Ryutaro NAKAGAWA 中川龍太郎

Mayu AKIYAMA 穐山茉由

Yuka YASUKAWA 安川有果

Hirobumi WATANABE 渡辺紘文

蒲田前奏曲

Nippon Visions   ½ 

Over four episodes, filmmakers of a new generation discuss the current situation for actresses in Japan. Ryutaro NAKAGAWA, Mayu AKIYAMA, Yuka YASUKAWA, and Hirobumi WATANABE criticize their industry and reveal the abusive processes to which young women have to subordinate. Nevertheless, their strong female characters give hope for a future of equality. We also present Hirobumi WATANABE’s film I’M REALLY GOOD.

About Ryutaro NAKAGAWA
中川龍太郎

Ryutaro NAKAGAWA, born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1990, released his feature film debut TALE OF A RAINDROP (2012) while still studying literature at Keio University. This was followed by a number of award-winning films, such as SUMMER BLOOMS (2017), which won the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award at the Moscow International Film Festival. In 2020, he participated in the film project KAMATA PRELUDE (NC ’21).

About Mayu AKIYAMA
穐山茉由

Mayu AKIYAMA worked in the fashion industry while studying at the Film School of Tokyo from which she graduated with the short film GARCONNE – THE WOMAN HAVING BOTH SEXES in 2017. Her feature-length debut RENT A FRIEND (2018) won the MOOSIC LAB Grand Prix and premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

About Yuka YASUKAWA
安川有果

Yuka YASUKAWA (born 1986) was sponsored for her feature film debut DRESSING UP (2012 / NC ’12) by the Cineastes Organization Osaka (CO2), which supports particularly promising young talents and presented the film as a world premiere. She was also one of a number of emerging talents invited to direct one of the shorts for the omnibus film 21ST CENTURY GIRL (2019) which has been screened around the world.

About Hirobumi WATANABE
渡辺紘文

Hirobumi WATANABE was born in Tochigi in 1982. After graduating from the Japan Institute of the Moving Image, he founded the production company Foolish Piggies Films with his brother, the film composer Yuji WATANABE. Starting with his debut AND THE MUD SHIP SAILS AWAY (2013 / NC ’14), his films have been screened regularly at Nippon Connection, amongst them PARTY ’ROUND THE GLOBE (2017 / NC ’18) and LIFE FINDS A WAY (2018 / NC ’19). His third feature POOLSIDEMAN (2016 / NC ’17) won the Japanese Cinema Splash Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival as well as the NIPPON VISIONS JURY AWARD.