Added to inquiry!
DRAMA

A Glimmer of Hope

DRAMA 2005 50 mins Episode(s): 1 English English
Award of Excellence at the Media Arts Festival.

With the traditional family challenged by growing society pressures in modern Japan, this drama depicts the conflict between a father and his children as each struggle to find their own way in life.
The characters in the story come to discover the forgiving and supportive nature of family, despite their differences.

Following the accidental death of his elder brother at sea, Koji, the main character, leaves his job as a cram school instructor and returns to his hometown to aid his father in the family kelp harvesting business. Unable to please his demanding old-fashioned father, Koji faces a crisis of confidence and wavers about his future.
Meanwhile, his elder sister, pregnant as a result of an illicit love affair, returns home as well.
Under trying circumstances, tensions between them grow.

Through their emotional showdown, they each find a way to communicate their suppressed feelings and finally, after a long separation, the family is reunited.

  •  

    Oni-kenbai: Prayer in Motion
    2012 30 mins

    The Oni-kenbai demon sword dance has been passed down from fathers to sons to grandchildren, with no additions or amendments for generations. Not simply a dance to pray for happiness, it's to ensure the spirits of ancestors of both dancers and viewers are kept alive, while driving away evil. This...
    more details
  •  

    Traditional Festivals of Japan
    2009 55 mins

    Shrines and temples like Ise Jingu Shrine with a history of 2000 years are carefully preserved all over Japan. Traditional cultural festivals are held all over the country that take place in these very special shrines and temples. Five of these famous festivals have been captured on camera and each...
    more details
  •  

    Laugh It Away and Say Goodbye
    2010

    Winner of Best News Documentary at Monte-Carlo TV Festival 2011 Grand Prize at The Age of Regionalism Video Festival 2011 Grand Prize at “Era of Local” TV Festival 2010 Small and medium-sized businesses are the back bones of Japan that support the economy from the bottom-up. However, as work decreased...
    more details
  •  

    Four Blossoms
    2004

    Award of Excellence at the Media Arts Festival. Mizuki’s mother is a widow and raises her three daughters by herself on a flower farm. Following a quarrel with her mother, Mizuki leaves her family and hometown behind. Now working for an employment agency in Tokyo, she is discouraged by her...
    more details