Participating in the Production of Haha to Kuraseba, a New Movie by Director, Yoji Yamada

We are delighted to announce our participation in the production of a new movie by revered director, Yoji Yamada, Haha to Kuraseba (original Japanese title). A press conference to announce the movie was held in Tokyo on December 17, presented by Mr. Yamada himself, as well as stars of the movie, including Sayuri Yoshinaga, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Haru Kuroki.

We have been working with Director Yamada on his many heart-warming movies about the family over several decades—starting from the Gakko (A Class to Remember) series in the 1990s, to Kabe (Kabei: Our Mother) in 2008, Tokyo Kazoku (Tokyo Family) in 2013, and Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House) in 2014.

The story of Haha to Kuraseba is set in Nagasaki, Kyushu, after World War II, and follows the thoughts and sorrows of a mother who lost her son in the nuclear bomb, in a warm, and sometimes humorous manner. As a homage to the late author, Hisashi Inoue, Mr. Yamada also wrote the story for the movie. The director made repeated visits to Nagasaki over the last year to prepare for the movie, and expressed his determination in the press release: "The beautiful vista of the sea from the hill top in Nagasaki is very impressive. As a movie that commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, we have no excuse for not making a good film for the people of Nagasaki."

The movie is expected to be released on December 12, 2015. Another movie also directed by Mr. Yamada, Kazoku wa Tsurai yo (original Japanese title) is also waiting to be released. We hope that large audiences will enjoy Mr. Yamada's new series of movies.