Tokyo Film Festival

As part of sharing with you the cultural Japan, and not precisely the traditional culture; I will now make a quick insight into the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival taking place from October 20-29th in Tokyo. I watched the red carpet opening ceremony direct from my satellite channel on Saturday October 21st. I felt good since I know where it took place. I suppose people who live in Los Angeles will feel very much familiar with the Academy Award ceremony; the same here. The place was the Mori Tower and I have been there before. The Roppongi Hills, as popularly know is a landmark in Tokyo's city scenery.

There are four categories of competition and these are: "Competition", "Winds of Asia", "Japanese Eyes" and "Akira Kurosawa Award". The jury was composed by international members. The prizes in the category "Competition" are as follows:

Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix	US$ 100,000
Special Jury Prize	US$ 20,000
Award for Best Director	US$ 5,000
Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	US$ 5,000
Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	US$ 5,000
Award for Best Artistic Contribution	US$ 5,000

It was during the 17th Tokyo International Film Festival that the Uruguayan movie "Whisky" won the awarding prize. This time there were several international films contesting in the different categories. This is too long to list here, but if you want, you can visit the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival web page (in English). Nevertheless, I would like to point out that the opening film was "Flags of our fathers" that together with "Letters from Iwo Jima" are Clint Eastwood's tribute to those who fought WWII with an approach to the war from both American and Japanese perspective.

Prize winners of the film festival were announced on October 29, 2006. The Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix was awarded to "Oss 117 Cairo Nest of Spies", a French movie directed by Michael Hazanavicius.

Hereunder is the complete list of the year's winners.


- Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix
“OSS 117, Cairo Nest of Spies”
Director: Michel Hazanavicius


- Special Jury Prize
“Thirteen Princess Trees”
Director: Lu Yue


- Award for Best Director
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
“LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE”


- Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Abigail Breslin
“LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE”


- Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Roy Dupuis
“The Rocket”


- Award for Best Artistic Contribution
“After This Our Exile”
Director: Patrick Tam


- The Audience Award
“LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE”
Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris


- Best Asian Film Award
“After This Our Exile”
Director: Patrick Tam


- Japanese Eyes, Best Picture Award
“THE CATS OF MIRIKITANI”
Director: Linda Hattendorf


- Japanese Eyes, Special Award
Kengo Kora (Actor)
“M”


- Akira Kurosawa Award
Milos Forman (Director)
Kon Ichikawa (Director)

The joy of studying in Japan

It's been 2 years since I fist came to Japan. I've already gotten used to a lot of stuff. When I see newcomers stunning in awe at the things that Japan unveils to our eyes, I look in retrospection and see myself in their astonishment.

I enjoy seeing their ingenuity. It's like the innocence of a child to me. I'm a little ahead in their discovery of Japan, so I'm now immune to notice details, since they are part of my daily life.

However this, I can tell you that I've gone back more than 20 years in time. Now I have to read some texts in Japanese and as I'm still in the literacy process I seat with a classmate to read loud all those characters. Believe me when I say that I feel like a 6-year-old kid who is learning how to read. But I don't feel ashamed of my situation. On the contrary, I feel empowered by the thrill of the challenge.

Yesterday I met my sensei to discuss the proposal of my new research theme. I must admit he's been very patient with me and has always supported my ideas. Having said that, It's also true that he never says much and I will never know what is really crossing his mind. Japanese dimplomacy like I call it. You'll never have a Japanese person telling you what he or she really innermost is thinking about. But I have the impression he appreciates the effort I do and encourages me to go on.

Back to reality

Well, the second semester has finally started... 後期です。I took 5 lectures for this semester, plus my 2 seminars (M1 and M2).* I'm very busy again yet thrilled. However, I still take some time out of my schedule to upload my daily picture in my fotolog, and to update my blogs every day and after.

I received the score for the 1st semester last week. I got all the credits I went for and pretty much good marks! Here they go in 日本語.

名	単位	成績	年度
外国文献研究(英） Intnal. Literature (English)	2	90	18
ファイナンス特殊問題 Finance	2	87	18
外国文献研究（英） Intnal. Literature (English)	2	95	18
企業と社会論特殊問題 Business and society	2	70	18
国際経営論特殊問題 Discussion of Intnal. Management	2	85	18

How to understand this table. The first column is the name of the lecture. The following columns stand for credits, marks and year respectively.

This week I only had introductory lectures finishing about 30mins. after they started. I already set a presentation for Oct. 16. The professor is nice and gave me a summary of the book in English, which makes things easier to understand when I read my part in Japanese. I'm working to do it in Japanese. I want to challenge myself. It will be a good experience.



Note:
* M goes for Master, i.e. seminar 1st year student of Master course, and seminar 2nd year student of Master course.

Women in power

A great deal I think on the future of women at the top will depend on how I do... I do know I could do an awful lot for women at the top and for women trying to get to the top and for the acceptance of women, for their talents, and abilities."

Margaret Thatcher.
Former Prime Minister of Great Britain




The United Nations convened "The Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace" on September 4-15, 1995 in Beijing, China. Governments from 189 countries and 2.100 non-governmental organizations participated of this event. The resulting documents of the Conference, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action set the agenda for women's empowerment.

Today much have been accomplished by women who not only have reached the Head of State chair, but also and more outstanding from my point of view, the Chief Executive Office of some Fortune 500 companies.

The latest appointment to the Chief Executive Office for a woman has been to Chua Sock Koong of Asian telecommunications' company SingTel whose announcement came into knowledge on 21 September 2006. However, this announcement was barely heard by the regular people since Pepsico's announcement of Indra Nooyi to occupying the Chief Executive Office on 14 August 2006 was still fresh. To the general public Pepsico sounds louder than SingTel although not to shareholders nor to investors.

One way or another, these women are a role model to many other. My first role model was Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who served in that position from 1999 to 2005. I now feel identified with Indra Nooyi. I joke saying I will not stop until conquering what she has conquered. It is a model for being where she is today, coming from such a country like India. India plays an important role in world's today economy, but more than thirty years ago there was a lot of poverty and not very promising prospects, as there are today. I come from a place that today is better off than India thirty years ago but unfortunately will not achieve India's performance in thirty years time... Indra Nooyi es taking office today.

These women whose example I am illustrating herein, have been or still are listed on Forbes magazine annual list of the World's most powerful women. These women are wifes and mothers. Not that I had became a feminist; not yet.

Anyhow, my best model will always be my mother who has grown from a simple housewife to a business woman.

Gracias ma!





I don't know that it is my destiny to lead but it's my destiny to serve the people my father had no chance of serving to the end."

Aung San Suu Kyi.
General Secretary & founder of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar.
1991 Nobel Prize winner "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights"



Being seventy is not a sin."

Golda Meir.
4th Prime Minister of Israel.



I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a woman, an actress, an Indian, and a Muslim. Each of those identities is important to me."

Shabana Azmi.
Indian Actress. Activist.



Who would have said, 10, 15 years ago that a woman would be elected president!" "I am a woman, a socialist, separated and agnostic, all the sins together."

Michelle Bachelet.
President of Chile