New York Premiere
Departures
Spotlight
| Japan | 130 MINUTES | JapaneseDrama
With the breakup of his Tokyo orchestra, Daigo, a young cellist, decides to return with his adoring wife Mika to his hometown in Japan's far north. Searching for work, he responds to a cryptic classified ad for work in "Departures" only to find out that the position is in the field of "encoffining," the ritual preparation of a corpse before it is placed in a casket for cremation. Daigo gradually takes to the work and finds he has a real talent, but he is too ashamed to tell Mika, leaving him torn between his true calling and his marriage.
Winner of the Academy Award® for best foreign language film this year, Departures achieves a pleasingly droll blend of screwball-like humor with a moving story about reconciliation, acceptance, and finding one's place in the world, enhanced by a richly orchestrated score. By taking us into the uniquely Japanese tradition of the "Nokanshi"-who washes, dresses, and grooms the dead body in front of the deceased's family, helping the living to bid farewell and the dead to move on to the next world-director Yojiro Takita also offers a refreshingly light and life-affirming vision of how we can reconcile ourselves with death and dying.
Cast & Credits
Yojiro Takita joined Hiroshi Mukai's Sushi Productions as an assistant director in 1976. He made his directorial debut in 1981 with Chikan Onna Kyoshi and went on to helm more than 20 films, including Komikku Zasshi Nanka Iranai!, The Yen Family, We Are Not Alone, The Exam, Secret, Ashura, and The Battery. In 2001, his special effects fantasy Onmyoji (The Ying-Yang Master) stormed the box office and generated a sequel. His historical drama When The Last Sword Is Drawn earned best film at the 2004 Japan Academy Prize Awards.
Primary Cast
Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Director
Yojiro Takita
Screenwriter
Kundo Koyama
Producer
Toshiaki Nakazawa
Music
Joe Hisaishi
Director of Photography
Takashi Sasano
Editing
Akimasa Kawashima
Contacts
Print Source
Helene Nielsen Beal
Regent Releasing
10990 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: (310) 806-4269
hnb@regentreleasing.com
Regent Releasing
10990 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: (310) 806-4269
hnb@regentreleasing.com
Submitter
Helene Beal
Regent Releasing
10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Penthouse Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: 310 806 4278
info@regentreleasing.com
Regent Releasing
10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Penthouse Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: 310 806 4278
info@regentreleasing.com
Sales Contact
Kiwamu Sato
Shochiku Co.
4-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku Tokyo, 104-8422
Phone: 81355501623
ibd@shochiku.co.jp
Shochiku Co.
4-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku Tokyo, 104-8422
Phone: 81355501623
ibd@shochiku.co.jp
Main Contact
Jonathan Aubry
Here! Films / Regent
10990 Wilshire Blvd., Penthouse Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: 310-806-6382
jaubry@regententertainment.com
Here! Films / Regent
10990 Wilshire Blvd., Penthouse Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: 310-806-6382
jaubry@regententertainment.com
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues
other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.