Yerevan to host Japanese film festival

Yerevan will host its ninth Japanese film festival from November 27 until December 1.

The event is aimed at raising awareness of Japanese culture and developing understanding of the Japanese individual’s character, Karine Piliposyan, the president of the Yerevan based center Hikari (which is an organizer of the event), told reporters on Wednesday.

“It is planned to screen a total of five movies, all modern works. Entry to the cinema hall will be free. Let me also note that Irie Youske, a musician who will open the festival, will play the Shakuhachi. That instrument has an unimaginable sound which is so similar to the rising and falling [tones] of the Armenian nightingale,” she said. 

Thanking the organizers for the initiative, Japanese Ambassador Eiji Taguchi described the festival as a remarkable event after the opening of his country’s embassy to Armenia in January.

“As has already been mentioned, five films which have been rated highly in Japan, are going to be presented. I will be happy if the Armenians develop a better understanding of Japan and the Japanese culture through the movies in order,” he added.

The ambassador said they plan another festival in January, adding that it will be devoted to the woman.

Professor Aneta Yerznkyan, the dean of the Cinema Department at the Armenian State Pedagogical University, emphasized the importance of such festivals in the country’s cultural life. “I have already got familiarized with the five films, and I know they can provoke a great interest. They tell about the morals and manners in Japan and the life of people. Knowing the Japanese through films, [the Armenian audience] will thus develop a new mental outlook,” she added.