JEDDAH — The 8th Asian Film Festival organized by the Asian Consuls-General Club (ACGC), which consists of 13 Asian countries, was inaugurated at the Garden Residence of Matahiro Yamaguchi, Consul-General of Japan, here. Around 300 guests including Saudi dignitaries, diplomats and movies lovers attended the launch. They were treated to Japanese light meals and soft drinks before the opening ceremony. The Consuls-General of the ACGC unveiled the film festival logo while Matahiro Yamaguchi, consul general of Japan and coordinator of the Asian Consuls General Club for this year, delivered the welcome speech. He welcomed the guests and thanked them for attending this cultural festival. Yamaguhci said: “This year Japan and Saudi Arabia will celebrate 60 years of establishing diplomatic relations, and definitely the cultural exchange like scholarships and youth exchange programs, academic cooperation between universities, tourist visits and holding of such tonight's cultural event have played a big role in enhancing relations between the two friendly countries and people to a strategic level. We will make sure that our cultural exchange will continue for more deep understanding and knowledge of each other.” He gave a brief insight about the Japanese feature movie Robo-G while explaining that the movie is a comedy about a robot prototype which is accidentally destroyed just days before a major robotics expo. Three bumbling engineers then think of a major scam to still be able to present a product by having a person wear a robot suit and pose as a working robot! The incidents that follow are a riot. Suzuki, an old codger, at first is tricked by the three into wearing the suit with the belief that he was portraying a costumed character, and he inadvertently makes a splash at the expo when he rescues young robotics student and robot otaku, Sasaki Yoko (Yuriko Yoshitaka) from falling. “This annual event is indeed a good opportunity for the Saudi people to recognize and get acquainted with different cultures and life styles,” added Yamaguhci. The ACGC Film Festival will last until March 13 and another 11 movies from, Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, India, China, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand and Indonesia will be screened. The film “Robo-G” is directed by Shinobu Yaguchi, which casts Naoto Takenaka, Yuriko Yoshitaka and Tomoko Tabata. The 111 minutes duration movie was release in 2012 in Japanese language with English subtitle. This year, 12 films will be screened during the nights of the Festival. The films vary in action, comedy, tragedy and biography. Indonesian film night will conclude the festival on March 13, followed by a festival for Asian food on the same night where each country will present its famous dishes and cuisines.
