In 1995, director Sakahara Atsushi became a victim of the Tokyo Sarin Gas Attack, the largest act of domestic terrorism in Japan committed by the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo. 13 people were killed, and 6000 were injured.
In 2016, Sakahara Atsushi takes a train journey with the cult's current executive, Araki Hiroshi to their hometowns on opposite sides of the Tanba region. The two men are around the same age, grew up in the same region, both attended Kyoto University, but their lives diverged dramatically in the late 80s when Araki joined the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo and Sakahara found himself a job in Tokyo. A timely cinematic essay on restorative justice and finding closure after trauma, “Me and the Cult Leader” presents an earnest conversation in this divided world.
The film world premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest and has since screened internationally at IDFA (Amsterdam), CPH:DOX (Copenhagen), Doc Lisboa, San Diego Asian Film Festival; and most recently had its Asian premier in Documentary Competition at the 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival. “Me and the Cult Leader” will be showing at the Golden Scene Cinema starting on 26 May, with tickets going on sale from 8 May.
The Hong Kong poster is designed by co-founder of ZINECOOP Forrest Lau with typography by Leo Mak. Hong Kong director Chu Siu Fung whose short film “Memories in the Ashes” was part of Freshwave put together the international trailer, while editor Kitagawa Obihiro composed the Japanese trailer seen in Hong Kong.
