島ぜんぶでおーきな祭-第7回沖縄国際映画祭-

On Friday March 27^th the film festival hosted a screening of a trio of short films that were supported by Okinawa prefecture.

The prefecture is very interested in international co-productions so they worked with Japanese producer Hyoe Yamamoto and Indonesian director Yosep Anggi Noen to sponsor Rumah, a quiet and beautiful work. Ayumi (Erika) works at a information call center in Nanjo City Hall, but the internet has made her position all but obsolete. Her feelings of uncertainty and emptiness soon proved founded as she is laid off. Ayumi returns to the sites of her childhood, and finally goes to see her elderly father, who has been contemplating entering an old folks home.
 

In a stage appearance before the film Noen explained he shot the film in Nanjo city but added sounds from his hometown of Jogjakarta, feeling that the Okinawan and Javanese cities had the same atmosphere. He wonderfully captures the beauty of Okinawa as well as a sense of beauty and longing. This feeling is sometimes referred to in Japanese as wabi-sabi, and Noen’s work embodies this Japanese aesthetic.

The second short piece, Kerama Blue, portrays Swiss couple Christoph (Daniel Perez) and Meg (Haruka Tobaru), who travel to Zamami island, a tiny local islet about 1 hour from the main Okinawan island. Meg is hiding the fact she is pregnant because she fears her husband will not want the baby, and their relationship may be in trouble. On the island affable local guesthouse proprietor Yuhi (Shogen) picks them up for their stay. As the Europeans speak English but Yuhi and his grandma converse in Japanese the two pairs cannot communicate. Christoph is put off at first by the different customs, different food and different habits. He’s a professional photographer and come to shoot the beauty of the island. Comedic moments ensue as the people talk past each other in unfamiliar tongues, but more seriously, the married couple fights, leaving Meg despondent. Finally the stunning natural wonders of the place start to lift Christoph, and the couple reconciles.

Filled with gorgeous shots of the ocean, and the bucolic magic of Zamami, the film depicts well the effect and nature can have on people. Shogen shines as the good-hearted innkeeper who truly wants to offer its charms to the visitors. Filled with gorgeous shots, the island and the actors co-star in this work.

Tamako, a fantasy tale set in Urasoe, Okinawa, rounds out the trio of films. This work could be looked at as part 2 of a short film made last year. It featured the same adorable pre-teen Tamako (Natsumi Ikema). Tamako loves the tale of the historic Himukae stone bridge. It says that every 500 years the bridge connects the demon world and human world. When Tamako learns the city will tear down the ancient stone overpass she runs to city hall to lobby against it. She returns to the walkway to see the demons entering the human world, as foretold, and casting a spell on humans. All adults are affected so it’s up to Tamako and friends to save humanity.

The fun short piece allows young Ikema to showcase her acting talents. The traditions and myths of Okinawa inform this piece, making it a perfect coda for the trilogy.