About

Since its inception in 2003, the Chanoma Film Festival has been a vanguard event dedicated to strengthening the general understanding of Japanese culture by providing American and Japanese audiences in Los Angeles cutting-edge, original films depicting authentic representations of contemporary Japan.

With the generous help and support of the Japanese Consulate General, the Japan Foundation of Los Angeles, numerous Japanese-American corporations, and much of the Japanese media in the Los Angeles area, the festival has been heralded as a top notch event and over the years has grown into a tremendous success.

Several thousand people have attended the yearly festivals, including a great number of students from local high schools and universities who studied or just demonstrated interest in the Japanese language and culture.

In past years, Chanoma Festival films were based primarily on the theme of “chanoma” - a Japanese style living room. As we look towards the future so too does the festival, and thus, it has evolved to include a wider variety of genres for audiences to enjoy, all of which portray a different aspect of Japanese culture. To reflect these changes and highlight the festival’s evolution, we have reassigned a new name for our event: beginning in 2008 the festival will be henceforth known as the “Japan Film Festival - Los Angeles.” Additionally, we have planned a day to screen independent films with the intention of forming a connection between filmmakers in Japan and the American film industry and audience.

While some Japanese films have become increasingly popular outside of Japan, many of these movies consist of anime, horror, and action themes that fail to accurately reflect authentic Japanese culture and tradition. The 2008 Japan Film Festival will provide a significant opportunity for American audiences to come and see what Japan is all about and for Japanese people themselves to look at their own culture from different perspectives and reflect upon what it means to be Japanese.

Film screenings will be made affordable and accessible to all who wish to attend and judge for themselves our notion that the JFF has considerable social and cultural significance and is indeed a valuable contribution to our society.

Cinema is the bridge that connects us all! We are convinced that through this festival, we can help strengthen the understanding of contemporary Japanese culture within American shores as well as encourage communication and the exchange of ideas between Japan and the U.S.

In order to make this festival a continued success, we ask that you please consider becoming a sponsor or making a charitable contribution. On behalf of the 2008 Japanese Film Festival Committee, we’d like to thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

2008 Japan Film Festival Information

Keystone

A motion picture festival offering original Japanese films that portray authentic renditions of contemporary Japanese culture to American audiences.
Purpose

  1. To strengthen the understanding of contemporary Japanese culture within American shores as well as encourage communication and the exchange of ideas between Japan and the U.S. by showcasing original Japanese films.
  2. To reinvigorate the Japanese-American community in Los Angeles.
  3. To form a connection between filmmakers in Japan and the American film industry.

Venue

The ImaginAsian Center
251 South Main Street Los Angeles, California 90012 (Google Map)
http://iacenterla.com
Tel : +1-213-617-1033

Starplex Cinemas
4626 Barranca Parkway
Irvine, CA 92604(Google Map)
Tel : +1-949-733-3795

Date

April 11th to 17th, 2008 - at The ImaginAsian Center

April 18th to 20th, 2008 - at Starplex Cinemas in Orange County

Film Information

Screenings of feature-length theatrical releases along with submitted works by independent filmmakers. All English subtitled.

Presented by Japan America Media Association

Japan Film Festival - Los Angeles Committee
Committee President: Makoto Takahashi
14136 Hawthorne Blvd., #11, Hawthorne, CA 90250, USA
Tel & Fax: +1-310-676-7192

About the Japan America Media Association

The Japan America Media Association is a non-profit organization that supports establishing a Japanese presence and in the arts and the business community for Japanese creators and artists in various media fields including writers, journalists, photographers, and designers, along with incorporating emerging fields like the new internet-based artistic field. The goal of the Japan America Media Association is to support and improve the image of Japanese culture and corporations in the United States and to support interaction between the Japanese and the American people.
Japan America Media Association

Website http://www.jamaonline.org/

Reference Websites

Chanoma Film Festival 2006 http://www.chanomafilmfestival.org/