The Japan Foundation, Manila has launched JFF Theater, an online streaming service dedicated to showcasing films and TV shows from Japan. The free service offers audiences frequently updated Japanese media content that they can access anywhere, anytime, all year round. With the slogan Moved, Touched, & Inspired, the platform strives to serve as a bridge between Japan and the world, forging connections and inspiring exchanges.
Here are 4 things that make JFF Theater great:
1. IT’S FREE. Simply register as a member to watch all content free of charge.
2. DIVERSE SELECTION. Enjoy a wide range of Japanese films, dramas, art-related works, and more.
3. FRESH UPDATES. New titles will be added frequently for a fresh viewing experience.
4. MULTILINGUAL. All JFF Theater offerings come with subtitles from a variety of languages.
Five films have been chosen to launch the streaming site, each selected to offer a taste of what’s to come in the coming months for JFF Theater. For those who want something light-hearted and inspiring, there’s It’s a Summer Film! (2021) and Happy Flight! (2008). For those who want a glimpse of real Japanese life, the documentaries SUMODO: The Successors of Samurai (2020) and Tora-san in Goto (2008) are fantastic choices. Fans of anime are also in for a treat with the must-see film Time of EVE the Movie (2008).
“Because of the success of our onsite Japanese Film Festival, we wanted to showcase more Japanese film on a consistent basis,” says Yojiro Tanaka, JFF’s festival director. “Through JFF Theater, more people can enjoy Japanese films, TV dramas, and other content in a convenient way much like other streaming websites. But better than other streaming sites that you need to pay for subscription, JFF Theater is free to watch. We’re excited to offer this exciting platform to our Filipino audience.”
JFF Theater is now live and can be accessed through the website https://en.jff.jpf.go.jp/. For more information on other Japan Foundation, Manila programs visit their website at https://jfmo.org.ph/ or follow them on their social media.
FILM LINEUP
It’s a Summer Film! (2021)
97min
Drama
Director: MATSUMOTO Soushi
Cast: ITO Marika, KANEKO Daichi, KAWAI Yumi
Hadashi, a high schooler, is obsessed with old Japanese samurai films. When her film club rejects her samurai film project, she decides to gather her friends and craft the film on her own terms. She convinces a reluctant young man into playing the lead and they begin their shoot but is faced with one problem after another. Will they be able to finish the film? What’s more is that this young man might be from the future?
An innovative coming-of-age masterpiece that incorporates elements of science fiction while providing a fresh look at young people who are serious about filmmaking. Packed with action, romance and suspense—this film exudes with so much passion towards the movies that any film fan is bound to get excited by it. Marika Ito, a former member of a famous idol group who is also active as an artist, plays the dynamic Hadashi, and her charm shines in the film. Look forward to the emotional final scene!
Happy Flight (2008)
103min
Comedy
Director: YAGUCHI Shinobu
Cast: TANABE Seiichi, TOKITO Saburo, AYASE Haruka
An international flight from Tokyo to Honolulu, Hawaii. A new pilot boards as an assistant to a more experienced senior pilot, and a new cabin attendant joins the team of a purser who has a reputation for being strict. The ground staff are struggling with bookings, the staff in the control tower are on alert about the weather and birds, and the mechanics are pouring their hearts and souls into accomplishing speed and precision in their work. With the combined efforts of all the workers, the flight finally takes off but they are soon faced with trouble.
Through episodes related to the work involved in operating large commercial passenger flights, the film spins an entertaining tale that shows the growth of new staff members with both humor and suspense. The film exudes a sense of realism through the meticulous research that went into learning about the work of in-flight and on-the-ground flight staff and how they problem-solve. An ensemble of top actors in Japan including Haruka Ayase, one of Japan’s most popular female actors, raises the film to higher planes.
Time of EVE the Movie (2010)
106min
Animation
Director: YOSHIURA Yasuhiro
Cast: FUKUYAMA Jun, NOJIMA Kenji, TANAKA Rie
Set in a time where humanoids have practical applications, many households are using androids/robots to do the housework. Most of the androids are treated poorly. High-schooler Rikuo also treats his female android at home very coldly. One day, while he surveills her actions, he ends up at a cafe. The rule at this cafe was that no distinctions are made between humans and androids. Rikuo cannot help but wonder what the customers hope to get out of being there. Eventually, through the people and robots he meets in the cafe, he begins to understand what having a real soul might look like.
A moving animation consisting of a string of episodes told by the customers about their sorrows of being discriminated against. The social settings of the film, such as the existence of an ethics committee that calls for caution against dependence on androids and issues surrounding old robots getting dumped as garbage provide realistic details to the world depicted.
SUMODO: The Successors of Samurai (2020)
104min
Documentary
Director: SAKATA Eiji
Cast: SAKAIGAWA Hideaki, TAKADAGAWA Katsumi, GOEIDO Gotaro
Sumo wrestling is said to have already existed in Japan over a thousand years ago and is still a nationally popular event today. Sumo wrestlers (a.k.a. rikishi), who boast huge physiques, not only compete in physical matches, but also serve in Shinto rituals. This film closely follows famous sumo wrestlers to show how they live, train, and how they feel when they step onto the ring. There is no other sport in the world where two wrestlers weighing 200 kilograms collide head-on without protective gear. Sumo wrestlers are always at risk of injury, but no matter the amount of pain, it is is never used as an excuse in the stoic “way of sumo” and “way of the samurai”. This is an invaluable record of the lives of these modern-day samurai up close and personal. The excitement of live sumo tournaments are also palpable.
Tora-san in Goto (2016)
114min
Documentary
Director: OURA Masaru
Cast: INUZUKA Torao
A documentary shot from 1993 and over 22 years chronicled a large family who make their living as udon noodle makers on the Goto Archipelago in Nagasaki Prefecture. Inuzuka Torao, known as “Tora of Goto” runs an udon noodle making business on the Goto Archipelago. Everyday, his seven children wake up at 5am, help with the business for an hour, then head for school. Over the 22 years the documentary follows them, the children all grow up.
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