Year One in the North
In 1868, after the fall of the Shogun-dominated Japan, the new government orders people from Awaji, near Kobe, to re-locate to the northern part of Hokkaido. These people once supported the now displaced Samurais of the older days. After two years, over 500 of them settled in their new land under the leadership of Hideaki, husband of Shino. However, as crops fail he is to go to Sapporo to learn new techniques of farming, leaving his wife and daughter for 5 years. All this time, the new community is constantly watched by the government which choose to again uproot them from their new homes.
Isao Yukisada
Casts & Crew
Ken Watanabe
Sayuri Yoshinaga
Etsushi Toyokawa
Toshirō Yanagiba
Satomi Ishihara
Yuriko Ishida
Teruyuki Kagawa
Also Directed by Isao Yukisada
This omnibus film brings together three globally acclaimed directors from Asia with a common theme 'Living Together in Asia' to depict the lives of characters who journey between Japan, Cambodia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Brillante Mendoza grapples with the issue of loss of national identity and home, with a story set in the Obihiro area of Hokkaido and Manila in the Philippines. Isao Yukisada directs a story in Malaysia where the Japanese army was once stationed but is now home to many Japanese retirees living out their remaining years. An elderly man has parted from his family in Japan to live alone in Penang, but when a new helper comes to the house, he slowly opens his mind and an unexpected bond forms between the two. Finally director Sotho Kulikar conveys a beautiful but heart-rending love story between a Japanese man and Cambodian woman that unfolds across past and present against the backdrop of Cambodia's civil war.
A film director who is location hunting in Kumamoto meets and travels with a young woman. He used to live there and has returned after many years to give something to his first crush. It turns out the woman he just met is a daughter of his first love. Performed by actors and prominent figures from the area. Political scientist Kang Sang-jung plays the director and Ai Hashimoto plays the young woman. Co-actors include Kengo Kora, Eri Ishida, Ryotaro Yonemura, as well as Kumamoto's PR character Kumamon. Beautiful scenes of Kumamoto such as the Kumamoto Castle, Tsujun Bridge and Kikuchi Gorge are showcased throughout the film.
Kokko (Mana Ashida) is a third grade elementary school student. Even though she has a family who loves her, Kokko is full of dissatisfaction and she admires loneliness.
Kenji (Kenji Mizuhashi) has a dull life. He is unmotivated at the office, and unable to break off a lukewarm relationship with his girlfriend. Then, he meets an old classmate from high school, Ryoichi ([Hiroyuki Ikeuchi]]). Ryoichi says he's starting up a clothing brand with a group of friends. One day, Kenji visits their atelier, or workplace, and is fascinated by the sense of freedom that they share. As his relationship with them deepens, Kenji finds it harder and harder to accept the old world he comes from. One day, he punches his boss and quits his job. Now a proper member of Ryoichi's team, it's the start of a new and carefree life for him. However, it is short-lived. The clothes they make do not sell as well as they hoped for. Short on cash, energy, and ideas, the negative feedback loop forces each of them to start struggling in a search for alternative paths.
Kae Horii (Erika Sawajiri) moves into her new flat in an undisclosed area of Kyoto. While unpacking her belongings, she discovers a hidden compartment behind a inconspicuous mirror. In that compartment, Kae finds a notebook, that turns out to be a diary belonging to the previous tenant. Later that evening Kae starts to read the diary. The writer of the diary is Ibuki Mano (Yuko Takeuchi), a young lady about to embark on her first year as an elementary school teacher. Ibuki is also in love with a man named Takashi, who may or may not hold similar feelings for Ibuki. The diary immediately resonates with Kae, as she plans to become an elementary school teacher herself. Ibuki’s experiences also works as an inspirational instructional guide for Kae’s own personal life. Kae is also in love with an aloof illustrator/artist (Yusuke Iseya), who may or may not hold similar feelings for Kae.
A vast wheat field, a straight road that has no end, a sky without a single building in sight – this is a town in the country where time comfortably passes by. But this former paradise is now being stirred up by a fight amongst its people over constructing an airport. This is a tale of three young people exploring youth and friendship as they reach out into the sky.
Nagata works as a writer and director for theater company Oroka. His work has not received positive responses and ticket sales has not increased. Making things worse, his relationship with the theatrical troupe is not good. Nagata feels lonely. One day, he sees a woman named Saki on the street. She is wearing the same sneakers as he is. Nagata talks to her. Saki is a university student and she dreams of becoming an actress. Nagata and Saki fall in love.
This work is based on the 2007 Sony Ericsson Foma SO903i mobile advertising idea to extend into a 50-minute fantasy movie with Yuko Takeuchi as Chocolat who's younger sister Noriko met Chocolat's old boyfriend during a storm in a bus stop. They went to cafe and started reminiscing using their mobile phone about Chocolat's death 7 years earlier in an accident...
Popular actor Rengo Shiraki dies suddenly. Due to his sudden death, unpopular actor Daiki Kawata attracts the spotlight due to his close friendship with Rengo. Did Rengo Shiraki commit suicide or was he murdered?
Camellia is a collection of 3 short films: Love for Sale, Kamome and Iron Pussy.