A Guide To Eiga Sai 2008

by Philbert Ortiz Dy

posted on Monday July 7, 2008

The Japan Foundation of Manila brings Eiga Sai back to Shangri-la Plaza on July 8. This year is stacked with some of Japan’s most critically acclaimed films. Here’s a quick look at the films on exhibit at this year’s festival:

FEATURED FILM
Pachiggi! (We Shall Overcome Someday)
Directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu
Written by Daisuke Habara and Kazuyuki Izutsu, based on a novel by Takeshi Matsuyama
Synopsis: A Romeo and Juliet type of love story between two high school kids – one of them Japanese, and the other, a Korean, set against the cultural turmoil of 1968 Kyoto.

Why you should see it: When any film tackles the idea of marginalization and racism in a society, it tends to be moving, but often bleak and dreary. Pachiggi! turns that on its head by still being moving, but also comedic and romantic. Pachiggi! is a brash, loud brawl of a film, a living, breathing celluloid catharsis for Japanese society. The f...