Official Events
（1）Thursday (national holiday), November 23rd, 18:30-19:00
「Cinema at Sea 2023 Red Carpet」
Venue: Hotel Collective, the ground floor
Come along and support the red-carpet gala of Okinawa’s brand-new international film festival!
（2）Thursday (national holiday), November 23rd to Wednesday, November 29th
「Cinema at Sea 2023 Special Exhibition」
Venue: Festival Headquarters (Hotel Collective, the ground floor)
Hotel Collective, one of our official sponsors, is located on the former site of the movie theater Kokueikan on Kokusai Street. At this crucial site of Okinawa’s local film and entertainment history, we are presenting an exhibition of drawings by this year’s Mabui Special Award winner, Go Takamine, as well as the works of other artists.
（3）Saturday, November 25th, 13:00-14:00
「Panel Discussion with Go Takamine and Guest Speakers – Exploring Cinematic Dreams」
Venue: Times Hall
The winners of our Mabui Special Award, Ishigaki-born filmmaker Go Takamine and his cast and staff, will entertain you with their delightful talk, reminiscing about the filming of their works. One of the charms of Takamine’s films is their collaborative nature, with Takamine working with a diverse group of talents from Okinawan theater veterans to critics, architects, and editors. Both hardcore fans and newcomers to Takamine’s cinematic world are welcome to this dreamy afternoon show!
Speakers:
Go Takamine (Filmmaker)
Susumu Taira (Actor, “Paradise View” and “Tsuru-Henry”)
Isao Nakazato (Critic and co-screenwriter of “Tsuru-Henry”)
Chushin Oyadomari (Architect and actor in “Tsuru-Henry” and “Queer Fish Lane”)
Yukiko Okamoto (Executive producer of “Queer Fish Lane”)
Moderated by Kosuke Fujiki (Programmer of Cinema at Sea)
（4）Saturday, November 25th, 15:00-16:00
「In Conversation with Christopher Makoto Yogi and Joseph Kamiya – Legacy of Uchinanchu 」
Filmmakers: Tales Through Generations
Venue: Times Hall
Christopher Makoto Yogi, born in Honolulu, is currently one of the most prominent independent filmmakers in the world. He will talk with Joseph Kamiya, born in Los Angeles, who worked on co-producing, music, and editing for the film “Uyafaafuji’s Refusal”. As both of them are fourth-generation descendants of Okinawan emigrants, and they will contemplate the significance of their Okinawan heritage in their filmmaking.
Speakers:
Christopher Makoto Yogi (Filmmaker)
Joseph Kamiya (Co-producer, editor and composer of “Uyafaafuji’s Refusal”)
Moderated by Teruki Uehara (Programmer and board member of Cinema at Sea）
（5）Saturday, November 25th, 17:00-18:00
「Director Amir Naderi and Actor Madjid Niroumand Talk about “The Runner” after Such a Long Time」
Venue: Times Hall
This year’s jury president, Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi will share behind-the-scenes stories of the award-winning 1985 film “The Runner” with Madjid Niroumand, who played the lead role in the film. They will reveal the life of a child actor whose life was changed by the filmmaking, reflecting on their masterpiece that has left its mark on film history. You mustn’t miss it!
Speakers:
Amir Naderi (filmmaker)
Madjid Niroumand (Actor, “The Runner”)
Moderated by Huang Yin-yu (Executive director of Cinema at Sea)
（6）Sunday, November 26th, 16:00-17:00
「VR Forum」
Venue: Naha Cultural Arts Theater NAHArt, Small Studio
Our VR Forum will bring together professionals at the forefront of the production of virtual reality (VR), the new audiovisual media of the 21st century. The first half of the forum will be dedicated to a talk show by the content planning director of HTC, the largest VR device maker in Asia and the second largest in the world. The second half will feature a panel discussion with the curator of the VR section of the Kaohsiung Film Festival and the director of the film “Offing” Enjoy the talks and experience the innovative 360-degree films at our VR screenings.
Speakers:
Nai-Chen Yang (Director of the planning department at HTC VIVE ORIGINALS)
Shang-Chiao Li (Curator of the VR section of the Kaohsiung Film Festival)
Shih-An Chen (Filmmaker, “Offing”)
Moderated by Wonder Weng (Programming director of Cinema at Sea)
（7）Wednesday, November 29th, 19:00-19:40
「Closing Ceremony (Award Ceremony)」
* A ticket to the Closing Film is required to attend the ceremony.
Venue: Times Hall
At the closing of our seven-day film festival, we will present awards to the winners of the competition section, followed by the screening of the Closing Film. Don’t miss the climax of the festival!
