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Now on its 7th year, CROSSCUT ASIA comes back with a special two-part online version featuring “delicious” films from Asia, and an “encore screenings” of films from its past editions.
CROSSCUT ASIA was launched in 2014 as a section of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). The aim of the section was to showcase and promote the diverse Asian films with a focus on specific Asian countries/regions, directors, or themes.
This year, the Japan Foundation Asia Center and Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) jointly present the CROSSCUT ASIA Delicious! Online Film Festival with two programs—CROSSCUT ASIA special edition featuring “delicious” films from Asia, and Encore! CROSSCUT ASIA.
CROSSCUT ASIA special edition featuring “delicious” films from Asia
Two Filipino films are included among the seven participating films for the CROSSCUT ASIA special edition featuring “delicious” films from Asia.
Paul Sta. Ana’s Balut Country (2015) introduces Balut, a Filipino soul food, described as a fertilized duck egg boiled after the embryo develops. The film will not be accessible in the Philippines but it will be screened outside the country. The other film is Jay Abello’s romantic comedy Namets! (Yummy!) (2008), which showcases the visually delightful cuisine of the Philippine island of Negros. Namets! will also be having its Japan premiere in this section!
Five other films from Southeast Asia and Japan are also included in this program:
Aruna & Her Palate (2018), an Indonesian food-themed road movie by Edwin, the acclaimed director who won the Golden Leopard at the 2021 Locarno International Film Festival;
Kampai! Sake Sisters (2019), directed by KONISHI Mirai, which will drive the audiences to the industry of Sake in Japan. The film will not be available in the Philippines as well, but it will be shown outside the country;
My Love is Soup (2020), directed by Kriangkrai Monwichit, a heartwarming comedy with culinary images from Thailand’s deep south;
A River Changes Course (2013), directed by Kalyanee Mam, which won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for documentaries at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival; and
Wanton Mee (2015), made by the leading Singaporean director Eric Khoo, whose films are screened regularly at international film festivals.
Encore! CROSSCUT ASIA
Two more Filipino films are part of CROSSCUT ASIA, specifically on its Encore! program. Films selected in this program are carefully handpicked from past editions of CROSSCUT ASIA at TIFF which attracted great acclaim during their screenings.
Two award-winning Filipino films: Lawrence Fajardo’s Imbisibol (2015) which tells the story of four Filipino migrant workers in Japan, and Brillante Ma Mendoza’s Taklub (2015) provides a cinematic take on the horrendous aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Four other films from Southeast Asia are included in this program:
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock & Roll (2014), directed by John Pirozzi, which examines and unravels Cambodia’s recent tragic past;
Pete Teo Special (2008-2013), directed by Ho Yuhang, Yasmin Ahmad and others, which consists of 15 short films made by Malaysian filmmakers;
Tang Wong (2013), directed Kongdej Jaturanrasmee, a comedic Thai drama that centers around four high school boys; and
Three Sassy Sisters (2016), Nia Dinata, an Indonesian musical film.
SIDE EVENT
The Japan Foundation, Manila also prepared a side event in time for the CROSSCUT ASIA Delicious! Online Film Festival:
SUZUKI DAISUKE: DIARY OF AN AMBASSADOR’S CHEF / 公邸料理人の日記
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Martika Ramirez Escobar, Diary of an Ambassador’s Chef tells the story of food and cultural diplomacy through a day in the life of Chef Suzuki Daisuke, who works at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence. On his fifth year of being based in the bustling city of Manila, he has concocted and devised innovative and surprising dishes fusing the best of Filipino and Japanese cuisine.
The film is hosted by renowned chef Reggie Aspiras, featuring an interview with Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko. Suzuki Daisuke: Diary of an Ambassador’s Chef will stream online on 21 January 2022 concurrently with Crosscut Asia on the Japan Foundation, Manila’s Youtube Channel, and Facebook page.
HOW TO WATCH
January 21 to February 3
CROSSCUT ASIA Delicious! Online Film Festival could be accessed for FREE at the festival’s website
https://crosscutonline.jfac.jp/english/
January 21, 2022
The film SUZUKI DAISUKE: Diary of an Ambassador’s Chef, and the PELIKULA Journal (Japanese version) will be simultaneously released on The Japan Foundation, Manila’s social sites: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Website. Make sure to follow our pages for more information!
