The Japan Foundation Manila has just released the info and the films of their upcoming Eiga Sai 2006 ^^
here are the synopses of the films that they'll be featuring ^^
Synopses:
Gomen
Color / 2002 / 103 mins
Directed by: Togashi Shin
Nanao Seiichi, or Sei for short, is a sixth grader living in the suburbs of Osaka. One day, a sudden sexual ejaculation during class makes him aware of the physical changes that accompany growing up. Around that time, Sei falls in love with a girl he meets when he visits his grandparents in Kyoto. Sei goes to see her, only to find out with shock that she, Naoko, is an eight grader, or an “older woman.” Nevertheless, he manages to arrange a date with her, only to upset her talking about her divorced parents. His once-in-a-lifetime performance asking her to got out with him falls through when she bluntly refuses. This is Sei’s most discouraging experience of his life. Still, he continues to overcome all difficulties, perseveres, and is finally rewarded by Naoko’s kiss on the cheek.
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First Love
Color / 2000 / 115 mins
Directed by: Shinohara Tetsuo
The life of Satoka is complicated by her mother’s cancer and the fact that she and her father could never communicate well and now she is thrown in with him everyday. In going thru her mother’s things Satoka discovers a love letter written to Shinichiro, her mother’s first love. Satoka determines to fulfill her mother’s wish to see him again. She finds him but he is no longer the man her mother knew. Still, she persists and eventually grooms him back to something like his former self. At the long planned reunion – under the blossoming cherry tree, just as her mother had imagined – things do not turn the way she expected them to.
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Waterboys
Color / 2001 / 91 mins
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi
Suzuki, a high school senior, is the last remaining member of the Tadani High School swim team. If no new members join the team this year, it will be cancelled altogether. Fortunately, a pretty teacher, Sakuma, is picked as the swim team’s new coach. After class, 30 young men gather at the poolside. Many of them, like Sato, who was forced to quit basketball because of an injury, want to join the team for reasons other than a love of the water. Despite the huge crowd, however, Sakuma wears a frown. She had dreamed of coaching a synchronized swimming team, an ambition that was shattered when she was assigned to work at a boy’s school. She announces to the students that she plans to teach them synchronized swimming in spite of their gender. Most of the young men flee instantly. When the daunt settles, only five students are left: Suzuki, Sato, Ohtu, Kanazawa, and Saotome. Hoping to cheer Sakuma up, they launch into a silly intention of Olympic style women’s synchronized swimming moves. An overjoyed Sakuma decides that the team will present a synchronized swimming performance at the school festival. The five members are taken aback…
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Tsugumi
Color / 1990 / 105 min
Directed by: Ichikawa Jun
Born with a weak heart and spoiled from the word go, Tsugumi is a precocious 18 year old girl. Her daily life is clouded by a fear of death and she always behaves selfishly, making her friend Maria feel very sorry for her. Off in Tokyo studying at a university, Maria was invited by Tsugumi and her sister Yoko for summer vacation to meet at Izu where they all grew up and went to high school.
Walking around the streets they have passed together, the girls calmly drift in nostalgic memories. As they bathe in their nostalgia, a young boy named Kyoichi goes by, capturing their collective attention.
Later, as guided by fate, Tsugumi and Kyoichi happen to meet. The two are naturally attracted to each other, and things proceeded from there. However, other boys have their own ideas about Tsugumi, and they are not the nicest kids. They’ve got a crush on her, and don’t like seeing Kyoichi enter the picture. Finally, the young delinquents assault Kyoichi, and in the end they kill Tsugumi’s beloved dog. Thinking of revenge, Tsugumi gathers all her strength to dig a pit trap, but drops in a dead faint, foiled by her weak body.
This is the way the summer ended, and Maria returned to Tokyo. One day, Maria receives a letter from Tsugumi containing her will. Maria is pretty upset, but she has to go to her part-time job. At work, she gets a call, and immediately assumes it’s news of Tsugumi’s death. Worried she picked up the receiver and hears, “Hey! Ugly Hag!” It’s Tsugumi’s cheerful, joking voice.
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Swimming Upstream
Color / 1990 / 95 min
Directed by: Matsuoka Joji
One day after school, Kaoru glances at Sonoko at the poolside…Thus begins the story of one-sided love, Kaoru immediately joins the swim team. Sonoko quickly realizes his unusually simply naiveté, and resign herself to his presence. Kaoru has borrowed a motorcycle from his girl friend Pooh. She likes him, but he comes around only when he’s in trouble. Kaoru has his eye on Sonoko, so he comes around every morning and tries to offer her a ride to school. Much to Sonoko’s surprise, he even makes friends with her mother, bringing her over to his side.
