Added to inquiry!
DRAMA

Ode to Joy: A Chorus for Life

DRAMA 2008 70 mins Episode(s): 1 English English
Gold Winner, Entertainment Category, 11th World Media Festival, 2010.

It is summer in the hilly port city of Ootaru. The singing of the Ootaru Ladies Chorus group comes through the dusk from a room of the Minami Ootaru Community Center. They are absorbed in rehearsals for their upcoming 20th anniversary concert to be held in the Ootaru City Hall.

Meanwhile in the City Hall, a problem caused by irresponsible chief clerk Ryosuke Sano (Yo Oizumi) comes to light. The 20th anniversary ceremony of the city administration led by Ootaru Mayor Takeda (Koichi Ueda) has been double-booked with the concert on the same day. But Chief Sano stays unruffled, thoughtlessly saying, “Between the city ceremony and the chorus concert, which is more important? The concert can be postponed to another day.”

Having spent a whole year practicing for this special day, moms in the group, including their leader Miyako Miyamoto (Yuko Tanaka), make a strong stand and even declare a battle against the city.

Although the chief clerk is trapped in the dilemma between the city ceremony that cannot be rescheduled and the stubborn group of housewives, he comes to be moved by these women putting their hearts into singing in the face of their own difficult circumstances.

The chief wants by any means to give them a chance to sing, finally hitting upon a crazy idea.

It is summer in the hilly port city of Ootaru. The singing of the Ootaru Ladies Chorus group comes through the dusk from a room of the Minami Ootaru Community Center. They are absorbed in rehearsals for their upcoming 20th anniversary concert to be held in the Ootaru City Hall. Meanwhile in the City Hall, a problem caused by irresponsible chief clerk Ryosuke Sano (Yo Oizumi) comes to light. The 20th anniversary ceremony of the city administration led by Ootaru Mayor Takeda (Koichi Ueda) has been double-booked with the concert on the same day. But Chief Sano stays unruffled, thoughtlessly saying, “Between the city ceremony and the chorus concert, which is more important? The concert can be postponed to another day.”

Having spent a whole year practicing for this special day, moms in the group, including their leader Miyako Miyamoto (Yuko Tanaka), make a strong stand and even declare a battle against the city. Although the chief clerk is trapped in the dilemma between the city ceremony that cannot be rescheduled and the stubborn group of housewives, he comes to be moved by these women putting their hearts into singing in the face of their own difficult circumstances.

The chief wants by any means to give them a chance to sing, finally hitting upon a crazy idea.

  •  

    Golden Field in China
    2009

    Sichuan TV Festival Golden Panda Award. China has achieved remarkable development. One driving force behind its growing prosperity is a Japanese man who devoted his life to passing on his rice farming expertise bringing about an agricultural revolution in China. That man is Shoichi Hara, an agricultural engineer from Hokkaido....
    more details
  •  

    ENGAWA 1 & 2
    2010

    Grand Prize at NAB Awards 2010. Japan has a large population that is aging rapidly. A Japanese woman's average life span is 86 years old, which has been at the top of the world record for 25 years. This documentary shows the life of four sisters whose average age is...
    more details
  •  

    Daisen Miyuki -Ancient Dynasty Picture Scroll Revived at Mt. Daisen-
    2017 30 mins

    [Festivals of Japan Season 1] Every three years, a festival is held at Daisen-ji, a temple devoted to worshipping Mount Daisen. Participants walk about 500 meters in a procession dressed in costumes of old and pray for good fortune. Set amidst the wonderful scenery of the magnificent Mount Daisen, this...
    more details
  •  

    Costume Play Family Photograph
    2009

    Grand Prize at NAB Awards 2009 / Local TV Festival 2009. The rapid economic growth in Japan during the last century has taken its toll on the health of family life. This documentary focuses on the "modern family image" in Japanese society, where family ties are becoming thin. Masashi Asada...
    more details