Last year, we celebrated the 12th anniversary of the Festival and, on the same occasion, with reference to the 12 symbols of the Chinese astrological calendar, we have therefore completed its first cycle of life. If, on the occasion of this anniversary, I were asked which of the past editions seemed to me the best, to refer to a famous light-hearted phrase by the French director Claude Lelouch, I would have answered that it was... "the coming one." So, here we are, at the door of this new edition, the 13th, and I will confess to you that we are nothing short of extremely proud of this "vintage".

This year once again the Festival consists of many varied events, the main one being the section dedicated to the following Premiere Screenings in Japan of outstanding long and short films.

Grbvavica is a story about the accomplishment of the war in Bosnia, but a love story too. Crossing the Bridge is a declaration of love to the Turkish megalopole Istambul, and its musical diversity. Lifting de Corazon plunges the spectators into the universe of a "bedroom farce," but it is impossible to limit the comical drive of this romance to what seems to be the genre of the film. The war in Iraq is the background of the newest film by Roberto Benigni, and following the same process as for La vita e bella, La tigre e la neve is a fable in which initiatory rites are mixed up with comical situations. Dennis van Rita closely tracks a mother from the day she hears her son will be released from prison, and then decides to do everything in her power to integrate him back into his own surroundings. The dark thriller Um tiro no escuro finds itself at the antipodes from the commonly accepted image of the Portuguese cinema, a departure that confidently proves that it is not afraid to actually entertain and to tell a story. Simon is a summary of Dutch culture, dealing with drugs, euthanasia, gay marriage and all those so-called Dutch trademarks. But what gives the film its distinct Dutchness, is in fact the way these themes are handled.

Odgrobadogroba is set in a small Slovenian town and weaves a delicate portrait of people obsessed with death in their lives, setting a poetic mood in the best tradition of East European black humour. Jestem is a visual poem about a child, who escapes from an orphanage and returns to his hometown. Cinematographer Arthur Reinhardtﾕs gorgeous soft-colored images and Michael Nymanﾕs music make this quiet film beautiful to behold. Vitus, with Bruno Ganz in the seductive role of a grandfather, witnesses the childhood and adolescence of a small genius, a youthful Mozart, played with impressive spontaneity by two small unforgettable actors. And Mirrormask, one of the most astonishing and original fantasy realms in film created for years, accompanies the young Helena through a journey of self-discovery, where she ultimately comes to understand the power of hope.

Here, in a nutshell, is the grand diversity of subjects, moods, genres and approaches, which 2006 premiere screening section beckons you to share. Among the other programs are: a retrospective of Czech films; a tribute to Luchino Visconti and Adriana Asti linked with the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the twinning between Milan and Osaka; an event linked with the 500th Anniversary of the birth of Francisco Javier; the now traditional All Night Party; a selection of short films created by Croatian children; the International Premiere screening of 3055 Jean Leon, the Osaka European Film Festival in TOKYO... and many other attractive activities which I invite you to discover in this brochure.

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards the individuals (with a special thought to the festival volunteer staff), the private companies and the official organizations which have once again made it possible to hold this 13th Festival.