Since its start in 2009, the Okinawa International Movie Festival has been more than its name implies. It has the usual competition sections: one called Laugh for comedies and another called Peace for dramas, though not all the films fit neatly into these two bins. But it has also been a promo event for the mostly comic talent of the giant Yoshimoto agency, the festival's organizer and main sponsor.

Now in its fifth edition, the festival is not only trying to strengthen its lineup under new executive director Kazuyoshi Okuyama (pictured below), but also to expand and deepen its connections with both Okinawa and other regions around Japan beyond its Kansai (Western Japan) base.

During the weeklong fest, this year held March 23 to 30, you can see Yoshimoto manzai (comedy duo) acts not only at the stage intros for the films (after which some in the audience depart, having come only for the wisecracks), but also at the Beach Stage near the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan, the festival's main venue. Some of the acts are famous names from TV flown in especially for the opening ceremony, whose long red carpet is lined by hundreds of excited young fans, but most are up-and-comers in Okinawa to perfect their comic chops on live audiences.