Last night, I just arrived in Hong Kong to attend Hong Kong International Film Festival which will screen MENTAL in the competition. This is my second time in this festival (CAMPAIGN was shown in 2007). I'm looking forward to meet the HK audience.
昨晩、香港に着きました。香港国際映画祭で『精神』が上映されます。『選挙』に続いて、２度目です。コンペ部門に入っています。質疑応答で香港のみなさんとお会いできるのを楽しみにしています。
どうでもいいけど、用意してくれたホテルがWホテルというブティックホテルで、めちゃくちゃ下品でカッコいいんだけど、何でもハイテクでモダンアートなデザインすぎて、水道の栓をひねるにも「あれ？どれが栓？」とか３０秒くらいあれこれ考えないといけない。こんなの、ウチの親とかだったら、部屋の電気を点けるだけで半日がかりだろうな（笑）。
上映日程は次の通り。Here's the screening schedule of MENTAL.
http://www.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/title/1149.html
Date: 27 Mar 2009
Time: 7:15 PM
Venue: UA Cityplaza
Date: 31 Mar 2009
Time: 9:30 PM
Venue: UA Langham Place
Director Soda, just attended the film shot tonight. "Mental" opened a window for the audience to look from the perspectives of that segregated group of people in our society, and triggered our reflection on the illness, the patients and even on ourselves. Totally agree with you that while most "healthy people" think mental illness is distant from themselves, in fact it might not be so and might happen just out of a sudden, to anyone of us, at the time we are totally unaware of its existence.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the film a lot. Thanks very much for your great work!
Hi Soda, just back home after watching "Mental". I am deeply touch by your film and really need sometime to settle down and consolidate my thoughts. As a human being, expecially a social worker, I am so appreciate to have this chance to listen to their stories.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great work, keep it up.
Director Soda, It is my pleasure to watch 'Mental' and chat with you last night.
ReplyDelete'Mental' is not only a documentary but a reality about the mental illness patient in Japan.
In Japan, the patients are isolated and discriminated by most people. Luckily, many people are helping them even though the government have cut the allowance for them.
I hope this film can aspire Japanese people to respect the mental illness patient.
Thank you very much for the film.
Director Soda, it is my pleasure to watch 'Mental' and chat with you last night.
ReplyDelete'Mental' is not only a documentary, but also a reality reflecting the life of mental illenss patient in Japan.
In Japan, they are isolated and discriminated by most people including other relatives. Luckily, there are many people helping them even though the government have cut the funding in this area.
I hope that this film can inspire Japanese people and Hong Kong people to repect the patients and treat them like any other human.
Thank you very much for your film.
Dear Joyce,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your insightful observation. I'm really glad you found the film interesting.
Dear Helena,
Great! I was grateful, too to be able to listen to their stories. It opened up my eyes.
Dear Richard,
Yes, I agree with you. I didn't aim to aspire the audience to make a difference when I made a movie. I was just curious to know. But hopefully, it will give some positive impacts.
Director Soda,
ReplyDelete香港に住む日本人です。昨晩の観客のひとりです。作品とスピーチをありがとうございました。映画に登場するみなさんのそれぞれの個性をとても愛しく思いました。助けられる人も、助ける人も。
いろいろ考えさせられたことのひとつは、人と人の距離についてです。家族では近すぎ、見知らぬ健常者では遠すぎ、摩擦が起きやすそうです。でも近くの他人同士なら程よい距離をおいて助け合うことができそうです。だから難しいことを個人や家庭に押し付けたりせず、地域単位で助け合えて、そこに公的補助がよく機能している社会に暮らしたいと思いました。
Mさん
ReplyDelete昨晩はおいでくださりありがとうございました。まったく同感です。近現代は地域社会がどんどん解体される流れにありますが、もう一度、その大切さを見直すべき時期にきているような気がしています。