Wednesday, February 16th - 6:30pm
JICC Auditorium
When Manabu's dreams of city-slicker success are shattered, there's only one place he can go: back home. Hopeless and broke in his native Hokkaido, he bets what little money he has left on a banei horse race. The enormous draft horses haul jockeys on weighted sleighs around a 200 meter track, climbing two large humps along the way. But when Manabu's horse, Unryu, comes to a halt on the second hump, an old gambler grumbles that the horse could end up on a dinner plate. Sashimi, anyone?
The unlucky horse is being trained by Manabu's irritable older brother Takeo. He bristles at his younger brother's arrival, bitter that Manabu had all but forgotten his family in his own race to the top. Sympathetic to his sibling's dire financial situation, Takeo offers him a job at the stable. Though the work is almost as hard to handle as his brother's temper, he soon finds solace in his bond with Unryu.
The Tokyo International Film Festival welcomed this tale of brotherly strife with a blizzard of awards, including the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix , the Audience Award, Best Actor and Best Director. Drawn against the somber beauty of Hokkaido's banei horse races, What the Snow Brings is an uplifting story of recovery from humiliation and defeat.
"Much of its beauty comes from the horses, which are twice the size of average thoroughbreds. Pulling their sleighs on morning practice runs, the steam billowing out their nostrils in huge clouds, they look like remnants from a prehistoric age of giants."
- Japan Times
Japanese with English subtitles | Unrated | 112 min | 2005 | Directed by Kichitaro Negishi
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and granted on a first come, first served basis. Open seats will be given to guests on standby when the program begins.
*Reservations required. Please click here to RSVP*
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