Glitches mar Tokyo Film Festival

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

TOKYO, OCT. 30. The Tokyo International Film Festival, now on here, may have competition entries from the world over, but its strength lies essentially in showcasing Asian cinema. Sections like ``Cinema Prism'', ``Nippon Cinema Classics'' and ``Nippon Cinema Now'' include Asian fare.

But there is a glitch here. Take, for instance, the classics with some masters being featured in it. But these movies have no English subtitles. Ditto, the Mamoru Oshii retrospective. A great opportunity to share the Golden Age of Japanese cinema with outsiders is thus lost.

Language is a terrible obstacle here, with most interpretations failing to convey not just the nuances, but often the very essence and content.

During a recent question and answer session with the Japanese director, Mr. Takashi Miike, this scribe could not get much of the humour that was being thrown back and forth in a packed auditorium. So, while the spectators were in splits, a few unfortunate ones who could not speak Japanese sat glum faced. The interpreter was just not up to the mark.

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Section  : International
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