Closing Film, 20:00-21:30
“We Are Still Here”
2022／90 minutes／Australia, New Zealand／English, Turkish, Māori, Samoan, Arrernte／FHD
Through the eyes of eight protagonists, “We Are Still Here” spans 1000 years, exploring stories of kinship, loss, grief, and resilience across the past, present, and future. Ultimately, it illuminates the power of love and hope to overcome the shared traumas experienced by indigenous people from Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. The film captures the vast landscapes, from the Central Australian Desert to the lush green rainforests of New Zealand. Despite the challenges of colonialism, racism, imperialism, and attempts to erase indigenous lives, the message resounds: WE ARE STILL HERE.
Co-hosted Events
（1）Friday, November 24th, 21:15-22:45
「Talk Event: The Legacy of Shuri Theater」
Hosted by Shuri Theater Research Team
Co-hosted by Cinema at Sea and Punga Ponga
* This event will be in Japanese only. No translator will be available.
Venue: Punga Ponga (1-11-11 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture)
* Purchase of a drink (JPY 500 or over) is required to attend this event.
Members of the Shuri Theater Research Team and filmmaker Kah Wai Lim, who shot his film, “Your Lovely Smile” at the Shuri Theater, will share their sentiments for Okinawa’s last wooden theater, which was demolished last month. They will also discuss the current situation of arthouse theaters in Japan.
Speakers:
Tsutomu Makiya (Okinawa Archives Laboratory)
Ryuji Taira (President of NPO Cinema Lab Tokkan Kozo)
Kah Wai Lim (Filmmaker, “Your Lovely Smile”)
This event will feature a special screening of “Undercover Japan: Okinawa” (dir. Tsutomu Makiya / Japan / 20 minutes / 2004), a documentary filmed at the Shuri Theater twenty years ago.
（2）Sunday, November 26th, 20:30-21:30
「“BEE and the Spectrum of Misunderstanding”: Mini-Live Concert and Talk」
Jointly hosted by Cinema at Sea and Punga Ponga
Venue: Punga Ponga (1-11-11 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture)
* Purchase of a drink (JPY 500 or over) is required to attend this event.
BEE, the protagonist of “BEE and the Spectrum of Misunderstanding”, screened as part of the Competition section, has crossed the sea to come all the way to Okinawa! In gratitude to everyone who has seen the documentary film, BEE and Hugo, who also appeared in the film, will perform 4 or 5 songs at this mini-concert. You can enjoy the songs from the film in this exciting live performance!
About the film:
Eléa has been lending her soft and fragile voice to Hugo’s electronic music for the past few months, whom she met during a workshop at the ISA (Specialized Autism Institute of New Caledonia). Her lyrics, with vibrant and emotional poetry, unveil the tumultuous aspects of her life as an Asperger’s autistic individual. Step by step, in the opaque world of neurotypicals, Eléa is following the sometimes challenging path towards greater autonomy. Note by note, she nurtures her first musical flights, refines her lyrics, and is already thinking about her debut album... Eléa has already chosen her stage name: BEE.
Performers/Speakers: The Team “BEE and the Spectrum of Misunderstanding”
Eléa De Martin De Vivies (Singer, aka. BEE)
Hugo Veillard (Musician)
Fabien Laubry (Director)
Chloé Boutin (Cinematographer)
（3）Monday, November 27th, 21:30-22:30
「Talk Event: Discovering Okinawa’s Talents」
Jointly hosted by Cinema at Sea and Punga Ponga
* This event will be in Japanese only. No translator will be available.
Venue: Punga Ponga (1-11-11 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture)
* Purchase of a drink (JPY 500 or over) is required to attend this event.
For one whole hour, the festival ambassador SHOGEN and film professionals currently active in Okinawa will talk all about local filmmaking. What are the attractions of Okinawa as a film location and an inspiration for stories? What are the significance and challenges of continuing film production in the countryside? Have a drink and a chat with them, and you will fall in love with films made in Okinawa!
Speakers:
SHOGEN (Actor)
Tsukasa Kishimoto (Filmmaker)
Kazuhiro Taira (Filmmaker)
（4）Tuesday, November 28th, 19:30-20:30
「Sinophone Cinematic Night」
Jointly hosted by Cinema at Sea and Lestel Naha
* This event is in Chinese and Japanese only. No translator will be available.
Venue: Lestel Naha
* Purchase of a drink (JPY 500 or over) is required to attend this event.
We invite filmmakers from the Chinese-speaking countries (Taiwan, Malaysia, Macao), whose films are shown at our film festival, to hold a networking party. Let’s have a lively discussion about the latest trends of Chinese-language cinema and its success throughout the world as represented by “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. They will share with you their behind-the-scenes stories and future ambitions.
Speakers:
Jin Ong (Director of “Abang Adik”)
Yu-lin Chung (Director of “The Mimicry”)
Tracy Choi (Director of “Lonely Eighteen”)
Moderated by Wonder Weng (Programming director of Cinema at Sea)