The Japan Foundation, Sydney：The 13th Japanese Film Festival & Lecture by Professor James Arthur Stockwin

The Japan Foundation, Sydney

The Chef of the South Pole Came to Australia! - The 13th Japanese Film Festival

The Japanese Film Festival, marking its 13th anniversary, is now known as one of the major events in Sydney. This time, the festival presented 21 stellar films covering all genres from action blockbusters such as "Kamui," "GOEMON," and "K-20: Legend of the Mask" through comedies such as "The Homeless Student" and "Oppai Valleyball" to art-house movies such as "Gravity's Clowns" and "All Around Us." In Sydney and Melbourne, these films drew over 10,000 visitors. Among the most popular films, special attention was given to "Chef of the South Pole." The director, Shuichi Okita, and author, Jun Nishimura, of this fabulous and hilarious hit visited Melbourne and Sydney for the Australian premiere. They shared their experiences in the South Pole, revealing how to deal with daily life, cooking, and shooting a film in such extreme conditions. The audience was enthralled by the story behind the screen.

Lecture on Politics in Japan: Professor James Arthur Stockwin

In the field of intellectual exchange, we invited Professor James Arthur Stockwin from the University of Oxford who received the Japan Foundation Award for Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange 2009 to Sydney and Melbourne in November 2009. At a lecture entitled "Political Earthquake in Japan - How much of a difference will it make?" Professor Stockwin discussed the factors of the change in Japan's government and its implications on the country's political landscape. With a description of the historical background and many case studies and statistics, this lecture presented a clear view of the political upheaval. It was followed by a lively question-and-answer session between Professor Stockwin and the audience which consisted of scholars, business people and journalists. This event revealed that people in Australia are taking a keen interest in Japan's political power shift.

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