JAPAN FOUNDATION WORLDWIDE

The moderator was an up-and-coming animator in Indonesia, Mr. Wahyu Aditya, and the lecturer was Mr. Tokumitsu Kifune. (Mr. Aditya spent summer of 2009 in Japan to research Japanese animation as an invitee under JENESYS Invitation Programme for Creators 2008/2009.)

The 11th Jakarta International Film Festival was held from December 4 to 12, 2009.
This film festival started in 1998 immediately after the fall of President Suharto. For the last ten years, it has developed to be renowned for its quality and quantity as one of the largest international film festivals not just in Indonesia but also in Southeast Asia.   
The Japan Foundation has been the sponsor of the Japanese film category in this annual festival since its beginning, and this time we provided the Academy Award-winning film “Departures” (Okuribito). Tickets were sold out before the screenings and the largest English newspaper in Indonesia, The Jakarta Post, listed this film among “the festival’s more popular offerings.”

Another event we offered during the festival, in cooperation with Inter College Animation Fesetival (ICAF), was the screenings of the selected 20 animation films produced by Japanese students of art universities and design schools, in order to present the trend of animation film production in Japan.
Mr. Tokumitsu Kifune, Director of ICAF and Professor at Tokyo Zokei University, visited Indonesia to hold a seminar to discuss the shown films, the history of ICAF, and today’s situation of animation film production in Japan. About 100 young Indonesian animators and students participated in this seminar and engaged in heated discussions, revealing how interested they were in the topics.  

Due to political upheaval and economic crisis, only a number of films produced in Indonesia in the 1990s, the decade of hardship for Indonesian movies. In the 2000s, the country regained its vigor and many Indonesian films today are distributed globally. In addition, the widespread use of computers made the production of animation films easier than ever. Now it is possible for creators with innovative ideas to present their works globally even if they are living in developing countries.

The Japan Foundation, Jakarta will keep presenting projects to encourage human exchanges between Japan and Indonesia in the fields of film and animation production.

Japan-Mexico Fair of 400 Years

In commemoration of 400 years of the exchange between Japan and Mexico, many events are scheduled in 2009 and 2010.

On November 21 and 22, Japan-Mexico Fair of 400 Years was held on Paseo de la Reforma, the main street in Mexico City. It included all sorts of colorful programs, such as a parade by Japanese and Mexican groups including Yosakoi Soran dance team and Ryukukoku Matsuri Daiko drummers; music and dance performances; and Lucha Libre (Mexican-style wrestling) on a special stage.

“Music of Okinawa”

The Japan Foundation, Mexico was one of 43 organizations that set up stands on the both sides of the street. It held workshops on Japanese culture: twice for each of origami, calligraphy, and furoshiki wrapping. Each program gave a first-hand experience of Japanese culture to more participants than expected.

 

On December 3 and 4, Yukito Ara, Isamu Shimoji, and Sunday gave “Music of Okinawa” concerts at Centro Cultural Jose Marti. This commemorative event for the 400th anniversary of Japan-Mexico diplomatic relation was also the opening concert of their tour in three countries: Mexico, Jamaica, and Cuba. The hall was packed with the audience who filled the seats and aisles on both days. They reacted enthusiastically to passionate performances by the musicians. The chemistry between them really livened up the concerts.

I had often heard that Japanese anime series Mazinger Z and Grandizer were very popular in the Arab world. That was why we invited Mr. Go Nagai, the creator of both series, to hold lectures and demonstrations to give first-hand opportunities for the audience in Egypt to meet the creator.  

In his tour of three countries: Jordan, Kuwait, and Egypt in mid-October, Mr. Nagai told the audience how he created his works and why his anime series won international popularity. In addition, one of the latest episodes of new Mazinger series “Shin Mazinger Shogeki Z-hen” (True Mazinger Impact! Z Chapter) was shown with Arabic subtitles.

In Cairo, a public lecture was held on October 13 and a lecture demonstration for cartoonists and animation-related specialists on October 14. Both events attracted the audience that vastly outnumbered the capacity of the venue; for the latter in particular, the hall was overflowing with around 100 people. Some fans even followed Mr. Nagai’s tour through Jordan and Kuwait. Their enthusiasm for the creator was far greater than we expected: when the lecture was concluded, Mr. Nagai was surrounded by many youngsters who asked him for comments on their drawings or to take pictures with them.

In his lectures, Mr. Nagai emphasized that only a creator who lives in the country and has an in-depth knowledge of its history and culture can produce memorable characters and stories for many people. Taking an example of Golden Bat, the dominant superhero in post-war Japan, he hoped that the creators in Egypt would create their own superheroes, that is to say, Egyptian version of Golden Bat and Mazinger Z. His encouragement must have taken root in the heart of future creators in this country.