12- Where the Earth Breathes

Japan Competition

urar suye

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Yukari, who was pursuing a career in music in Tokyo, was feeling anxious about her future. Invited by her college classmate Saya, a dancer, she visited Lake Akan Ainu Kotan—known as the “Town of Creators”—where she began to experience the Ainu culture and the Kamui worldview that dwells within nature.

Director
Masashi Sogawa
Time
0:24:58
Country
Japan
Genre
Drama
Year
2024
Cast
xiangyu, Koharu Hiyori, Debo Akibe, Midori Toko, Goukon Fukiko

Awards Nominations

Japan World Tourism Film Festival 2025 (JAPAN) Best Tourism Film

Director

Masashi Sogawa

Masashi is from Tokushima Prefecture. While attending the University of the Ryukyus, he became deeply immersed in theater. After moving to Tokyo, he studied acting and, following a stint in the stage production department at Toho Co., Ltd., learned filmmaking as an assistant director under various directors. He currently directs independent films, documentaries, and commercials.

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The project team, within a limited timeframe, conducted interviews with over ten local residents and Ainu people together with director Sogawa while developing the script. He made sure that the stories from the land were performed in the voices of the local people. Cast members were selected from those interviewed, and even people with no acting experience were cast in the film, giving authenticity to the depiction of the Ainu worldview in the film. The story of this film was born from conversations with people from the Akan Lake Ainu Kotan, and most of the cast are local residents. Although some had never acted before, their honest voices, the mysterious light of Akan Lake, and the essence of Ainu culture could be captured on film, making it a very valuable experience. Director Sogawa has a unique filmmaking style: he stays in the area, listens to many people, and builds the story “like blocks” while exploring the location. On the day of shooting, plans for dialogue or actions could change entirely, but the production embraced these unexpected shifts and moved forward with the making of the film.

Cast

xiangyu, Koharu Hiyori, Debo Akibe, Midori Toko, Goukon Fukiko

Screening

Screening Venue

VenueScheduleTicket Reservation
Euro Live2026.06.04 [Thu] 15:10-17:00

Online Screening

OnlinescheduleOnline Screening
Online Screening2026.06.11 [Thu] - 2026.06.30 [Tue]

Recommended

Sponsors

KODANSHA Ltd.

CyberAgent, Inc.

T.Y. Limited, Inc.

Hoppy Beverage co.

DeCurret DCP Inc.

ElevenLabs

Digital Hollywood Co., Ltd.

CRG Co.,Ltd.

The JIKEI COM Group of Colleges

Web3.0
Partner

Nihonchokuhan Inc.

Event
Partner

TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY

MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives

Creative Partner

TYO Inc.

Media Partners

J-WAVE

Tokyo Weekender

TOKYO HEADLINE

Media Supporters

cinemacafe.net

Kinema Junposha., Ltd

ORICON NEWS

Festival Supporter

MORI Building

Venue Supporter

NTT Urban Development Corporation

Tokyo Tokyo Festival