Weekly Cultural News / October 04 - 10, 2021 (Reiwa 3) Page 2

Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2021
Annual Japan Film
Festival Los Angeles tobe held online fromOct. 4-10, and in a
Hollywood theater fromOct. 9-10

reflecting contemporary
Japanese culture and the
traditional Japanese spirit.
In addition to films fromJapan and the U.S., there
are also films from Canada and Germany in theopen call, allowing viewers to experience Japan
from a variety of perspectives.

Monday, October 4 toSunday, October 10,
2021: Online Screening
Saturday, October 9 toSunday, October 10,
2021: Real VenueScreening LA Venue:
Marilyn Monroe Theater
7936 Santa Monica Blvd,West Hollywood, CA90046
The Japan Film Festival
Los Angeles was started
to introduce Japaneseculture and young talents
through Japanese films,
and also to deepen
international culturalexchange.

Films dealing withJapanese history andhigh-quality documentaries will also be
screened.

Film: Nankurunaisa

Last year, the festival went online only, and thisyear will be the 16th year, and with the help ofmany in the Japanese American community, thefestival will have a hybrid of theatrical and online
screenings.

English subtitles.

About 30 feature-lengthand short films will beshown online and at theLA venue, including thelatest releases, environmental films, and heartwarming invited films.
All film are English or

For the safety of our volunteers and guests,
JFFLA will require all volunteers, visitors, guests,
and media to show proof of Covid-19 vaccinationor negative test results within 72 hours.

The films to be screened are all interesting,Continued to Page 3

Weekly Cultural News is an alternative publication for Monthly Cultural News
which we had to stop publishing in April 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Shige Higashi, Cultural News Editor
higashi@culturalnews.com (213) 819-4100

Weekly Cultural News / October 04 - 10, 2021 (Reiwa 3) Page 3

Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2021
Continued from Page 2

The venue will be disinfectedduring changeover andmasks will be distributed tothose who need them.
It is also mandatory to wear
masks in the LA venue.
・Tickets are $12
・The red carpet and award
ceremony will be held at theLA venue from 6:00 pm on
the Oct.10th.
・Ticket and Schedule Moreinfo www.jffla.org

Sachiko, who had appeared
because "I can't see the person
I want to see, so I can't becomea Buddha," runs around Okinawa, disregarding the concernsof her relatives.
In the real world, Sachiko hasannounced her retirement fromthe stage in 2020, but she is stillin good health. She was very
happy that her funeral wasgoing to be held in the film andreadily agreed to appear in it.

As if she was enjoying her own
funeral before her death, she isvery active in the film. In addiNANKURUNAISA tion to popular Okinawan talentseverything will be all rightsuch as Ai Moko and Ruka
108 min. 2021
Matsuda, Sachiko and other
Film: Love and the Grand Tug-of-War
talented performers of Okinawan
Sachiko Nakata, the queen
theatrical performances give a splendidof Okinawan comedy, has passed away! Thisperformance. This is a rare opportunity to see ashocking story turned into a film called "Sachiko's hilarious theatrical battle that will make viewers
Love Story".
want to bow down to the fundamental power ofOkinawan theatrical performance.
The newspaper distributed an extra issue. Leading Okinawan stars such as Yoko Gushiken, Gori ＊Main cast Masae NaKada will comingof Garage Sale, and Namie Amuro made memo- screening on Oct 9th.
rial comments.
Love and the Grand Tug-of-war
108 min. 2021
At Sachiko Nakata's live house, many fansflocked to offer flowers. On the other hand, therelatives at the funeral home were shaking withA love story from the master filmmaker Kiyoshi
fear.
Sasabe.
Sachiko's body had gone missing. The ghost ofContinued to Page 4

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Weekly Cultural News / October 04 - 10, 2021 (Reiwa 3) Page 4

Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2021
Continued from Page 3This is a story of love
to make up your mind.
Takeshi Arima(Takahiro Miura) is 35
years old, single, andunmarried. His father
Hiroshi (SeishiroNishida), a steeplejack
master and master ofthe "Great Tug-ofWar," has been nagging him to "get a wifesoon and become astrong heir."
One day, he meets
Ji-hyun (Jiyoung), a
Korean resident
doctor, and they
gradually come toknow each other.

Peaceful Death
112min. 2021
Kawada, who is engaged
in home medical care, isstriving to do his best in thefield of medicine every day,despite having some
contradictions and conflicts
in his mind.
Then, he meets Onuki, apatient with terminal lungcancer. Onuki's daughter,
Tomomi, chose to be a"painless home doctor"
instead of being hospitalized. In the end, however,Toshio continues to suffer
and dies.

He chose the "painlesshome doctor," but he ended up with the "painful
home doctor." Tomomi
At the same time,
blames herself, wondering
Fumiko (Mako Ishino),
if it would have been betterthe mother of theto let him stay in the hospiFilm: Peaceful Death
Arima family,tal, or if she killed him byannounces her retirement and abandons herbringing him home from the hospital. Tomomi
duties as proprietress and housekeeper, leaving blamed herself. These words stung Kawada.
Atsuko (Manami Higa), the younger sister, andthe rest of the family struggling to cope.
In the meantime, Kawada consulted withNagano, a senior home doctor. In Nagano'sMeanwhile, as the big annual event, the "Greatopinion, he should have suspected emphysema
Tug-of-War," approaches, Takeshi is told byrather than lung cancer and treated the patient.
Ji-hyun that she will be returning home in twoweeks. "What is dating?” "What is marriage?”In the end, due to his final diagnostic error,"What is family? " and "What is determination?”
Toshio had no choice but to reluctantly continue
suffering and die out. Kawada was tormentedThis is a story of love depicted through two
with regret, thinking that there were many otherpeople's love.
things he should have done.