Japan Film Week from 4 March through 7 March 2007


Quick glance
The Royal Film Commission, the Embassy of Japan in Jordan, and the Japan Foundation in Cairo in cooperation with the Greater Amman Municipality will organize Japan Film Week at Al Hussein Cultural Center, Ras Al Ain, from Sunday, the 4th March through Wednesday, the 7th March 2007. The RFC participated in selecting the Japanese films, which are HANA-BI, The Twilight Samurai, Hotel Hibiscus, and Swing Girls. There will be two shows everyday, one at 17:00 and the other at 20:00, and they are all open to the public without a fee. Before each screening everyday also will be a screening of a Jordanian short film.

In addition to film screenings of the four movies, renowned Japanese cinema critic Ms. Mitsuko Sano will be present to speak about the Japanese films on the opening day. This interactive cultural encounter is to be realized in close coordination between the Royal Film Commission and the Japanese side. Also, the Jordanian shorts that will be screened represent some of the best work in screenwriting, directing, and acting in Jordan last year, 2006, by students of the Amman Filmmaking Cooperative (AFC). The AFC supported the shorts and Hazem Bitar was a primary figure in boosting their production and paving the way for it.

The diverse selection of the four films represents different aspects of Japanese culture. HANA-BI is about a detective's struggle after the death of his partner and his wife's illness; the film won several prestigious prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. On the other hand, The Twilight Samurai is the first full-scale period film by one of the giants of Japanese cinema, Yoji Yamada. Hotel Hibiscus, moreover, captures the importance of family ties in a remote hotel in the Japanese city of Okinawa. Finally, Swing Girls is the uplifting journey of a group of high school girls in Japan who discover their affinity for music; what is noteworthy is that the film's actors all did not have any prior experience in music or instruments; they learned how to play over the course of the film. All films are with both Arabic and English subtitles except “Swing Girls” which is with only Arabic subtitles.
The Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation have showed Japanese films with Arabic subtitles in Jordan for many years as part of their efforts to provide the Jordanian people with the opportunity to touch Japanese culture and experience the richness of the Japanese cinema.

With such activities and the Japanese critic's presence, the RFC is especially proud to be at the forefront of educating the public and encouraging artistic dialogue. A special committee from the RFC chose the Jordanian shorts and the RFC seeks to project Jordanian talent and creative output in the most important outlets, such as this festival.


About the Royal Film Commission The Royal Film Commission was established in July 2003 with a mandate to contribute to the development and promote an internationally competitive Jordanian audio-visual industry through the advancement of human, technical and financial capacity in addition to providing comprehensive production support services to local, regional and international productions. The Royal Film Commission is a financially and administratively autonomous Jordanian government body led by a board of Commissioners chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein. The RFC believes that filmmaking is a form of creative expression that transcends borders promoting cross-cultural understanding through the sharing of stories, thoughts and ideas. Jordan is a staunch supporter of Intellectual Property Rights. For information about the Royal Film Commission, visit www.film.jo.


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Ms. Sano exchanged views with Jordanian film makers and critics