Free Stone Productions has added a quartet of new Japanese film titles to its sales slate for this week’s virtual edition of Hong Kong FilMart.
The female-led company is selling romance “Leave in Summer” and drama film “Yes, I Can’t Swim” both of which will release later this year.
Directed by Igashi Aya, “Leave in Summer” is a tale of a lost soul and his spiritual guide. It depicts a man washing up in a seaside town at the end of the season and seeking to stay so that he can reconnect with his recently deceased wife. There he is guided by a young woman (played by Fukuchi Momoko) who runs a small hotel and knows the town better than anyone else. She also has her own reasons to feel his pain. Igashi previously participated in the Cannes Cinefondation program with short film “Tokeru.”
“Yes, I Can’t Swim” is the story of a mid-life university professor who reluctantly decides to face up to his fear of water and his inability to swim. Despite being a disruptive element in his swimming class, he strikes up a friendship with the class teacher. Through her he learns about his phobia and also comes to understand more about his relationships with his ex-wife and current girlfriend. The picture is directed by Watanabe Kensaku and stars Hasegawa Hiroki and Ayase Haruka.
Other new titles include another romance “Tsuyukasa,” in which a woman who believes herself to have had an unusual stroke of luck forms a relationship with a man who failed to stop his wife from killing herself. The film is directed by Hirayama Hideyuki (“Begging for Love”) and stars Kobayashi Satomi (“Kammome Dinner”) and Matsushige Yutaka. It is set for Japanese theatrical release at the end of April and has been pre-sold to distributors in Korea and Taiwan.
“Remember to Breathe” is a drama that sees a woman forced to spend time with her youngest (adult) daughter with whom she has not had a close relationship. Their proximity forces the older woman to face up to aspects of her character that she had kept hidden, including the reasons she may have failed her child. The film is directed by Sugita Masakazu and stars Inoue Mao.