いとみち

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2023

Dir. Satoko Yokohama
2021 | 161 mins | Japan
Japanese

Ren Komai, Etsushi Toyokawa, Mei Kurokawa

Ito is a high school student in Hirosaki City, Aomori (Northern part of Japan) with a remarkable talent for playing Tsugaru-shamisen, a three-string instrument that is popular in her home prefecture. She picked up the skill from her late mother, a talented shamisen player in her own right. Due to her strong Tsugaru dialect and shy personality however, Ito has a hard time playing in public and also experiences difficulty in social settings. Also she has hardly any friends. In an attempt to improve herself, Ito decides to take a part-time job at a maid café, much to the concern of her father Koichi. With every meeting that Ito has, her confidence begins to grow.

Based on a novel by Osamu Koshigaya, this is a charming coming of age film uniquely set in Aomori which is the director, Satoko Yokohama’s home town. Audiences have the opportunity of watching and hearing masterful shamisen play and the tsugaru dialect while following a shy girl who tries to shake off her inner weakness by encountering a new life. Received an audience award and best film in Osaka Asian Film Festival.

Major Supporter: The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

Sponsors in Kind: SUQQU, Athletia and Clearspring

TRIPLE F-RATED:

Directed by a woman, written by a woman and starring a significant woman.

F-Rating is a new rating for films directed by women, written by women and/or with significant female characters on screen, in their own right. Find out more here >>

VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX, STUDIO 74

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>