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Mask Woman

After losing Kyoko, someone deeply precious to her, Toki returns to Bali carrying her ashes close to her heart. Beside her remains Kyoko, still smiling as she does in Toki’s memories — but Toki cannot see her.

  • Tokio Oohara
    Director
  • Tokio Oohara
    Writer
  • Tokio Oohara
    Producer
  • Tokio Oohara
    Key Cast
    "Toki"
  • Kyoko Iwasaki
    Key Cast
    "Kyoko"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 2, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Indonesia
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Tokio Oohara

Tokio Oohara is a Japanese filmmaker, producer and actor based in Tokyo. She is the representative of movies label will and a board member of the NPO Independent Cinema Guild / Eiga Nabe.

Tokio works as an independent filmmaker, focusing on social stories of women. Her short film Bird Woman, about women uniting to fight back against sexual harassment, was selected for the international competition at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2022 and received passionate support from many women at international film festivals. Her subsequent Woman series has also been recognized internationally, including at Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival, Minikino Film Week – Bali International Short Film Festival, Women Over 50 Film Festival, Nepal International Film Festival and Jakarta Film Week.

Her works have also been presented through special screenings and lectures, including a screening and lecture at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan in 2022, and a special screening and lecture co-hosted by the Embassy of Japan in Argentina and a local university in 2024. Tokio is currently developing Moving Woman, a feature film project set in Japan and Myanmar.

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Director Statement

I wanted to make a short film on the island of Bali, where it is believed that the divine resides in all things, exploring the themes of loss and liberation.

In Mask Woman, I sought not to explain grief, but to capture the ineffable time that follows loss, the invisible presence, and the quiet moment of liberation that comes after. The film begins with a woman who has lost a loved one returning to Bali. Beside her, the presence of the person she has lost remains, with the same smile from her happiest memories. Yet she cannot see this figure.

Although this film deals with death and grief, I did not want it to be merely a sad piece. I wanted there to be a sense of subtle humour within it. No matter how painful the situation, I hope we never lose our sense of humour entirely. I believe humour can sometimes become a small gap to breathe through, and a faint way to keep on living.

For me, Mask Woman is a film not about forgetting, but about letting go. It is a work about memory, love, and the moment when both the living and the dead are quietly set free.