The Japan Film Society’s fourth annual LA EigaFest runs through Sunday at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and other venues.
The festival opened Friday with with a galaxy of stars and the international premiere of “Lupin the Third,” director Ryuhei Kitamura’s contemporary, live-action adaptation of the classic manga series.
“Our hope is that EigaFest with give a broader audience to these films,” said the Japan Film Society’s president and co-founder, Hayato Mitsuishi, before the screening of “Lupin the Third.” “We hope this premiere will be a testament to the quality of these films.”
Opening Night included performances from “America’s Got Talent” winner Kenichi Ebina and L.A. Matsuri Taiko.
The festival will close Sunday with “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno,” the sequel to the Japanese blockbuster “Rurouni Kenshin.”
LA EigaFest 2013 was attended by thousands with notable attendees including Oliver Stone, Ken Watanabe, and Masi Oka. Tickets for LA EigaFest 2014 are available at www.LaEigaFest.com.
Additional films screening this year include “Ask This of Rikyu,” “Genome Hazard,” “Giovanni’s Island,” “Godzilla” (the Japanese original), “Samurai Hustle,” “Riding the Breeze,” “Blossoms Bloom,” “Shiren & Ragi,” “Bilocation,” and “Wood Job!” All films will be screened with English subtitles.
LA EigaFest 2014 will also screen five films vying for the Golden Zipangu Award in the short film competition. Additional screenings include the winning films from the World Gate Film Festival in Japan, special Ninja Anime screenings from JVTA, and select shorts from the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia Selection.
The festival is also holding a matsuri (Japanese street fair) at the Egyptian Courtyard on Sept. 13 that will include festival games, Japanese street food, and more.
The festival will also hold a business panel on Sept. 14 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel presented by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Japan Film Society (JFS).
In collaboration with JETRO and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the second annual Japan Cool Content Contribution (JC3) Awards will be given out at a ceremony at the Consulate General of Japan’s Los Angeles residence on Sept. 13. The award honors Hollywood creators who bring Japanese content to a worldwide audience.
This year’s J3C Award honorees are “Edge of Tomorrow’s” Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Swingers,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) for directing and Legendary Pictures for producing for their summer blockbuster “Godzilla.” The J3C acting recipient will be announced shortly.
More information, including detailed descriptions of each film, can be found on the LA EigaFest website.
Venues
Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 561-2020; www.americancinematheque.com/indexegyptian.html (latest updates on the film festival will be posted on this website)
Loews Hollywood Hotel, 1755 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 856-1200; www.loewshotels.com/hollywood-hotel
TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 461-3331; www.tclchinesetheatres.co/
The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, Sept. 13
11 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Matsuri in the Egyptian Theatre Courtyard
11 a.m. to 1:03 p.m.: “Ask This of Rikyu” (L.A. premiere), directed by Mitsutoshi Tanaka, at Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre
12 to 1:30 p.m.: Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia Selection at the Egyptian’s Spielberg Theatre (free), featuring Atsushi Ito’s “Shokudo,” A.T.’s “Stroboscope,” Toshiro Sonoda’s “Tokyo Symphony,” Tsuyoshi Nakakuki’s “In the Tree House,” and Kazuhisa Kotera’s “An Innocent Beat.”
1:30 to 3 p.m.: Business panel at Loews Hollywood Hotel
2 to 4 p.m: “Wood Job!” (North American premiere), directed by Shinobu Yaguchi, at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre
2:30 to 4:30 p.m.: “Sakura Saku” (Blossoms Bloom), directed by Mitsutoshi Tanaka, at the Egyptian’s Spielberg Theatre
5 to 8 p.m.: “Gen X Cine Shiren & Rag!” (North American premiere), directed by Hidenori Inoue, followed by Q&A with visual producer Hidenobu Kanazawa, at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: “Bilocation” (North American premiere), directed by Mari Asano, at the Egyptian’s Spielberg Theatre
8:30 to 10:30 p.m.: “Samurai Hustle” (North American premiere), directed by Katsuhide Motoki, at the Egyptian’s Spielberg Theatre
9 p.m. to 1:03 a.m.: Godzilla 60th anniversary double feature — “Godzilla,” the Japanese original (1954) and “Godzilla” (2014) — at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre
Sunday, Sept. 14
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: “A Tale of Samurai Cooking — A True Love Story” (L.A. premiere), directed by Yuzo Asahara, at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: “Giovanni’s Island,” directed by Mizuho Nishikubo, at the Egyptian’s Spielberg Theatre; WGFF documentary “Falluja,” followed by Q&A with director Megumi Ito, at TLC Chinese Theatre
2 to 4 p.m.: Shorts Competition (Golden Zipangu Awards), featuring Tsuneo Goda’s “By Your Side,” Kentaro Hagiwara’s “Fake,” Yuji Kakizaki’s “When the Sun Falls,” Kenshow Onodera’s “Suicide Volunteers,” and Takeshi Yashiro’s “Norman the Snowman,” followed by Q&A with guests, at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre; WGFF feature film “Nice to Meet You,” followed by Q&A with director Takamitsu Oe, at TLC Chinese Theatre
2:30 to 4:30 p.m.: JVTA special anime programming — “The Merciless Life and Death of Ninjas,” followed by Q&A with Pomona College Japanese film scholar Jonathan M. Hall, at the Egyptian’s Spielberg Theatre
5 to 7 p.m.: “Genome Hazard” (North American premiere), directed by Kim Sung-Su, at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre; “Riding the Breeze” (international premiere), followed by Q&A with director Koji Hagiuda, producer Eisei Natsukawa and cast member Teresa Daley, at TLC Chinese Theatre
8 to 10:19 p.m.: “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno” (U.S. premiere), directed by Keishi Otomo, at the Egyptian’s Rigler Theatre
10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.: After party in Egyptian Theatre Courtyard
