Japan’s funniest film event, Okinawa International Movie Festival, takes place April 21-24, a month later than usual, with 20 domestic and international works on show for the 8th edition. Essentially dedicated the comedy, the film festival has the tagline “Laugh & Peace,” and with its new dates should also bring more sunshine than ever for cinephiles heading to the country’s southern islands.Taking place in Naha which screenings at venues including Sakurazaka Theater, Cinema Rycom and Mihama 7Plex, the festival by Osaka’s Yoshimoto Kogyo has become one of the largest community arts festivals in the country, with events throughout the year supporting the festival in 30 locations around Okinawa.While the festival has shortened over the years, it is still a significant showcase for Asian films to make their mark in the Japanese market. After opening with European-American feature “Macbeth” by Justin Kurzel, OIMF8 will present a number of regional productions, including Thai filmmaker Chayanop Boonprakob’s “May Who? (May Nai Fai Rang Frer),” a tale of high school geeks known as the ‘Invisibles’ which blends CG animation with performances by Thanapob Leeratanakajorn and Thiti Mahayotaruk.From Sri Lanka, Boodee Keerthisena’s “Alone in a Valley” tells the story of Vishva, Tharaka, and Maya, who finds themselves stick in time and trying to understand the unknown. While from Taiwan, Fung Kai’s “Rookie Chef” (Taiwan) stars Wang Po-Chieh and Jen Jung-Hsuan in a story of family relationships and culinary knowledge.Korean director Han Sang Hee will present his latest, a collaboration between Japan and Korea shot on the Okinawa island of Ishigaki. Called “The Trumpet of the Cliff,” the movie stars Nanami Sakuraba as Aoi, who is recovering from heart transplant surgery when she meets Zio, a trumpeter played by L.Joe of popular Korean pop group TEENTOP.Another film with an important local element is Kenichi Oguri “Memories,” created last year, the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, when the citizens of Okinawa especially suffered great losses. The film focuses on the war in the Pacific, where the 72-day battle of Peleliu saw the loss of 10,000 Japanese soldiers and 1,700 US soldiers, as well as countless civilians. The film covers the visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan to the Republic of Palau where the battle occurred.Other highlights include a Netflix original production titled “HIBANA -Spark-” by Ryuichi Hiroki in which a failing entertainer named Tokunaga meets the more successful Kamiya at the Atami Fireworks Festival, who takes him under his wing. As their careers proceed, Kamiya begins to struggle as Tokunaga’s star rises, before they are reunited. The film is an adaptation of the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel.For more information: http://www.oimf.jp
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