Japanese cinema with love
Sharing the cinematic tales, Japan one of Asia’s leading filmmaking countries, will showcase its recently made films, at the ongoing Japanese Film Festival in Colombo.
Presented by the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation in collaboration with the National Youth Services Council National Film Corporation Ship for World Youth Alumni Association, the festival will screen three films today, Sunday December 4—‘The Floating Castle’ at 10.00 a.m., ‘Time Scoop Hunter’ at 3.00 p.m. and ‘Samurai Cat’ at 5.30 p.m. at the National Film Corporation theatre, Colombo.
“All these films representing a mixture of different genres are stories surrounding the lives of Japanese people which showcase unique aspects of the Japanese culture and society,” said the Japanese Ambassador in Colombo, Kenichi Suganuma speaking about the festival.
Based on an actual historical event in Japan ‘The Floating Castle’ (Nobou no shiro) tells 1589 story of the castle that Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his greatest general, Ishida Mitsunari, failed to conquer.
Nearing the end of Japan’s long years of civil war, with Toyotomi Hideyoshi one short step away from finally uniting the land under his rule, he sends a massive army north against the Hojo clan, his last enemy. The one stronghold he cannot take is Oshi Castle, a Hojo outpost in the land of Bushu. Called ‘the floating castle’ because of the lake that surrounded it, it is under the command of one Narita Nagachika, an extremely popular ruler known to the people of his domain as ‘Nobou-sama’, from deku no bou, or ‘blockhead’. Under Hideyoshi’s orders, General Ishida surrounds the castle with a force of 20,000. Nagachika is, as his nickname suggests, not a gifted man at all, but against the overwhelming resources of the Ishida army, the forces of this valiant little castle—a force of only 500 cavalry—unite with the common folk in stubborn resistance, retreating not one step even when Ishida resorts to the extraordinary measure of damming a river to flood them out.
But, with victory in their grasp, outside events give the story a twist no one would have ever expected.
‘Time Scoop Hunter’ is the cinematic version of the popular documentary-style drama series on renowned NHK TV channel.
A time space journalist travels to various eras to document the hidden stories in the history.
Directed by Yoshitaka Yamaguchi, Samurai Cat is around Kyutaro (Kazuki Kitamura) who is a Samurai who was once feared. However, after losing his position, he runs out of money and living alone away from his family. Kyutaro doesn’t know how to earn money without using his sword.
One day Kyutaro gets a job offer, which is to kill a cat.
Though Kyutaro finds it quite silly, he decides to do it for money. When Kyutaro opens the door to where the target of his assassin is, he sees the lovely white cat.
