New Okinawa fest will go for laughs

'Sunshine Cleaning,' 'My Stars' on slate

By MARK SCHILLING

'Sunshine Cleaning' will compete in the inaugural Okinawa Movie Festival.

TOKYO -- The Okinawa Movie Festival, Japan's first international comedy fest, has announced the lineup for its first edition, skedded to unspool March 19-22 in Okinawa.

Sponsored by Yoshimoto Kogyo, Japan's biggest comedy talent shop, the fest will feature an eight-pic competition section, a 10-pic special screenings section, 15 retro screenings of classic laffers from Japan and abroad and a Yoshimoto Special Presentation of four new pics by Yoshimoto helmers. 

The competition section includes Christine Jeffs' "Sunshine Cleaning," as well as Chan Hing-ka and Patrick Leung's "Simply Actors" (Hong Kong) and Laetitia Columbani's "My Stars" (France). 

Among the special screenings are "Burn After Reading," "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," "Yes Man" and Takashi Miike's "Crows Zero II," a follow-up to his hit 2007 pic about high school gangbangers.