10th Japanese Film Festival

The 5th Australia-Japan Student Film Forum will screen 11 superb short films by recent film school graduates from Australia and Japan. Entries were selected from the Japan Academy of Moving Images; Cine vis Cinema; Global Family; Australian Film, Television & Radio School; University of Technology, Sydney; University of Adelaide; and the Sydney Film School. A prize for Best Film will be awarded on the night, courtesy of Kodak.

	Japan Academy of Moving Images Little Woods One afternoon, high school student Miss Asakura is asked to make a delivery to her classmate, Little Woods. Although they sit next to each other in class, Miss Asakura has barely talked to Little Woods before. Unhappily, Miss Asakura makes her way to his house. The minute she sees it, she is taken aback: Little Woods' house is surrounded by trees growing on all sides and literally looks like a "little wood." Furthermore, Little Woods' room is like a laboratory and there are instruments for experimenting all over the place. Little Woods explains that he likes to invent things. Odd inventions are scattered all around the room. "You should invent something with a vision." Miss Asakura remarks. "What's an invention with a vision?" Little Woods ponders, as he has never given any thought to the idea. After visiting his odd house, Miss Asakura's interest in Little Woods grows. She had never cared for him in all the time they sat next to each other in class. Yet now, she can't help but be curious about him... They are not quite friends and far from becoming lovers, yet something draws them closer to each other. A subtle relationship between Miss Asakura and Little Woods begins to develop. Directed by Kazuhiro Imagawa


	Japan Academy of Moving Images Mark of Blank High school student, Tomoyo, is distressed by her mother, Sakura's over-sensitive behaviour. Her mother loses her temper constantly, getting hysterical and raising her voice. On top of that, all their laundry is hung inside the house and the amount of bleach used for the washing is unexplainable. Her little brother, Hiroyuki, still in primary school, does whatever he wants, without giving a thought about their nervous mother. Tomoyo talks about her mother's behaviour to her father who now lives far away from them. He agrees to give her mother a call, promising to do it that day. Satisfied with that, Tomoyo goes home that night. However, her father does not phone as promised and to make matters worse, she discovers a large bleach mark on her jeans, which she bought with the money saved up from her part time job. Tomoyo begs to her mother to stop, but the words do not reach her. Instead, her mother throws money at her asking "You want me to pay for those?". Tomoyo runs out of the house and calls her father, saying "You said you'd call!". Her father replies "I'd forgotten." From the distance, Tomoyo stares at her house and eventually goes home. Directed by Chiaki Aga


	Cine vis Cinema Voice This is about a love story which started with a cassette tape... Yumi is an average high school girl who develops a big crush on a stage performer named Koji. After one of his performances, Yumi follows him. She finds a tape recorder in his dressing room, and when he is not looking decides to take it. After that day, Yumi's life begins to change. As she listens to the tape recording with Koji's voice on it, she begins to have wild daydreams. In her mind she creates scenarios of romance, suspense and horror... Because she can't meet Koji in real life, she creates this new world for herself through the tape, however it is still not enough. On her friend's advice, she decides to audition for a part in Koji's theatre production, however when she comes face-to-face with the real-life Koji she seizes up and completely forgets her lines. It's "do or die" for Yumi, who decides in that moment to take the biggest risk of her life so far... Directed by Toshiro Watanabe


	Global Family Yonaguni Cowboys The Kanahara brothers, Takashi and Satoshi, grew up on Yonaguni Island, a very small island in the westernmost part of Japan. At age 15, the two brothers left the island with their fighting bull, Urabu-Hanagata, and moved to Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, where they entered an agricultural high school. This is the story of two strong boys and their beloved bull. The film will introduce you to a different side of Japan. Directed by Yoichi Shima

	Australian Film, Television & Radio School The Sea In the 1800s, a collier and his son spend their lives toiling in the black, dead air of a beast-like mine. Confined within the bowels of the nocturnal animal, the pitch-black rock threatens to consume them. Their only hope is the magical and captivating presence of the faraway sea. The Sea is a fable about a young man's love for his father allowing him to confront his greatest fear – death. Directed by Simon Gray


	Australian Film, Television & Radio School Amine Amine is an immigrant who explores what football means to him and the shifting places it has had in his life. From a child growing up in Algiers - rough and street ready, to his migration to Australia and his struggle to find a team that shared his passion and commitment to football. Transferring his love of playing the game to sharing his lifetime of knowledge with his son (who plays with the under 7's) is a process of discovery for Amine. As he spends time passing on techniques and skills to his son, he realises how important football is to him – it's more than just a sport. He discovered that it is also an opportunity to pass on aspects of his childhood - one from a different country with a different ethos to his son, who in many ways is a stranger to the things that makes his father special. Directed by Susan Danta


	University of Adelaide L'incroyable Verite A smoky piano bar, everyone is having a good time. Everyone except our heroine. The visible lovers stare intensely at each other. Locked instantaneously into a magic contract binding both eye and soul together. Directed by Stephany Mountzouris


	Sydney Film School Tango Trois Variation on a theme with three soloists in T Major. Three characters tell their points of view in a Kings Cross Café, each story revealing a little more detail then the last. Directed by Gracie Otto


	Sydney Film School Sakura no Onna Painted Lips, Painted Trees, Painted Frames. Directed by Stephen Dunstan


	University of Technology, Sydney A Little Death Phillip meets with his wife’s lover to talk. Directed by David Manefield

	University of Technology, Sydney The Bass Player A bass player makes his way home through the city streets at night. Directed by Tilly Michell

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