To entertain Egyptian people and to build cultural bridges, the Japanese Embassy in Cairo will this month screen four Japanese animation films which are popular in Japan and many other Asian countries, as follows: On Thursday, March 4: The Girl who leapt through Time (2006) This 99-minute film, directed by Mamoro Hosoda, is about Makoto Konno, an ordinary 17-year-old schoolgirl, whose life suddenly changes when she discovers that she has the ability to leap across the 21st century. On Thursday, March 11: Summer Days with Coo (2007) This 138-minute film directed by Hara Keiichi is about Coo, a kappa, an amphibious creature living in a swamp near Edo. Humans plan to drain the swamp and Coo's father confronts a samurai to beg him to reconsider the plan. The man refuses and an earthquake strikes the region, followed by unexpected developments. On Thursday, March 18: Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur (2006) This 107-minute film, directed by Ayumu Watanabe, is one of the movies in the very popular Doraemon series, about Nobita and the robot which came from the future. This film is about their adventure when Nobita finds a dinosaur's egg. What did they do with that egg? Why not watch the film and find out? Doraemon was originally a TV series that every Japanese has seen at least once. It is still quite popular, especially among Japanese children and young people, as well as in Asian countries. On Thursday, March 25: Princess Mononoke (1997) This 133-minute film was awarded Best Picture in 21st Japanese Academy Awards. A popular work inside and outside Japan, it's an interesting story full of beautiful animated scenes. Ashitaka, a young man, is involved in the struggle between the guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources by mining it for iron. The battles include wolves and San, a girl they've adopted. It is one of the most seen films in Japan. It has also proved very successful in other countries like the US, UK and France. It is not only high-quality entertainment, but it also gives the viewer a good insight into Japanese people's view of the world, vision of nature and way of thinking. The films, all subtitled in Arabic or English, will be screened at 6pm at the Information and Culture Centre, 81 Corniche el-Nil, Maadi, Cairo. For more info, please visit: http://www.eg.emb-japan.go.jp/
