ANA _ EIGA32_Like Father, Like Son

PRESENTS
NIPPON EIGA SERIES PART 32

SPECIAL PREVIEW SCREENING OF

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

A FILM BY KORE-EDA HIROKAZU

Japan | 2012 | 120 min.| Japanese with English Subtitles

Date/Time: Jan. 14 (Tue) Doors 6:30pm, Film 7:00pm
Venue: IFC Center: 323 Avenue of the Americas, NYC

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

75 or more　winners will receive 2 tickets to this screening. Entries must be received no later than 11:59pm, Jan. 12 (Sun), 2014. This is not on a first come first served basis. A confirmation email will be sent to all winners on Jan. 13 (Mon), 2014. See official rules at link below.
http://www.newyorktokyo.nyc/nyt/ana_eiga_rules

SYNOPSIS

Would you choose your natural son, or the son you believed was yours after spending 6 years together? Kore-eda Hirokazu, the globally acclaimed director of “Nobody Knows”, “Still Walking” and “I Wish”, returns to the big screen with another family – a family thrown into torment after a phone call from the hospital where the son was born…

Ryota has earned everything he has by his hard work, and believes nothing can stop him from pursuing his perfect life as a winner. Then one day, he and his wife, Midori, get an unexpected phone call from the hospital. Their 6-year-old son, Keita, is not ‘their’ son – the hospital gave them the wrong baby.

Ryota is forced to make a life-changing decision, to choose between ‘nature’ and ‘nurture.’ Seeing Midori’s devotion to Keita even after learning his origin, and communicating with the rough yet caring family that has raised his natural son for the last six years, Ryota also starts to question himself: has he really been a ‘father’ all these years… The moving story of a man who finally faces himself when he encounters an unexpected wall for the first time in his life.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

At what point does a father truly become a father?

Being one myself, this is a compelling and unanswered question I have. When my daughter was born five years ago, my wife appeared to transform instantly into a mother. While I imagine that not all women go through such metamorphoses, looking at my wife nursing my child with my being a father yet to sink in, I felt happy at the arrival of a newborn baby, but also somewhat estranged.

Five years later, I often find myself being told by friends that my daughter looks so much like me as we walk through the park. Comparing facial features like our eyes and mouths, I do feel my DNA has left a mark on her.

Is it, then, the realization of shared blood that makes a man into a father? Or is it the time father and child spend together? Could it be that my tenuous acceptance of myself as a father comes from not having spent enough time with my child? Is it blood or is it time? I began to think that this personal quandary could be the theme of a movie.

That was the beginning of this film “Like Father, Like Son”.

All of my quandaries and questions and, indeed, regrets – this is the first time I have poured these emotions so candidly into the protagonist of a film.

The film is now completed and done. But as for the protagonist and me – our questions remain.

FILM FESTIVALS

2013 FESTIVAL DE CANNES – JURY PRIZE WINNER
2013 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2013 SAN SEBASTIAN FILM FESTIVAL – AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
2013 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
2013 VANCOUVER FILM FESTIVAL – PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD WINNER
2013 CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2013 BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
2013 AFI FEST

KORE-EDA HIROKAZU: DIRECTOR

Born 1962 in Tokyo. After graduating from Waseda University in 1987, Kore-eda joined TV Man Union where he directed several prize-winning documentaries.

In 1995, his directorial debut “Maborosi”, based on the novel by Miyamoto Teru, won the 52nd Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Osella Prize. “After Life” (1999), distributed in over 30 countries, brought Kore-eda international acclaim. In 2001, “Distance” was selected In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and with his fourth feature “Nobody Knows” (2004), Yagira Yuya garnered much attention for becoming the youngest person to ever receive the Cannes International Film Festival’s Best Actor Award. In 2006, “Hana”, a film centered on vengeance, was Kore-eda’s first attempt at a period piece. In 2008, the family drama “Still Walking”, which reflected his own personal experiences, was received with great critical and public acclaim worldwide. In 2009, “Air Doll” received its world premiere in Un Certain Regard, at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival, and was widely praised for marking a new frontier in its depiction of a sensual love fantasy. In 2011, “I Wish” won the Best Screenplay Award at the 59th San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Kore-eda has also produced films for young Japanese directors. “Kakuto,” directed by Iseya Yusuke, premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2003. “Wild Berries” (2003) was written and directed by Nishikawa Miwa, whose second feature, “Sway”, premiered in Director’s Fortnight at Cannes in 2006. “Ending Note: Death of a Japanese Salesman” (2011) by Sunada Mami, struck a deep emotional chord with audiences around the world.

FUKUYAMA MASAHARU: (NONOMIYA RYOTA)

Born 1969 in Nagasaki, Japan. Having made his debut as a singer-songwriter in 1990, Fukuyama has played active roles in a variety of artistic fields, including music and acting.

In 2000, he had a huge success with his single “Sakurazaka”, which sold over two million copies in Japan. He continued to make hit songs, and with the sales of his 27th single – “Kazoku ni narou yo / Fighting Pose” – in 2011, he became the all time best-selling male solo singer in Japan.

Fukuyama’s acting career reached its benchmark with the TV series “Galileo” (2007) and its movie adaptation “Suspect X” (2008), which grossed some 5 billion JPY. He starred in the 2010 NHK historical drama series “Ryomaden – The Legend” as Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the most popular figures in Japanese history. Highly praised for his performance, he received the Galaxy Individual Award. The sequel to the “Galileo” series was released in 2013, followed by the release of its movie adaptation “Midsummer Formula” this summer.

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In Theaters January 17 and Available On Video On Demand January 23

ENTRY FORM

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