Juichiro Yamasaki
Directing
Biography
Yamasaki Juichiro (1978, Osaka, Japan) organised a student film festival during his studies at university, made a couple of short films and worked as an assistant director. After living in the city for years, he moved to the small mountain village in Okayama where his father was born. There he went to work as a tomato farmer. The Sound of Light (2011), about life as a farmer in current times, was his feature debut. Yamabuki (2022) is selected for the IFFR Tiger Competition.
Known For
A story of finding a place to root yourself when life’s obstacles have dispirited you. Chang-su, a former equestrian athlete for the South Korean national team, was forced to give up on his dream early. He finds himself working at a quarry in the rural town of Minawa in western Japan, where he lives with Minami and her infant daughter. Yamabuki, a teenage girl, begins to stage silent protests that blossom into community action, much to the dismay of her policeman father. The quiet surface of this rural town is gradually peeled off to reveal frustration and loneliness that, once given a voice, begin to connect people.
Yamabuki
1726, Sanchu, Okayama Prefecture: farmers negotiate with the feudal domain in order to seek exemption from rising taxes. Infighting leads to suppression by the samurai class, and the farmers band together for battle. It’s a moment of injustice, setting the stage for bravery and sacrifice. However those daring characters remain largely offscreen in Juichiro Yamasaki’s brilliant film. Instead, the cowardly protagonist Jihei (Naohisa Nakagaki) faces a crisis of the risks of rebellion and its aftermath that resonates with our contemporary moment. In this rare independent jidaigeki, Kenta Tawara’s beautiful digital B&W photography channels and refigures luminaries of classical Japanese cinema, boasting rapturous animated sequences by Tomomichi Nakamura and experimental score by Ayako Sasaki.
Sanchû Uprising: Voices at Dawn
No description available.
The Fall Leaves
Yusuke hopes to become a musician in Tokyo, but those dreams are placed on hold for the time being. Yusuke returns to his family owned dairy farm in North Okayama Prefecture after hearing that his father was injured. As the eldest son, Yusuke feels obligated to help his family out. In addition, his girlfriend Yoko's late husband hoped to become a farmer and worked for Yusuke's uncle. Does Yusuke have a way out?