Search Film, Company, People...

AKASHI

By Mayumi YOSHIDA

Drama - Development 2023

When a struggling artist returns to Japan for her grandmother's funeral, a staggering family secret upends everything she's ever wanted out of life and love.

- Year of production
- 2023
- Genres
- Drama
- Countries
- CANADA
- Languages
- ENGLISH, JAPANESE
- Budget
- 1 - 3 M$
- Duration
- 110 mn
- Director(s)
- Mayumi YOSHIDA
- Cast
- Mayumi YOSHIDA
- Producer(s)
- Nach DUDSDEEMAYTHA (Musubi Arts), Tyler HAGAN (EXPERIMENTAL FOREST FILMS)
- Synopsis
- AKASHI is a coming-of-age love story.
  
  The film follows Kana (35), who’s at a crossroads in her career as an artist. After 10 years of moving abroad to pursue her dream as a painter, she has lost a major art competition three times in a row, and gets dumped by her agent. She considers giving it all up and moving back home, but fears disappointing her family and herself.
  
  To make matters worse, Kana receives a phone call from her mother in Tokyo, telling her that Grandma, Kana’s biggest champion, has passed away.
  
  When Kana returns to her hometown for the funeral, her professional and relationship failures lead her to nostalgically reminisce about her Grandma’s enviably simple youth, until she recounts a family secret that only Kana and Grandma knew: Grandpa had another lover his entire married life.
  
  With that memory now exposed, the trip transforms into a contemplative journey that looks back to the past to envision the future. Kana finds herself examining the balance between duty to her family, and the duty for herself, all while on a quest to get answers about her grandparents, from the one person left to tell it - her Grandfather's lover.
- Partners & financing
- Funded by TELEFILM CANADA with a prelicense from CRAVE in Canada.
- Beginning of shooting
- Oct 23, 2023
- End of shooting
- Dec 01, 2023