Kaoru is determined to go to the Olympics, if only to impress Sonoko. He begins going to swimming club often, and comes under the coaching of a rather strange old woman that always wears a gold medal on her neck. One day, Kaoru is called to a dry steambed, where he sees Sonoko walking arm in arm with Nagai, the school’s ace swimmer. On their first match-up, Kaoru lost to Nagai and hasn’t forgotten it. Little does he know, this is exactly Sonoko’s strategy. If he saw her with Nagai, certainly Kaoru would lose his presence of mind and resolve to stay away from her. But Kaoru did not give up and the rivalry between the two swimmers heats up day by day. Sonoko was unable to maintain her mental composure, and begins to gain weight from over-eating. It’s at this moment that Kaoru experiences for the first time the severity of struggling on one’s own. He resolves to stay away from her. As for Sonoko, before she knows it, her thoughts are drawn toward Kaoru. Kaoru, who has been avoiding the swimming pool, communicates his own feelings to Sonoko.
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A Summer Page
Color / 1990 / 92 mins
Directed by: Oikawa Yoshihiro
Ippei is hovering between boyhood and young manhood. His best friends, Hiroshi and Taiheiyo, already seem to be well on their way in this transition. One morning, the three boys set out for Mt. Myojin-dake on their bicycles on what turns out to be an adventurous camping trip. Their beloved teacher, Mr. Sasa, had promised to take them their the year before, but his untimely death prevented him.
They have some interesting experiences but remember what their teacher had always told them: They could achieve many things just because they were three, together and united.
Mountain weather is changeable, and what begun as sunny and cloudless days became stormy as they approach the mountain summit. They are rescued by Mr. Machida, a friend of Mr. Sasa, who was collecting fossils on the mountainside with his wife and daughter. The cottage they took refuge in begins to collapse so they evacuate to a nearby cave, and Mr. Machida braves the storm to go to the village for help.
But soon after he leaves his wife, who was pregnant, suddenly feels the beginnings of labor pains. With Mrs. Machida suffering before their eyes, the boys, confused and bewildered, realize how helpless they are in this completely unknown situation. Then Mr. Sasa’s often repeated words come to their mind: “They could achieve many things just because they were three, together and united. Although uncertain that what they are doing is correct, through trial and error they finally succed in brining a new life into the world.
The storm blows itself out, and sunlight streams into the cave, Bicycling back home in the cool breeze that hints the end of summer. They decide that throughout life the three of them will retain their bond.
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Memories of You
Color / 1988 / 104 mins
Directed by: Sawai Shinichi
On a street in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Akira Kamijo, a university student, happens to meet Yumi Hirose. He had tutored her some years ago and is surprised that the once little girl has grown into a lovely fourteen year old high school student.
Not long after, however, Tomoko, Yumi’s mother, si told by her doctor that Yumi has leukemia and has onlu six months to live. Tomoko, who is separated from her husband, has been raising Yumi by herself.
Though totally confused and bewildered by her daughter’s illness. She wishes Yumi to pass her remaining days as enjoyable as possible, and entreats Akira, whom Yumi adores like a brother, to be her friend. Akira naturally says that he will do what he can.
For awhile, Yumi’s condition is stable. Then on an early summer day she suddenlu falls ill at school – the same day Akira is leaving for his home in Nagano Prefecture for practical training as teacher.
To recuperate, Yumi goes to a friends villa in the resort town of Karuizawa in Nagano. From time to time she visits the school where Akira is teaching. Just being with Akira makes her happy and eases her anxiety and fear about her illness. Akira seeing her so cheerful and relaxed with hi, determines to stand by her till the end.
Summer is over, and when Akira returns to Tokyo he finds Yumi about to be hospitalized. He therefore takes her to a dinner party with a group of mountaineering friends. After an enjoyable evening, Yumi breaks down on the way home and tells him how much she wants to live to be with him.
After a meeting with her father, Akira, with the assent of her mother and doctor, takes her to Mt. Hodoka, where she is content but unable to climb far until he tenderly carries her. As she falls into her final delirium, they express their deep love for other.
