By Liza Foreman GRAND PLANS FOR OKINAWA: AMERICAN BASES TO BECOMEPOSSIBLE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY VILLAGES?   OKINAWA They say that laughter is the best medicine and thepeople of Okinawa should know. The southern outpost of Japan is famous for the longevityof its inhabitants, many of whom flocked to the 4th OkinawaInternational Movie Festival (March 24 – March 31, 2012), where the core themeswere laughter and peace. The peace section is for good reason. Here o...

  By Liza Foreman   OKINAWA,  JAPAN They say that laughter is the best medicine and the residents of Okinawa should know. On Friday,the inhabitants of this tropical prefecture in the south of Japan, which has been dubbed the longevity island thanks to having the highest known number ofcentenarians worldwide, welcomed around 50 of the country’s leading comedians to launch the 4th edition of the Okinawa International Movie Festival (March 24 - 31: 2012), whi...

Based on the concept of "Laugh & Peace", the inaugural Okinawa International Movie Festival was held in 2009. The 2nd edition of the festival took place during March of this year and was a roaring success, attracting 380,000 visitors in the space of 9 days.With the aim of realizing a new kind of festival, one which is able to bring tens of thousands of people closer together via the medium of film, the 3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival will be held from 18th-27th March, 2011.The 3rd editi...