DEJIMA Japanese Film Festival
May 27 and 28 2005, Bioscoop Het Ketelhuis, Amsterdam
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Dejima
the name
Dejima (modern Japanese pronunciation) also known as Deshima, was a small artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki (Japan). From this island, starting in 1641, the Dutch were the only nation allowed by the shogunate to trade with the Japanese.
The island was connected with the mainland through a bridge. The Dutch could not enter Japan itself with the exception of a two yearly visit to the shogun in Edo (now Tokyo). Besides being a place of trade the island is mostly known as a place from which western (especially European) culture entered Japan until the end of the trading post in 1853.
ThE festival
The Dejima Film Festival was born from a desire to expand attention for contemporary Japanese cinema in the Netherlands. Each year several Japanese films feature as part of Dutch film festivals. In addition, each year a select number of Japanese films also receive distribution in the Netherlands. This has steadily raised the audience’s appreciation and has generated a considerable demand for screening of contemporary Japanese cinema. By now, the popular appreciation of Japanese cinema merits its own dedicated festival.
The Dejima Japanese Film Festival aims to present the audience with a varied selection of Japanese cinema. Genre is not a criterium, but orginality and diversity are. With its program Dejima aims to show the current state of Japanese cinema.
Apart from showing films the Dejima Japanese Film Festival aims to stimulate the debate on ‘the’ Japanese film(culture). Through dialogue the audience will come to know more about Japanese film and at the same time is offered the chance to share his or her own experiences.
The Dejima Japanese Film Festivalis organized by a committed young team on a strictly voluntary and non-profit basis. We are an enthusiastic group of graduates and students of the study Media and Culture (University of Amsterdam) and other individuals with a strong link to Japanese cinema. Together we share a boundless enthusiasm for the Japanese film that we wish to share with others.
