Tokyo hosts Georgian Film Festival as 110th Anniversary of Georgian Cinema

News

17 October, 2018

Japan is hosting the Georgian Film Festival as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia and 110th anniversary of Georgian cinema.

“Mr. Takehide Harada was impressed with Georgian Cinematography still 40 years ago after Shengelaia’s “Pirosmani “. In May 2018, he published a book about Georgian cinematography in Japan. The following year, Mr. Takehide is going to leave the theater, so he wanted to fulfill a long time dream and got Japanese audience acquainted with Georgian movies. The idea of holding the Georgian Cinema Festival in Tokyo belongs to him. Despite the fact that Georgian cinema is not well known in Japan, before the festival, the information was covered by the media and as Mr.Harada notes, the theater is fuller than expected,”- says Yasuhiro Kojima at Marketer.

The retrospective screening of Georgian films will be held from October 13th to 26th at the Iwanami Hall – a movie theater in Tokyo. The following Georgian films will be screened at the Film Festival:

“My Grandmother”
“Salt for Svanetia”
Keto and Kote”
“Pirosmani”
“Great Green Valley”
“Deduna”
“Susa”
“Keep Smiling”
“Blind Dates”
“House of Others”
“Dede”
“Khibula”
“The Confession”
“City of the Sun”
“Scary Mother”
“Reflection”
“Meidani – Hub of the Universe”

The initiative for organizing a Georgian Film Festival in Japan came from a movie theater Iwanami Hall staff member Takehide Harada. Takehide Harada saw and loved the film “Pirosmani” directed by Giorgi Shengelaya 40 years ago and later he visited Georgia to learn more about Georgian cinema. Now Takehide Harada is 65 years old and his desire is to help Japanese audience learn about Georgian films and Georgian cinema before he retires.

Takehide Harada published a book about Georgian cinema and theatre in 2018. In addition, Japanese translation of Vazha Pshavela’s poems and short stories translated by Yasuhiro Kojima and illustrated by Harada was published several months ago.

www.cbw.ge