manipurtimes/entertainment/cinema/1065 Written by: James Khangenbam I will do further editing of my short film Imphal 1944 and screen it in Japan with Japanese subtitle around October this year in a commemoration ceremony for World War 2 reconciliation. I am visiting Japan with the Burma Campaign Society in October. Junichi uses symbols and relics in his short film to represent the reconciliation process. The handkerchief which a Japanese war survivor Japanese returns to another survivor in the United Kingdom means a lot. He uses symbol and lyrics. It shows the humane side of the Japanese soldier who overhears the story of the handkerchief which an allied soldier from London has with him. Many years he travels to England and tries to give back the handkerchief to the soldier’s friend. The handkerchief was given to the soldier by his beloved before he set out for war as a soldier. The Japanese soldier has fulfilled something by giving back the handkerchief which is a symbol for his reconciliation work. The friend who receives the handkerchief after 70 years gives the handkerchief back to the Japanese soldier in return which mark the beginning of his own path of reconciliation. It is significant that both Japanese and British ex-soldiers are intent on reconciliation. It is a fictional film inspired by Masao Hirakubo a Japanese War veteran who survived the Second World War and dedicated his life to reconciliation. Making of Imphal 1944 Junichi took 6 full days to shoot the film. From pre-production to post production it took him four months to produce the short film which he will now be reworking with Japanese subtitles and a final editing touch. Imphal 1944 is the first directorial short film of Junichi. The film was shot in London. His team members included 10 actors, most of whom offered their services for free. The make-up artists and post-producton music were also paid, while the rest of the team including crew volunteered for this film. “I had to find a new make-up artist for the very next day as one left unexpectedly and I had to find a new one immediately. For me every day was a struggle. Three hours of makeup was needed as I was playing an old man character in the film” says Junichi. He uses roses, cherry blossom and lillies to represent England, Japan and Imphal respectively in his movie. Read more: manipurtimes/entertainment/cinema/1065 For more Human Stories of Our Times ManipurTimes/
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 14:19:16 +0000
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