Japanese Fate in Fete du Film: Event Review! by Daniel Aenlle

Fete du Film: Finding Comfort in Adventure is a weeklong event by the Loyola Film Circle that aims to help students unwind from the pandemic by screening two Japanese films and by hosting a synchronous talk that expounds on the Japanese culture and belief systems present from the chosen selection.

The event, taking place from February 6 to 13, highlights two animated Japanese films that were screened on Scener: Kimi no Nawa (February 11) and Ponyo (February 12) with their Wideshot Reviews by Sandy Demetion and Raffy Serafica who praised both films.

On the day of the synchronous event, a Kahoot game was played by the participants as an ice breaker (the top three winners being Deins, Sita, and Marion respectively). This then proceeded with the main talk by Mr. Carlos Luis L. Santos, a professor from the Ateneo Japanese Studies Program.

Mr. Carlos began his talk by showing pictures of different shrines in Japan as an introduction to his main focus: the Shinto and Buddhist belief systems that are present in the country. The focus of the talk was more on the short history of both belief systems, their concepts, and how it all ties into Japanese culture.

According to Mr. Santos, Kimi no Nawa’s popularity reignited old aspects of Japanese culture that died out many years ago. Notably, the Kuchikamizake which is a special sake featured in the movie, and the Enmusibi no kami, or the red string of fate which originated from China where Yue Xia Laoren, one of the Chinese gods of marriage, is said to have knowledge about destined partners.

Ponyo, on the other hand, highlighted one of the core beliefs of Shintoism which was about gods or kami being present in nature. This was seen in the film with Ponyo’s mother being the goddess of Mercy and Queen of the ocean and ultimately forgiving Sosuke for taking Ponyo away from the sea.

By highlighting the Japanese culture present in both films, and by emphasizing their influence in the chosen narratives, Fete du Film is ultimately about the power of love and family in times of strife, aimed not just at film and Japanese connoisseurs alike, but also at those lost souls who are in search for inner peace.

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