A Far Shore
by Masaaki Kudo
Logline
17 years Aoi’s cheerful and modest life as an underage mother goes downward a spiral as she is struggling against her husband ‘s violent temper. A story about youth’s social poverty in Okinawa.
Synopsis
Aoi has dropped out of high school and gives birth to a baby son with her husband Masaya. They live in Okinawa, the Southern island of Japan where they were both born. To make ends meet, she starts working as a night-club hostess. Masaya loses his job and cannot deal with the family’s responsibilities. Their immaturity and dependence aggravate the relationship and continuous fights lead to a social downfall. Aoi’s bond with her son sets her on a path to find solutions.
Details
Written and Directed by
Masaaki Kudo
Produced by
Yuki Kitagawa
Executive Producer
Shunsuke Koga
Crew
Takayuki SUGIMURA (SOG) Cinematographer
Ran KOBAYASHI Production design
Keefar Sound design & recording
Hironori ITO Sound design
Masamichi SHIGENO Original score
Cast
Kotone HANASE (Aoi)
Yumemi ISHIDA (Mio)
Yoshiro SAKUMA (Masaya)
Bio- Filmo
Masaaki KUDO was born in 1983 in Kyoto, Japan. He worked as assistant director to several well-know directors, such as Sion SONO, Yoshimitsu MORITA, Yojiro TAKITA, Isshin INUDO, Isao YUKISADA, Shinji HIGUCHI and gained wide experiences in diverse films from the classic period drama to sci-fi fantasy. His first feature, I’M CRAZY received the Netpac Award at Bucheon International Fantastic FF in 2018. Then UNPRECENTED premiered at Tallinn Black Nights FF in 2021. A FAR SHORE, his third feature film was developped for many years in cooperation with Okinawa.
Festivals
KVIFF 2022 – Crystal Globe Competition
TokyoFilMex- AUDIENCE AWARD
Cairo International Film Festival- Official Selection
GOA International Film Festival of India – Cinema of the World
2023
Joburg Film Festival
Nippon Connection- Japanese Film Festival
Taoba Youth Film Festival- International Competition
2024
Cinémathèque Seoul Art Cinema
Press Quotes
Masaaki Kudo’s affectingly Mizoguchian modern-day tragedy – Jessica Kiang, Variety
A heart-felt story set in Okinawa – Deborah Young, The Film Verdict
An emotional blockbuster full of poetry and lyricism – Meredith Taylor, Filmuforia
As a slice-of-life look at the problems facing young women in a certain social strata, this packs an undeniable punch and deserves to be screen. – Jeremy C. Processing
Masaaki Kudo’s film, remarkably delicate, finds the right point of view to be as sweet as it is bitter, as dark as it is warm; enriching contradictions that we find until the ending. Nicolas Bardot, Le Polyester
