Film: Yuki & Nina
The recording of an Okinawan song 'Tinsagu nu Hana', sung by UA with Yasukatsu Oshima, is featured in the film 'Yuki & Nina'. This film is co-directed by Japanese auteur Nobuhiro Suwa and French actor Hippolyte Girardot, and it was screened at the Directors' Fortnight which was held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival 2009. The picture is on now in France and will be showing in Japan from January 2010.
'Yuki and Nina' is the story of a nine-year-old girl, Yuki (Noë Sampy), and her best friend Nina (Arielle Moutel), who both live in Paris.
Nobuhiro Suwa is a Japanese film director. His second film, 'M/Other', won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and the award for best screenplay at the 50th Mainichi Film Awards. His film 'Un Couple Parfait' (2005) won the Special Prize of the Jury Award and the C.I.C.A.E. Award at the 58th Locarno Film Festival. In 2006, he participated in the French omnibus film 'Paris, je t'aime', which was the opening film of the Un Certain Regard selection at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Hippolyte Girardot is a French actor and film director. He appeared in many films made by famous directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Hou Hsian Hsien, Arnaud Desplechin, etc.
The song 'Tinsagu nu Hana' is a children's song of Okinawa. The recording was recorded for the educational television program 'Utauua NHK Doremino TV'. Yasukatsu Oshima participated in the recording by singing and playing the sanshin.
Here are some reviews of the film (most of them are written in French) :
Yuki & Nina -- Film Review (The Holywood Reporter, May 16, 2009)
Hippolyte Girardot. Conte peu cruel de la jeunesse ( www.humanite.fr December 9, 2009 )
Au fond des forêts de l'enfance ( www.lefigaro.fr November 9, 2009 )
Hippolyte Girardot:"Avec Nobuhiro Suwa, nous étions sur la même longueur d'onde" (www.lexpress.fr November 9, 2009)
Yuki et Nina (www.lepoint.fr November 12, 2009)
"Yuki et Nina" : ce que ressent l'enfant quand les parents se déchirent (www.lemonde.fr November 9, 2009)
Un film réalisé par échanges d'e-mails entre Nobuhiro Suwa et Hippolyte Girardot (www.lemonde.fr November 8, 2009)
YUKI & NINA (www.news-de-stars.com November 10, 2009)
Yuki & Nina (www.excessif.com)
This film was co-produced by Comme des Cinémas, Les Films du lendemain, Arte France Cinéma and Bitters End.
The official website of Yuki & Nina in Japan (in Japanese only)
December 14, 2009 Radio, TV, Web Others
Yasukatsu Oshima monthly concert in Kyoto (Japan)
Yasukatsu Oshima will give a monthly solo concert in Coffee House Jittoku, Kyoto, from January to June 2010.
More detailed information is available on the "Schedule" page of this website.
Coffee House Jittoku began in 1973 in Kyoto. In this atmospheric place, originally an old sake brewery building, Yasukatsu Oshima will present many island songs in a solo performance.
Photo: Keigo Saito (1999)
December 12, 2009 Concerts
Yasukatsu Oshima went to India
Yasukatsu Oshima went to India in November 2009, with Kanako Hatoma and Satoshi 'Sunday' Nakasone, to perform in four cities, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata.
In India, five concerts and two cultural exchange programs were organized by The Japan Foundation, The Consulate General of Japan, Munbai, The Consulate General of Japan, Chennai, and The Consulate General of Japan, Kolkata, with the cooperation of the Embassy of Japan at New Delhi. The concerts in Chennai was organized with ABK-AOTS Dosokai and Tamil Nadu Centre.
More detailed information about the concerts is available on the "Okinawan Folksongs Performed in India" page of the Japan Foundation's website.
The concerts and the cultural exchange programs have been really successful. The musicians and the members of the tour would like to express their deepest gratitude to the audiences in India and to all the people who were involved in this tour.
Here are some of the newspaper articles on the concerts.
'Island songs in a coastal city' THE TIMES OF INDIA (November 18, 2009)
'Flavour of the islands' THE TIMES OF INDIA (December 2, 2009)
'From Okinawa with love' THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS (November 21, 2009)
'A Japanese song in Chennai' NEWS TODAY (November 18, 2009)
'Songs of the Soil' INDIAN EXPRESS(November 28, 2009)
In addition, the newspapers below carried articles on the concert.
DAILY THANTHI (November 18, 2009)
TAMIL SUDAR (November 18, 2009)
THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS (November 13, 2009) (November 14, 2009)
TRINITY MIRROR (November 13, 2009)
MAALAI SUDAR (November 18, 2009)
A newspaper website http://www.dinamalar.com is broadcasting a news video about the concert. The interviewee in this video is Mr. M. R. Ranganathan, the chairman of ABK-AOTS Dosokai, one of the organisers of the concert in Chennai. He has been engaged in cultural exchange between India and Japan for more than 30 years.
Photo: the press conference at Chennai
December 12, 2009 Concerts Radio, TV, Web Press, Magazines, Books
Yasukatsu Oshima solo concert in Okinawa (Japan)
Yasukatsu Oshima will give a solo concert in Naha City, Okinawa on November 22.
More detailed information is available on the "Schedule" page of this website.
Photo: Adan shoots (edible buds of Adan), the Yaeyama islands' food, called 'Andarufuki' in Shiraho, Ishigaki island. Adan (Pandanus odoratissimus, Pandanus fascicularis or Pandanus tectorius) is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) native to Okinawa. It is edible after boiling. We have to peel off the outside leaves which have saw-like margins. They are used in soups and stir-fried vegetable dishes.
December 12, 2009 Concerts