Yearly on the Tokyo Worldwide Movie Pageant, the programming staff makes an effort to champion rising expertise that challenges preconceived notions of what Japanese cinema is or will be. By way of their Girls’s Empowerment and Nippon Cinema Now strands, the competition typically showcases new work from feminine and non-binary filmmakers who convey their distinctive worldview to the large display screen. On the 2025 version of the competition, three of probably the most thrilling filmmakers displaying their work have been Mika Imai (Kiiroiko), Chihiro Amano (Sato and Sato) and Keiko Tsuruoka (Saikai Paradise) whose movies confront notions of affection, household, belonging and residential. Amid the frenzy of the competition, we caught up with these three trailblazing filmmakers to search out out what informs their inventive observe.
Mika Imai
Kiiroiko (the Japanese phrase for ‘yellow’) tells the story of a deaf father and son who turn into separated throughout a vacation to Taipei. Unable to speak with locals as a result of language and listening to barrier, they frantically attempt to discover their manner again to at least one one other, and within the course of uncover what they could have in widespread with the Taiwanese deaf group. Kiiroiko is Imai’s third characteristic movie.
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LWLies: How did you first develop an curiosity in filmmaking as a deaf particular person?
Imai: I grew up in a household of all Deaf individuals. My dad and mom are Deaf, and my youthful brother can also be Deaf — a household of 4 Deaf individuals. Clearly, our software for communication was Japanese Signal Language. On the college for the deaf again then, signal language was prohibited, and we have been compelled to coach how you can pronounce phrases as an alternative. Nonetheless, at residence, we acquired to make use of signal language, which was very snug. I grew up not understanding why it was like this.
Once I was within the 6th grade, my father purchased a residence video digicam. I was very shut with my youthful brother as a result of I couldn’t talk nicely with the individuals within the neighborhood, so we might at all times play collectively, and we began to shoot (with the video digicam). It was so fascinating to look at myself signing on movie, and I was so impressed watching it as a result of in deaf tradition there aren’t any letters, so if you wish to document something, visible must be the software. There may be such an affinity between deaf tradition and visible photos. I saved enjoying, utilizing the video digicam, and ultimately by way of the enjoyable I had, I began to make movies. The man who performs the daddy of the lacking youngster within the movie is my youthful brother, Akito.
No manner! He’s a nice actor.
I’m so grateful for his presence. With out him I wouldn’t be making movies. We’ve been creating our careers collectively.
That’s lovely that you’ve got one another for assist. I truly needed to ask about casting the movie, as a result of it’s actually pretty to see so many deaf actors on display screen. It doesn’t occur fairly often in any language. I puzzled the way you went about casting – clearly, together with your brother, you didn’t must look very exhausting. However particularly since you’re working with Taiwanese actors as nicely, what strategy did you have?
Properly for 10 years I have been related on a regular basis with the Taiwan Worldwide Deaf Movie Pageant, which sadly now not exists for the reason that pandemic. However I have been in contact with individuals I have met by way of that movie competition. Additionally, as a result of the movie consists of the Affiliation for the Deaf in Taiwan, I puzzled how you can go about casting individuals, as a result of there are hardly any skilled deaf actors in Taiwan. So, I thought to make it look actual, why don’t I ask the precise individuals who work at this affiliation to seem within the movie? And that’s precisely what occurred. And as for CODA (Youngsters of Deaf Adults), listening to individuals with deaf dad and mom, they’re precise CODA individuals who act in it. Tom, the boy carrying yellow, is the son of my youthful brother. Retaining it within the household! Tom may be very involved in appearing, and really taking appearing classes, so I thought this is able to be excellent.