Japan Foundation in association with PVR Cinemas kicked off the third edition of the Japanese Film Festival 2019 in India on Friday at PVR Select CITYWALK here.
The festival spanning from September 27 to October 6 in Delhi-NCR is set to screen twenty-five specially curated movies that offer Indian audience a sense of contemporary Japanese film culture and everyday experience.
The movie will be released pan-India in nearly 25 cities and is scheduled for a nationwide release on October 11 by VKAAO -- India's first theatre-on-demand platform backed by BookMyShow and PVR Pictures.
Along with the director, the inaugural ceremony witnessed the presence of Japanese bureaucrats, industry stalwarts, film critics, and members of the Japan Foundation.
The event was graced by his Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Japan Embassy and Kaoru Miyamoto, Director-General, Japan Foundation, New Delhi.
'Weathering With You' even became Japan's official entry to the Academy Awards 2020, the first Japanese me film to be going for Oscars in over 20 years.
Expressing his happiness over being part of the festival, filmmaker Shinkhai said, "I am very excited to be here in India for the premiere of 'Weathering With You'. The enthusiasm and response have been overwhelming so far."
Talking on his film's entry to the 2020 Oscars, he added, "me is a popular genre in Japan and it makes me so happy to see similar popularity in India too."
Meanwhile, Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas, said: "Quality, diversity, and expansion have always been the three focus areas for us. Being a part of the entertainment industry, it is important to explore and strive to offer enhanced experiences. With an increase in exposure to global content, there is a significant surge in demand for international projects across markets."
Commenting on the festival, he continued: "We congratulate the Japan Embassy and the Japan Foundation on the opening of the third edition of the festival. The response so far has been overwhelming so we are very positive about the success of the Festival."
The six-month-long touring Festival will showcase a number of popular titles like 'Dance with Me', 'Lu over the Wall', 'Shoplifters', 'Your Name', 'Perfect World', 'Bento Harassment', 'Children of the Sea', 'Kingdom', 'My Dad is a Heel Wrestler!', 'Tokyo Ghoul', 'The Fable' etc.
The festival will travel to five cities - Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
( With inputs from ANI )