Tokyo - The Himalaya Film Festival Executive Committee, in collaboration with NHK (Japanese Broadcasting Corporation), is pleased to announce that it will organize the first Himalaya Film Festival in Tokyo this summer from August 14 till 22.
The HFFT 2006 will offer the public an excellent and unique opportunity to take a closer look at the Himalayan region as it really is, including present-day Northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Tibet, and to rethink about the global environmental problems and human diversity through the region. 'We have to look beyond the common stereotypes,' says Director Dr Glenn Mitrasing. In addition to screening sixteen authentic, award winning, documentaries that cover topics ranging from intrepid climbing expeditions to cultural festivals and events unique to the region, to pressing environmental issues, the festival aims to promote discussion of some of the issues examined in the films. In conjunction with the festival, a symposium entitled how to Deal With Global Warming Issues, Starting From the Himalayas- to be broadcasted on NHK - will be held on August 12th 2006.
The Himalaya Film Festival, which is just beginning to branch out to several cities around the world, is the only international film festival that documents the Himalayan region. It officially started in 2003 in Amsterdam and was organized by the Himalaya Archief Nederland (Himalayan Archive Foundation), a Dutch NGO(More info at: www.himalaya-archief.nl). "We firmly believe that the Himalaya Film Festival Tokyo 2006 project will help foster people's understanding about the Himalayan region, the human-nature relationship and environmental issues," say the executive committee members including Mrs. Junko Tabei, the first woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest. 2006 will be a Himalaya-first year·in Japan.
The structure of the festival is as follows:
Host: Himalaya Film Festival Executive Committee
(NHK International / Himalaya Archief Nederland)
Co-host: NHK
Festival site: NHK Fureai Hall
Fee: Advanced Ticket: 1000 yen/Day Ticket: 1100 yen
Official site: www.himalaya-tokyo.net
International site: www.himalayafilmfestival.nl
Programs:
1) Screening international 16 documentary films on the Himalayan region
2) Holding a related symposium: How to Deal With Global Warming Issues, Starting From
the Himalayas (This symposium will be broadcasted on NHK:
NHK BS Forum August 12, 2006/6pm-7pm)
