Pratfalls: Double Trouble, directed by Joji Matsuoka in 2008, will kick off the Japanese Comedy Film Festival this week. — Photo courtesy Japan Foundation

HA NOI (VNS)— What happens when a manager realises his concert hall has been double-booked on New Year's Eve – for two chorus groups made up of all housewives?

The ensuing scramble provides material for the film Double Trouble, directed by Joji Matsuoka (2008), which will kick off the Japanese Comedy Film Festival this week. The festival, which showcases eight films from different comedic genres, will take place in Ha Noi, HCM City and the south central province of Binh Thuan from October 25 to December 1.

The plot of Double Trouble was originally created by Shinosuke Tatekawa, a popular Rakugo (Japanese traditional comedy master) highly revered for his keen observational skills and ability to depict the real emotions of contemporary people. The film will surely deliver many laughs and, surprisingly, a few tears, according to the festival organisers.

Summer Days with Coo, directed by Keiichi Hara, and Mind Game, directed by Masaaki Yuasa, represent two distinct styles of Japanese animation.

Summer Days with Coo is a conventional animation depicting the friendship between a young boy and a water sprite named Coo – a heart-warming story for all generations to enjoy.

On the other hand, Mind Game is a cutting-edge artistic animation for adults in which the possibilities of animation are explored in a unique way with a lot of sharp humour.

Director Shuichi Okita's The Chef of South Polar depicts the lives of an all-male research group in the South Pole. Living there for one year, the group must face temperatures of -54 degrees Celsius, although they also experience many comedic moments and eat delicious Japanese food that may make audiences hungry.

In Cannonball Wedlock, directed by Koji Maeda, the latest film in this year's film festival, a woman in her mid-20s dating five men must choose the best one for her.

The female protagonist of Hush!, directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi, is not so fortunate. In this award-winning film, a lonely female wants to have a baby with one of her two male friends, but both of them are gay. The heartfelt tone reveals that comedy is not only for producing laughter, but also for re-thinking one's perspective on life.

The same goes for the last two films, Permanent Nobara, directed by Daihachi Yoshida, and A Good Husband, directed by Isao Yukisada, which might not be categorised strictly as comedy. Both of the films deal with dramas more serious than light-hearted, although they also have witty undertones.

The festival will take place in Ha Noi from October 25 to November 4 at the National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha Street. All films will be screened with both English and Vietnamese subtitles. Free tickets can be picked up at 27 Quang Trung Street.

The movies will be screened from November 16 to 18 at 19/4 Cinema, 30 Nguyen Du Street, in Phan Thiet City, and from November 24 to December 1 at Dong Da Cinema, 890 Tran Hung Dao Street in HCM City. Tickets are not required. All films will be shown with English subtitles and Vietnamese voice-over. — VNS