The Kick-off Event of
the 130th Anniversary Year for
Thailand-Japan Diplomatic Relations
The Japanese Film Festival 2017
Starts at Bangkok from 4 February 2017！
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Phuket
＠ＳＦ Cinema City group
© Kouno Fumiyo. Futabasha / “In This Corner Of The World” Production Committee
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok warmly welcomed the New Year 2017 with excitement that the time to raise the curtain of Japanese Film Festival 2017 would start on Saturday 4th February in Bangkok. The Festival lasted until Sunday 19 March 2017.
As the Japanese Film Festival 2017 was the kick-off event to commemorate the 130th Anniversary of Thailand – Japan Diplomatic Relations, the Japan Foundation, Bangkok invited everyone to cherish the sustainable amity between these two countries through this special event. To memorize this momentous moments, we selected 14 most recent films, including the awarding winning one, to relish everyone’s much awaited anticipation. Like last year, we organized the Festival in four different regions of Thailand, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai in the North, Khon Kaen in the Northeast and first time ever Phuket in the South of the country.
The Opening Film was “In This Corner of the World,” the swiftly fund-crowded and latest feature of Mai Mai Miracle writer and director Mr. Sunao Katabuchi. This historical animation remarkably won various recognized awards, including the Best Film Awards from the 38th Yokohama Film Festival and the Hiroshima Peace Film Award from the 3rd Hiroshima International Film Festival in 2016. Its tremendous success was echoed in 2017 by the Best Director and the Best Japanese Film Awards of Kinema Junpo, the Japan’s oldest film magazine.
Apart from “In This Corner of the World,” we proudly recommended a special selection of films which brought everybody’s joyful laughter, unforgettable experiences and even unstoppable tears of impression, for instance, “Sanada Ten Braves” (by Director Yukihiko Tutsumi and starred by Mr. Masaya Kato), “Creepy” (by Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa), “Sweet Bean (An)” (by Director Naomi Kawase) and the Closing Film in Bangkok “Her Love Boils Bathwater” (by Director Ryota Nakano).
Mr. Masaya Kato © 2016 SANADA TEN BRAVES FILM PARTERS
More excitingly, the Opening events of the Japanese Film Festival started with opening ceremony attended by one Japanese and many Thai stars, including Mr. Masaya Kato, a famous Japanese actor starring in “Sanada Ten Braves,” Mr. Chantavit Dhanasevi (Ter), Ms. Jarinporn Junkiat (Toey), as well as Mr. Banjong Pisanthanakun (Tong). Then, the special talks about the Japanese films by these special guests took place before the screening of Opening film.
As the Japanese Film Festival was an exquisite venue held only once a year, people who bought the ticket for the Opening Film were invited to attend this exciting event.
Last but not least, “Watch-Write-Win” contest was implemented. The rules were easy: watch a movie, write a review and win a prize for two economy round tickets to Tokyo for entry to the “Tokyo International Film Fetsival 2017” and two nights accommodation for two people in Tokyo. Audience was encouraged to vote his/her favorite film s/he watched in our Festival and wrote a review to participate in the contest to win the prize. For more information, see:
Japanese Film Festival 2017 – Thailand (English and Thai languages available)
https://th.japanesefilmfest.org/
Watch-Write-Win website
https://www.japanesefilmfest.org/vote/
There were 14 film screenings in Bangkok, 8 in Chiang Mai and 7 in Khon Kaen and Phuket. The screening schedule for each city and ticket buying methods are provided below.
