After the 11th Okinawan International Movie Festival officially ended with the closing ceremony, the festivities continued with a concert at the harborside Umisora Park in the evening on Sunday, April 21. The event was free to the public and thousands of people filled the park, with many more waiting patiently to get in.

The show kicked off with a video clip showing highlights from the four-day festival. The Okinawan-based bands Kariyushi 58 and Kiiyama Shouten started the show with energetic performances.

Guitarist and singer Akira Ikuma played a few hard rock numbers, which Misako Koja sang some folk songs while playing the Okinawan stringed instrument the sanshin. The audience sang along with both of these very different musicians. As each band finished, rather than leave the stage, they stayed on to be backing musicians for the next act. The power of the group of performers on the stage continued to grow and grow.

The concert built up to a performance of the song “Egao no Manma” (“Always with a Smile”), which has long been the theme song of the Okinawa International Film Festival. All of the musicians crowded on the stage, along with many Yoshimoto performers.

As the theme song drew to a close, the night sky over the harbor lit up with dazzling fireworks. It was a perfect way to wrap up a festival that is not limited to movies, but also includes live performances, music, fashion, sports, photography culture events, and more.

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