2009 5th Annual Sacramento Japanese Film Festival

We attended the 5th Sacramento Japanese Film Festival at the Crest Theater this Friday and Saturday. The films this year (descriptions from the festival guide):

• Love and Honor (2006): Young samurai, Sinojo Mimura, has challenges. Food taster to the shogun, Mimura loses his vision by eating poisoned fish. He also loses his court position and his means for a living. To secure their future, his loyal wife submits to his superior. Director Yoji Yamada has broken through the clichés of the samurai tradition in this film. Mimura carries the banner of the samurai, but he is also a conflicted, bitter man trying to do the right thing in a rigid, hierarchical society. The film's one sword duel won’t disappoint the most avid samurai aficionado. Winner of three Japanese Academy awards in 2007. (Japanese with English subtitles).
  
  
• Go For Broke! (1951): MGM broke through racial barriers with this WWII docu-drama on the all Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat unit who fought with great distinction in Italy and France. The film depicts the unit's 5 day assault through German lines and rescue of 211 surrounded men of the Texas National Guard. The 442nd suffered heavy casualties and became the highest decorated unit of its size in WWII; 21 members received the nation's highest military award--the congressional medal of honor. Starring the 44nd soldiers and Van Johnson.
  
  
• Most Honorable Son (2007): Ben Kuroki says that enlisting with the Army Air Corps was, “my personal answer to Pearl Harbor.” The Nebraskan son of Japanese immigrant farmers intended to farm when WWII intervened. The War Department had ordered Japanese Americans to be classified as "undraftable enemy aliens," but Kuroki and his kid brother had already enlisted. He flew 58 missions over Europe and the Pacific and was honored with the Distinguished Service Medal in 2006.
  
  
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006): An anime time travel film with a great story. Makoto is a cute, Japanese high school kid whose bike brakes fail, putting her in the path of an oncoming train and certain death. She opens her eyes to find herself minutes before the crash which she can avoid. Using her new gift, Makoto changes events when things don’t go her way the first time around. She also learns that we are all interconnected and that her actions bring danger to those close to her. 2007 Japanese Academy Award for Best Anime. (Japanese with English subtitles)
  
  
• A Stranger of Mine (2005): Begins with a shy business man, Miyata and a woman, Maki, who have been discarded by their lovers. The both of them suffer through an awkward restaurant date. Things happen. Miyata’s ex shows up. She has a boyfriend and a suitcase full of cash. Director/writer Kenji Uchida reveals what is happening through using flashbacks and several points of view. Winner of three awards at the 2005 Cannes film festival. (Japanese with English subtitles)

As in 2007, we liked them all!

The festival provided goodie bags on Friday night, containing:

• Meiji "Dippy" Dip-stick Snack (chocolate)
  
• Rice cracker assortment
  
• Chopsticks (wooden, plain) in an embossed paper pouch (kanji symbol for "health" in gold) wrapped with woven silver and gold plastic threads
• 5th Annual Japanese Film Festival pen
  
• Burpee Morning Glory Flying Saucers seeds courtesy Capital Nursery
  
• Coupons for local Japanese restaurants
• Assortment of various Sacramento freebies: Sacramento Region Travel Info bag clip; United Health Care's SecureHorizons info for seniors; Spare the Air info; CalVet Home Loan pen;

The 2009 goodie bag was a small #3 brown paper shopping bag (for example, http://www.zoolybag.com/kraft-bags.html) with a paper twisted handle and a 3"x3" sticker on the front with a print of two bamboo trees and the name of the event.

Some notes:

• Speakers preceded each film with background information
• Several members of the 442nd infantry were present. That was pretty surreal as they stood to applause. After seeing that I would have believed it had they pointed out Abraham Lincoln and Ben Franklin. Very cool!
• One of WWII's Military Intelligence Services (MIS) agents delivered a short talk after the showing of Go For Broke!. He described how Japanese-Americans would walk into caves in the Pacific theater of operations and talk Japanese soldiers into surrendering (as opposed to ritual suicide). o_O They would often have civilian hostages and this saved many lives. That blew me away.
• Everyone was very friendly and cheerful. Could not ask for a better volunteer staff.
• The granddaughter of Ben Kuroki delivered a letter on his behalf. Apparently today was his 92nd birthday and he could not attend.
  
• This was the film festivals first anime screening, due to patron requests.
• Hints were made that the festival date might be moved in 2010. I think they mentioned something called "am-gem (jam?)" but I am not sure. To ensure notification, they requested people sign up for their newsletter.
• A Crest Theater signage restoration project has begun! Scaffolding covers the historic sign from top to bottom.
  

The 2008 films (we missed these, but have since watched Rashomon).