. The presentation will include exclusive footage, storyboards
and CG models as well as some Q&A time.
*
Free event (with ticket purchase for the 10:30 am session of
Hinokio)
Sydney
tickets on sale now.
See Sydney
ticketing for more information...
Catch
the special daytime screening of Hinokio
on Friday 2 Dec at 10 am, featuring a special
guest appearance by two of the filmfs 3D animators.
Includes exclusive footage, storyboards and CG models
from the film as well as Q&A time. Great opportunity
for students of Japanese and animation fans alike!
Special
Charity Event
Documentary filmmaker, Mayu Kanamori (Chika),
will host a special charity event, featuring the inspiring
documentary Horumaika.
Special guests at this international premiere will include
Horumaika director and producer as well as former
village mayor.
All proceeds from the screening will go to the Horumaika
Rescue Fund.
To
officially launch the 9th Japanese Film Festival in Sydney,
the Japan Foundation, Sydney will host an exclusive Gala Opening
on 28 November. The Opening Night will feature the Samurai masterpiece,
Komatsugura is a tiny
village in the mountains. For hundreds of years, the villagers
were virtually cut off from the outside world due to the heavy
snowfall in winter months. Many had died as a result of this
isolation, so in 1933 the villagers decided to dig their own
tunnel beneath the mountain. After 16 years of digging for almost
one kilometre, they completed what is the longest hand-dug tunnel
in Japan. For the next fifty years, the Nakayama Tunnel would
be their precious lifeline to the outside world... 
In
response to this disaster, the staff of Horumaika
established an earthquake rescue fund, raising money by organising
charity screenings of the film around Japan. This will be
the first time this inspiring story has been screened outside
Japan. 
Prior
to the screening of Hinokio, there will be a special
guest appearance by two of the 3D animators
who worked on the film. This is an ideal opportunity for fans
to find out about what goes into making an animated feature
film. The presentation will include exclusive footage, storyboards
and CG models as well as some Q&A time.
