The Japanese film series comes to Alumni Hall this Thursday

If you?re up for action, romance or comedy, check out the 2004 Japanese Film Series. April 8… If you?re up for action, romance or comedy, check out the 2004 Japanese Film Series. April 8 kicks off the three-day event organized by Pitt?s Asian Studies Center.

Director Masahiro Nagsawa brings us Thursday?s film, ?Seoul? (2002). A Japanese police officer, Hayase (Tomoya Nagase), travels to South Korea to assist in a major criminal investigation. Hayase clashes with a rival Korean investigator played by Choi Min-Soo, but the pair develop a friendship while working to crack the case.

Friday?s film, ?Yukie? (1997), is the love story of Richard (Bo Svenson) and Yukie (Mitsuko Baisho) that begins during the Korean War. Richard, an injured American fighter pilot, marries the beautiful nurse who cares for him. After many happy years in Louisiana, the couple?s bliss is put to the test when Alzheimer?s disease robs Yukie of her memory. ?Yukie? is directed by Hisako Matsui.

A comedy finishes off the series on Saturday evening. Directed by Yojiro Takita, ?Made in Japan? (1994) is a satire of the corporate mindset. Four businessmen, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ittoku Kishabe and Kyusaku Shimada, are sent to a third-world country in which their companies have vested business interests. Civil unrest overwhelms the men, and one is arrested for espionage. His pals try to save him with the only tool they have: business savvy.

Admission to each film is free and open to the public.

The Japanese Film Series begins this Thursday. All screenings will be held in 7F Alumni Hall at 7 p.m.