Hanezu

Hanezu
Directed byNaomi Kawase
Screenplay byNaomi Kawase
Based onHanezu
by Masako Bando
CinematographyNaomi Kawase
Edited byNaomi Kawase
Tina Baz
Yusuke Kaneku
Music byHasiken
Production
company
Kumie
Release dates
  • 19 May 2011 (2011-05-19) (Cannes)
  • 3 September 2011 (2011-09-03) (Japan)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Hanezu (Japanese: 朱花の月, translit. Hanezu no tsuki) is 2011 Japanese drama film directed by Naomi Kawase, based on a novel by Masako Bando. The title is an ancient Japanese word for a shade of red, taken from the 8th century poetry collection Man'yōshū. The story is set in contemporary time in the Asuka area and recalls the ancient history of the place.[1] The film premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3]

Cast

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  • Tohta Komizu as Takumi
  • Hako Oshima as Kayoko
  • Tetsuya Akikawa as Tetsuya
  • Akaji Maro as Yo-chan
  • Taiga Komizu as Hisao, Takumi's grandfather
  • Kirin Kiki as Takumi's mother
  • Norio Nishikawa as Takumi's father
  • Miyako Yamaguchi as Kayoko's mother

Production

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The film was produced through Kumie in co-production with the Kashihara-Takaichi Regional Administrative Association. It was shot on 16 mm film on location in the Nara Prefecture, which is where director Naomi Kawase comes from and lives. The actors had no rehearsals, instead Kawase made them live in the region for a month prior to filming in order to create their characters, which were further developed through discussions with the director. Once filming, Kawase tried to restrict each scene to one take only.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hanezu press kit" (PDF). Memento Films International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Cannes film festival 2011: The full lineup". guardian.co.uk. London. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
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