Our Little Sister | 海街diary J-Film
Drama
Presented by JICC, Embassy of Japan and Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C., Inc.
Directed by internationally acclaimed director Hirozaku Kore-eda, is adapted from Yoshida Akimi’s best-selling graphic novel "Umimachi Diary."
Three twenty-something sisters – Sachi, Yoshino and Chika – live together in a large old house in the seaside town of Kamakura. When they learn of their estranged father’s death, they decide to travel to the countryside for his funeral. There they meet their shy teenage half-sister Suzu for the first time and, bonding quickly, invite her to live with them. Suzu eagerly agrees, and begins a new life with her older sisters.
Amidst the many and varied colors of Kamakura’s four seasons, the four sisters cause each other emotional anguish, and support each other through life’s trials, developing a very special bond in the process. Set against the summer ocean sparkling with sunlight, radiant autumn foliage, a tunnel of gorgeous yet impermanent cherry blossom trees, hydrangeas damp from the rainy season, and brilliant fireworks heralding the arrival of another summer, their moving and deeply relatable story depicts the irreplaceable moments that form a true family.
Starring Haruka Aayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose
WOMEN IN CINEMA
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Keiko Mitsumatsu became interested in set design after doing some part-time acting work for commercials after high-school and later enrolled in the Nikkatsu Visual Arts Academy. Her early career includes credits on Naomi Kawase's Suzaku (1997) and Takashi Miike's The Bird People in China (1998). She began working with Hirokazu Kore-eda in 2001 and has since done production design and art direction for most of his films since, including Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), Like Father, Like Son (2013), Our Little Sister (2015), and After the Storm (2016). She was nominated for Best Art Direction for Our Little Sister at the Awards of the Japanese Academy in 2016. She has also worked with the acclaimed director Miwa Nishikawa on her films Sway (2006), Dear Doctor (2009), Dreams for Sale (2012) and The Long Excuse (2016).
Japanese with English subtitles | Not Rated | 2015 | 126 min | Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required for security purposes. Doors open at 6:00 PM and will close once seating is full or promptly at 7:00pm. Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee guests a seat.
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