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Young Girls in Love
Color / 1986 / 98 mins
Directed by: Omori Kazuki
Takako is a senior high school girl. She lives in Kanazawa with her older sister, Hiroko, who is in college. She has three companions at school, Midoriko, Teiko and Kinuko, who are rather strange. Teiko is the smartest student in the class, but no one can keep up with her. Kinuko, who spends most of her time painting, has been held back a year in school.
Midoriko holds a funeral each time she has a shocking experience. Takako has attended these ceremonies twice before. The present funeral is for Midoriko’s broken heart. After the funeral is over, Teiko tells Takako about her love for an older man. Takako experiences a strange stirring in her heart after Midoriko and Teiko told her about their feelings for the opposite sex. She has been in love without knowing it, and these two friends have made her begin to realize what her feelings mean. The boy whom she has feelings for, Masaru, is a classmate of hers and member of the school’s baseball team. However, Masaru likes someone else. To him, Takako is just like one of his male friends.
When she begins to realize she loves Masaru, Takako also starts to notice that someone else has been admiring her. It is Kanzaki Motoshi, a younger student, whom her sister once tutored. It is a very strange experience for her. Not only is she in love for the first time, but someone is in love with her too. She does not know how to deal with it, and is driven more than one to resort to extreme measures.
One day when Takako is back visiting her parents in the country, Kanzaki shows up. He came all the way to ask her for a date. She sees in Kanzaki an ability to express his love outwardly, and her feelings toward Masaru begin to change in a subtle manner.
On the night of Hiroko’s graduation party, Masaru’s girlfriend leaves him. Takako witnesses thescen, and before she knows it, she is on her way to Kanzaki’s house. She seeks his affection in tears. Through the window of Kanzaki’s room, the two see Kanzaki’s father and Hiroko parting. Takako feels she now understands a little of what it means to love someone.
Takako, Midoriko and Teiko hold a Japanese tea ceremony at the beach. Each girl, who experienced love in her own way, seems to have advanced a step toward womanhood.
The Schedules Of Movies (Schedule subject to change without prior notice)
========================
UST film intitute:
Feb 13 (Mon)
2:00 PM
Memories of You
5:00 PM
Young Girls In Love
Feb 14 (Tue)
2:00 PM
A Summer Page
5:00 PM
Tsugumi
Feb 20 (Mon)*
2:00 PM
Waterboys
5:00 PM
Gomen
Feb 21 (Tue)*
2:00 PM
First Love
5:00 PM
Swimming Upstream
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@Shangri-La plaza Schedule:
Feb 15 (Wed)
2:00 PM
Gomen
5:00 PM
First Love
8:00 PM
A Summer Page
Feb 16 (Thu)
2:00 PM
Young Girls in Love
5:00 PM
Swimming Upstream
8:00 PM
Memories of You
Feb 17 (Fri)
2:00 PM
Waterboys
5:00 PM
First Love
8:00 PM
Gomen
Feb 18 (Sat)
8:00 PM
Waterboys
Feb 19 (Sun)
2:00 PM
Tsugumi
5:00 PM
Young Girls in Love
8:00 PM
A Summer Page
Feb 20 (Mon)*
2:00 PM
Memories of You
5:00 PM
Swimming Upstream
8:00 PM
First Love
Feb 21 (Tue)*
2:00 PM
A Summer Page
5:00 PM
Tsugumi
8:00 PM
Gomen
=======================
@CCP (Cultural Center Of The Philippines)
Mar 21 (Tue)
4:00 PM
Gomen
7:00 PM
Waterboys
Mar 22 (Wed)
4:00 PM
Tsugumi
7:00 PM
Swimming Upstream
Mar 23 (Thu)
4:00 PM
First Love
7:00 PM
A Summer Page
Mar 24 (Fri)
4:00 PM
Memories of You
7:00 PM
Young Girls In Love
Mar 25 (Sat)
4:00 PM
First Love
7:00 PM
Gomen
Mar 26 (Sun)
4:00 PM
A Summer Page
7:00 PM
Young Girls In Love
=========================
For More Info, Visit
http://www.jfmo.org.phand the Jpop Group Core Of Soul @
ONE LOVE, ONE DAY, ONE LIFE!Core of Soul 2006 Asia Tour
with
Hale
Barbie Almalbis
Kitchie Nadal
Shangri-la Plaza Mall
February 25, 2006 8:30 PM
FREE ADMISSION!!!