Nightingale
A daughter clings to her dancing dream,
As a mother's path was once blocked it seems.
Their journey unfolds through dance's sway.
As the daughter emerges from her mother's embrace,
The mother remains trapped in dreams and her husband's grace.
A bird in a cage, she yearns to be free,
As their journey beckons, where will it lead?
Japanese actresses and a director spin a serene and graceful poetic visual narrative.
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Morito OkumuraDirectorTsuki no shita made
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Morito OkumuraWriterTsuki no shita made
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Takeo UrakamiWriterRakugo eiga, Transgender Trouble
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Kazunari HoushidoWriter
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Manaho ShimokawaKey Cast"Kaede"
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Yoshie MaruokaKey Cast"Satoko"YOAKE a chewing gum story
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Akira JakoberKey Cast"Sebastian"
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:24 minutes 56 seconds
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Completion Date:May 8, 2023
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Production Budget:11,120 EUR
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Country of Origin:Japan
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Country of Filming:Austria
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Language:German, Japanese
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:4:3
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Born in 1978 in Japan, Morito Okumura worked as a journalist for a newspaper for eight years. He decided to become a filmmaker and moved to Tokyo when he was thirty-one. He studied filmmaking at The Film School of Tokyo while working for various productions shot on 16mm and 35 mm serving as a crew member. In 2012, his first feature film “Tsuki no shita made” was nominated to various film festivals, including SKIP City International D-Cinema Festival, and was released in theaters all over Japan in 2013-2014. Since 2016, he is an Adjunct Researcher at Institute for Journalism, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. From 2017, Okumura moved his basis to Austria, Europe to continue his creative activity. Lately, the film entitled “On Certainty 467 ” (Austria, 2018), which he joined as a Director of Photography, was screened in the Virginia Film Festival.
The film "Nightingale" is a poignant portrayal of the intricate relationship between a Japanese mother and daughter in a foreign land, as they navigate their dreams and search for a way out through a dance performance that leads to their destruction and rebirth. As a filmmaker who moved from Tokyo to Vienna, I have encountered various challenges in creating new films due to cultural differences and language barriers. This film is a reflection of my own experiences as a minority in Western society and is partially inspired by the story of a Japanese daughter struggling with her mother's isolation in Europe. The mother's experience as a minority has had a significant impact on their relationship, both to protect her daughter and to ease her own isolation. I am confident that "Nightingale" will resonate with a diverse audience, not only with Japanese and Asian viewers but also with racial minorities and individuals who feel emotionally isolated. My hope is that the film will evoke a profound emotional response and offer a thought-provoking experience to viewers.