HÀ NỘI  Film lovers in Việt Nam will have a chance to enjoy several Japanese films when the Japanese Film Festival Online comes back this June.

Organised by the Japan Foundation (JF), the event will take place from June 5 to July 3 as part of the Japanese Film Festival (JFF), sharing the excitement of Japanese cinema with the world. The third edition of the festival will be held in 27 countries and regions, excluding Japan.

The virtual festival was premiered during the pandemic and continued into late 2021 and early 2022. The 2024 version will surprise the audience by offering not only Japanese movies but also Japanese TV dramas.

'The Zen Diary' showcases Japan’s delicious food culture.  Photo jff.jpf.go.jp

According to JFF producer, Konomi Masafumi, in an evolving social situation in post-pandemic Japan and following the resounding success of the Academy Award-winning Godzilla Minus One and The Boy and the Heron, the organiser has carefully selected titles that we are sure will resonate with audiences around the world.

“This year, the Japanese Film Festival Online will distribute films and TV dramas to a record number of countries and regions and in a variety of languages to help share Japanese films with the overseas market,” Masafumi said.

In Việt Nam, the festival will be composed of two periods, June 5-19 for screening movies, and June 19 to July 3 for screening TV series.

The movies include Single8 (2023), Anime Supremacy (2022), The Lines that Define Me (2022), BL Metamorphosis (2022), My Broken Mariko (2022), Wedding High (2022), I Am What I Am (2022), Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction (2021), The Lone Ume Tree (2021), I Go Gaga: Welcome Home, Mama (2022), We’re Broke, My Lord (2023), Twenty-Four Eyes (1954), and Japan Horror Film Competition (2023).

Other highlights are School Meal Time Graduation (2002), and The Zen Diary (2022), both of which showcase Japan’s delicious food culture and the world premiere of the 4K digitally remastered version of Jungle Emperor Leo, aka Kimba The White Lion – a classic anime based on Tezuka Osamu’s manga masterpiece.

A scene from the movie 'Father of the Milky Way Railroad' that will have an offline screening in Hà Nội on June 8.  Photo japanesefilmfestival.net

In addition, two TV drama series will be available for the first time, Downtown Rocket and Rikuoh. These moving human dramas about diligent, hardworking people chasing big dreams became instant hits when they were released in Japan.

All the films will be streamed for free with Vietnamese and English subtitles. To enjoy the movies at any time during the festival, audience needs to set up a free account on line here: https://jff.jpf.go.jp/watch/jffonline2024/

Hà Nội’s audiences will have extra treats, two offline screenings which are available only in the capital city. Two films, Father of the Milky Way Railroad (2023) and The Handsome Suit (2008) will be presented on June 8 and June 10, respectively.

Promotional videos of the festival, trailers and message videos from the directors are also available on the official JFF+ Youtube channel.  VNS