Hanalei Bay

by Daishi Matsunaga

Synopsis

A Japanese teenager was killed while surfing in Hawaii.

His single mother Sachi flies to Hanalei Bay and confronts this sudden loss.

Since then for ten years, Sachi visits the island every year in the same season and stays a couple of weeks to reconnect with her estranged son.

Sachi can’t fill in the gap of an unbearable distance after all, but one day she meets with two young surfers about the same age as her son when he died.

Specifications

Japan/USA  2018  97mn  1.85:1  5.1  Japanese & English

Written, Edited and Directed by

Daishi Matsunaga

Based on the short novel by

Haruki Murakami

Producers

Shinji Ogawa

Ryuta Hashimoto

Jason K. Lau

Executive Producers

Satoshi Miyazaki

Haruo Okamoto

Toru Emori

Cast

Yoh Yoshida (mother/Sachi)

Reo Sano (son/Takashi)

Nijiro Murakami (young surfer/Takahashi)

Guy Sato (young surfer/Miyake)

Louis Kurihara (father/Ozaki)

Crew

Cinematography: Ryuto Kondo

Music: Yoshihiro Hanno

Sound Design: Yasuo Hashimoto

Festivals & Awards

Hawaii IFF 2018 – Spotlight on Japan

Sofia IFF 2019 (Bulgaria) – International Competition

Japonism in Paris (Cinemateque Française)

Jeonju IFF – Official Selection

Selected Filmography

“Pyuupiru 2001 – 2008″ (2010)

“Pieta in the Toilet” (2015)

“Vibration: the Yellow Monkey” (2017)