H.E. AMBASSADOR HIROSHI ISHIKAWA
Ambassador of Japan to Singapore
It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to our yearly Japanese Film Festival in Singapore once again. Since I began my tenure as the Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, the Festival has grown to become one of the most exciting Japanese events in Singapore that I look forward to every year. Experiencing a wide range of both new and classic Japanese films in downtown Singapore, I have come to admire the passion Singaporeans have for Japan and Japanese culture, which I treasure very much.
As we celebrate 41 years of dedication to Japanese cinema in Singapore this year and prepare to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Japan in 2026, we recognise that the Festival has always been a bridge connecting the people of our two countries through films. This year’s Festival also reflects a crossroad of tradition and modernity in Japanese cinema, particularly with the screening of the first Godzilla movie from 1954 and its latest installation from 2024 – the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One – a timeless series which spans over 70 years, embodying the theme for this year’s Festival – “Continuity”.
I am also pleased to share that our Embassy has been organising the Festival for the past 15 years under our cultural arm, Japan Creative Centre, which is commemorating its 15th anniversary of establishment since 2009.
I can never emphasize more that it is always a privilege to partner with the Singapore Film Society and the Japan Foundation in organising this Festival every year. With our carefully curated line-up for this year’s JFF, there is bound to be something meaningful for everyone. Please join us on this journey of “Continuity” between the past, present and future, and with friends from Singapore and Japan.
Thank you, and I hope to see you at the cinemas.
KENNETH TAN
Chairman of Singapore Film Society
It not only gives me great pleasure to welcome one and all to our Japanese Film Festival (JFF) 2024. It is also of immense personal and professional significance to me.
This year marks the 41st anniversary of what began in 1983 and grew steadily to become Singapore’s longest-established country-focused film festival. JFF 1983 was also the very first film festival I worked on, when I was a new and much younger officer in the Singapore Film Society.
Every year, above and beyond celebrating another edition of “our JFF baby”, I rejoice in special aspects of the current year’s line-up.
For 2024, we are delighted to welcome, to Singapore in person, Ms OKAWA Keiko, Editor of ALL THE LONG NIGHTS, our Opening film. And, for the first time in JFF history, to screen a movie in IMAX! The Academy Award-winning GODZILLA MINUS ONE will be shown twice, as well as the very first TOHO Godzilla film, GODZILLA (1954), remastered in 4K. We also have three excellent anime titles, as well as an enticing cross-section of films that offer the cultural specificity yet relatable universality unique to Japanese Cinema.
I mentioned personal significance, at the beginning of this foreword.
The Embassy of Japan, Japan Creative Centre, and Japan Foundation are our co-organising partners.
But more than that – much, much more – they are our closest friends.
There is a Chinese phrase, 知音, which literally translates as “one who knows the sound/tone”. It is used to describe someone so special, that the mutual understanding is almost telepathic, and cherished beyond words. To me and my colleagues, every single person from these partner organisations, past and present, with whom we have worked, is our 知音。Because the depth of friendship and understanding, has far transcended the functionality of mere ‘work’.
JFF is OUR baby!
