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Saikai Paradise film image; two people staring at multiple rock formations

Saikai Paradise

Saikai Rakuen / 西海楽園

Panorama

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World Premiere

Keiko Tsuruoka’s wistful film features Kazunari Yanagitani as Kazu, an actor visiting his hometown, where he will have to confess a sad secret to his family. Saikai is a seaside municipality in Nagasaki prefecture — a place with charm, nice scenery, and not much going on. For Kazu, it’s a nice contrast with Tokyo, where he has gone to make his living. His family and his old community welcome his return visit, and he is loath to disappoint them, but the truth about his upcoming marriage will have to be told…

Serving quadruple duty as writer, director, cinematographer, and editor, Tsuruoka (Tsugaru Lacquer Girl, VIFF 2023) maintains a breezy, casual tone throughout her film, though she’s equally adept at portraying moments of poignancy. Kazu is a man for whom a mellow exterior conceals depths of feeling, and his internal struggle is relatable and moving. Saikai Paradise is a graceful, winning film about the small, quiet moments that make up so much of our lives.

 

Oct 9 & 11: Q&A

 

Supported by

Japan Foundation logo

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Kazunari Yanagitani, Misaki Kinoshita, Hiroki Uehara, Hiroyuki Nagami, Shota Tashima, Mayumi Yanagitani

Credits
Country of Origin

Japan

Year

2025

Language

In Japanese with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
72 min
Cinemas of Asia Drama Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Screenwriter

Keiko Tsuruoka

Cinematography

Keiko Tsuruoka

Editor

Keiko Tsuruoka

Original Music

Hiroki Nakano

Keiko Tsuruoka headshot

Keiko Tsuruoka 鶴岡慧子

Keiko Tsuruoka began making films while attending Rikkyo University, and she studied at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Her first feature, The Town of Whales (2012), screened at the Busan International Film Festival and Berlinale, among others, and her film Tsugaru Lacquer Girl (2023) won the Soleil d’Or at the 2023 Kinotayo Contemporary Japanese Film Festival in Paris. She is currently an associate professor of filmmaking at Kobe Design University.

Filmography: The Town of Whales (2012); My First Love (2013); A Light in the Distance (2014); Lingering Memories (2014); Makuko (2019); Tsugaru Laquer Girl (2023)

 

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