List of film screenings
| 1. | Opening: [In This Corner of the World] directed by Mr. Sunao Katabuchi (2016, 128 mins) |
| 2. | [Chihayafuru Part 1] directed by Norihiro Koizumi (2016, 111 mins) |
| 3. | [Chihayafuru Part 2] directed by Norihiro Koizumi (2016, 102 mins) |
| 4. | [Creepy] directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2016, 130 mins) |
| 5. | [Gold Medal Man] directed by Teruyoshi Uchimura (2016,108 mins) |
| 6. | [Harmonium] directed by Koji Fukada (2016, 118 mins) |
| 7. | [Her Love Boils Bathwater] directed by Ryota Nakano (2016, 125 mins) |
| 8. | [Sanada Ten Braves] directed by Yukihiko Tutsumi (2016, 135 mins) |
| 9. | [Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow] directed by Yoshitaka Mori (2016, 123 mins) |
| 10. | [Sweet Bean (An)] directed by Naomi Kawase (2015,113 mins) |
| 11. | [The Magnificent Nine] directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura (2016, 129 mins) |
| 12. | [The Mohican Comes Home] directed by Shuichi Okita (2016, 125 mins) |
| 13. | [The Top Secret: Murder in Mind] directed by Keisho Otomo (2016, 148 mins) |
| 14. | [What a Wonderful Family] directed by Yoji Yamada (2016, 108 mins) |
Event periods and venues
■ Bangkok ■
■ Festival period
Saturday 4 – Sunday 12 February 2017
■ Venue
SF World Cinema Central World
■ Opening Film
Saturday 4 February
[In This Corner of the World]
directed by Mr. Sunao Katabuchi (2016)
■ Participants 1357 people
■ Media Coverage
ดู N:6 Asia Center 1 Arts and Culture 1 HQ ProjectFY2016Japanese Film Festival 201715 ReportBangkokClippings
■ Film screening schedule
กรุงเทพฯ 4-12 กุมภาพันธ์ 2560 ที่โรงภาพยนตร์ เอสเอฟเวิลด์ซีเนม่า ณ เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์
Bangkok: 4-12 February 2017 at SF World Cinema Central World
* ผู้ชมที่ถึอบัตรพิเศษรอบงานเปิดต้องเข้าโรงภาพยนตร์ไม่ช้ากว่า 4 โมงเย็น
■ Chiang Mai ■
■ Festival period
Thursday 23– Sunday 26 February 2017
■ Venue
SFX Cinema MAYA Chiang Mai
■ Participants 952 people
■ Media Coverage
See N:6 Asia Center 1 Arts and Culture 1 HQ ProjectFY2016Japanese Film Festival 201715 ReportChiang MaiClippings
■ Film screening schedule
เชียงใหม่ : 23-26 กุมภาพันธ์ 2560 เอสเอฟเอ็กซ์ ซีเนม่า เมญ่า ไลฟ์สไตล์ช็อปปิ้งเซ็นเตอร์
Chiang Mai: 23-26 February 2017 at SFX Cinema MAYA Chiang Mai
■ Khon Kaen ■
■ Festival period
Friday 3– Sunday 5 March 2017
■ Venue
SF Cinema Central Plaza Khon Kaen
■ Participants 523 people
■ Media Coverage
See N:6 Asia Center 1 Arts and Culture 1 HQ ProjectFY2016Japanese Film Festival 201715 ReportKhon KaenClippings
■ Film screening schedule
ขอนแก่น: 3-5 มีนาคม 2560 เอสเอฟ ซีเนม่า เซ็นทรัล พลาซ่า ขอนแก่น
Khon Kaen: 3- 5 March 2017 at SF Cinema Central Plaza Khon Kaen
■ Phuket ■
■ Festival period
Friday 17 – Sunday 19 March 2017
■ Venue
SF Cinema Central Festival Phuket
■ Participants 545 people
■ Media Coverage
See N:6 Asia Center 1 Arts and Culture 1 HQ ProjectFY2016Japanese Film Festival 201715 ReportPhuketClippings
■ Film screening schedule
ภูเก็ต: 17-19 มีนาคม 2560 เอสเอฟเอ็กซ์ โคลีเซี่ยม ซีเนม่า เซ็นทรัล เฟสติวัล ภูเก็ต
Phuket: 17- 19 March 2017 at SFX Cinema Central Festival Phuket
Bangkok
Photo session at the end of the press interview
Photo session of VIP guests after the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Mr. Masaya Kato, starring in “Sanada Ten Braves,” greets the audience along with Thai stars
A special talk event with the main actor and the producer of “Sanada Ten Braves” before its special screening.
Chiang Mai
Audiences gather at the registration desk of JFF2017 in Chaing Mai.
Each of audience for the Opening receives JF’s bag with a questionnaire and a booklet inside.
A number of VIP guests attend the Opening Ceremony of JFF2017 in Chiang Mai.
VIP group photo session
ขอนแก่น
Second from right: Mr. Chaitawat Niamsiri, Deputy Governor of Khon Kaen
A group of students look forward to receiving their entrance tickets for the Opening Film.
VIP group photo session.
A long queue of audiences waits for receiving their tickets for Chihayafuru Part 2 after watching Chihayafuru Part 1.
Phuket
Many young audiences register for the Opening of JFF2017 in Phuket.
Mother and daughter read the synopsis of films screened at JFF2017.
VIP group photo session.
A group of university students shared their smiles with the entrance tickets in their hands.
Organizers
Organizers：
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok
Supporters：
The Embassy of Japan in Thailand
For synopsis and more details about each film, visit our links as follows.
Special website: https://th.japanesefilmfest.org/
Facebook event page [เทศกาลภาพยนตร์ญี่ปุ่น 2560 Japanese Film Festival 2017]
Japan Foundation, Bangkok’s website:
https://www.ba.jpf.go.jp
Japan Foundation, Bangkok’s facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jfbangkok/
Japan Foundation, Bangkok’s twitter:
https://twitter.com/jfbkk
■Contact information
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok
10th Fl. Serm-mit Tower, 159 Sukhumvit 21, Bangkok 10110
TEL：+66-2-260-8560~4 FAX：+66-2-260-8565
Organized by
Supported by
