UTAKATA SHOJO
PROJECT
The film Utakata Shojo is a work of visual beauty that unfolds in beautiful and mysterious images throughout the entire film. It depicts a mysterious atmosphere bordering between reality and sentiment.
The most striking feature of this film is that it is a silent film.
We hope to appeal directly to the hearts of those who see it, not through words,
which are convenient yet troublesome, but through the unique method of expression found only in visual images.
Utakata Shojo aims to expand overseas. We will convey our thoughts and
feelings to the viewers overseas without the filter of translation.
This work is also a collaboration of up-and-coming creators from a variety of genres.
By working seriously together with a variety of creators such as spatial decoration designers,
dress designers, and makeup artists, we will expand our range of expression in visual images to create an attractive, world-class work.
STORY
It was the girl with the red umbrella who helped me out of the suffocating lifein which I felt like I was drowning.
Aoi is born and raised in a wealthy family that people are jealous of. A beautiful and kind mother, a gentle and reliable father, and a cheerful and good-natured me. Aoi is spending her days in a suffocating life, unconsciously playing the role given to her. Then, Tsubaki appears in front of Aoi. Through Tsubaki, Aoi finds peace of mind for the first time.
Aoi and Tsubaki are childhood friends. For the pure and reserved Aoi,
the innocent and free-spirited Tsubaki is her idol. It is always Tsubaki who helps Aoi out of her cramped world. Aoi eventually grows up.
One day, Tsubaki suddenly appears without her previous notice, holding a goldfish bowl.
It is the beginning of their life at home together. Their days are filled with happiness, as if they have returned to their childhood. They are deeply connected to each other from either side. However, Tsubaki has a secret that Aoi does not know.
After a while, Tsubaki suddenly disappears from Aoi’s life.
In order to regain the irreplaceable presence of Tsubaki,
Aoi jumps out of the world—where she is trapped—for the first time.
CAST
（Aya Sakura / Childhood:Emina Arai)
Aoi
A girl who grows up in a wealthy family but believes that being a good girl is the only way to be loved by her parents, and desperately tries to act like she is. She lives in a world where she is trapped and not allowed to have a will of her own.
（Mado Karasumori / Childhood:Yuriko Takayamasho)
Tsubaki
Aoi’s childhood friend. Aoi admires Tsubaki, who is free-spirited and has a mysterious charm, and she is like a hero to Aoi. However, she has a secret that she cannot tell Aoi.
Ritsu
（Gaku Hisajima)
He has a mysterious charm that moistens Tsubaki’s thirsty heart and keeps her attracted to him. He is like a magician, a clown, and a mysterious person that no one knows who he is.
Crew
The project is underway as a collaboration between first-time female director Miho Nishibata and playApart, a film production team formed by a group of actors.
Director/film editor
Miho Nishibata
She has been immersed in the field of video production since her school days, and now works extensively as a director and editor for TV commercials, corporate videos, and other video advertisements. She captures images from her own unique perspective, utilizing her feminine sensibilities. In her mind, expression is a footprint of her life and breathing.
This time, she decided to take on a big challenge to produce Utakata Shojo, her first attempt at directing a film.
Production Team
playApart
playApart is a film production team made up of actors. Thanks to their intimate knowledge of actors’ perspectives, they are able to create films with greater purity.
Screenwriter
Koduru Noriko
She made her screenwriting debut in 2009 with Shirayuri Brothers’ Handsome Dining. Her representative works include the drama Ueno-san of A Love Hotel (seasons 1 and 2), the film Ao Oni, and the stage play Bijin Zei (original story, script, and direction). She participated in this work in support of Miho Nishibata’s challenge to expression. She sought to verbalize Nishibata’s imagination and express it in invisible language.
Producer
Shotaro Sakai
He has been active as a child actor in TV dramas, commercials and movies since he was a child. After taking a break from acting, he switched to the production side. He has experience in stage and video production, and is active as a director, producer, and cameraman. In 2018, he founded playApart with the concept of “actors themselves doing video production” to work as a producer and director. In 2019, he established PLACEproduction Inc. He is expanding his business so that he can produce videos more freely and more widely.
Theme song: halation,
Nayugoro
TRAILER
- Trailer (English ver) -
