Naoki Ichio
Directing
Biography
Naoki Ichio is a Japanese filmmaker, director and writer. He was born in 1965 and began filmmaking with 8mm film in University. He started his career by writing audio dramas for NHK at 25 years old. In 1996, the theatrical play “Death of a political boy” which was written and directed by him won the Grand Prix at Actors Festival in Nagoya. In 2001, his first feature film ”Oboreru hito (A Drowning Man)” nominated a young filmmaker’s award in Vancouver and Pusan International Film Festival. His second feature film is “Shinjuu tenshi (Synchronicity)” and third feature film is “Gokuraku no ojisan”.
Known For

Three strangers get a strange feeling that something is "calling them." Minor things about their daily lives begin to have significance to them. However, this change causes each of them to distance themselves from those around them.
Synchronicity

Tokio finds his wife Kumiko drowned in the bathtub one night. He lifts the telephone handset to call an ambulance but hesitates. Instead, he takes a cup of coffee before empting the bathtub and carrying Kumiko to the couch. When he wakes up after a nigh of heavy drinking, he finds himself in bed. Kumiko enters the room and asks how he is.
A Drowning Man

Three musicians get lost on the way to visit a friend's grave. They become irritated and start to quarrel.
Silly Talk

A woman returns to the apartment where she once lived. She expects it to be empty, but her ex is there.
Etude

Haruka and Manami are junior high school students. They go to the public library to do homework. Haruka is worried about her mother's surgery but she can't tell Manami about it. Haruka mistakes a strange girl for a ghost.
Longing

A young man plays guitar in the park. A young woman soon arrives.
Dateless Date

Three monologues from three women. Interview, Rendezvous, and Trial.
Absence: World Without Me

From Kyoto, a young woman comes to her uncle's house in Nagoya. The uncle cannot be found, however, a young man is living there.
Gokuraku no ojisan

A young girl meets another young girl through a phone app. The app is only supposed to connect people who know each other and yet they are strangers. They work together to solve the mystery.
HB

A young man, tired of life, takes a walk along a river.
Rest

Short film by Naoki Ichio.