A newly launched distribution hub SAKKA is set to distribute a Japanese film “Passage of Life”. The film has won two prizes at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival where it premiered, including the top prize in the Asian Future competition. It went on to screen at over 30 film festivals around the world and won Best Performer at the CinemAsia film festival among other awards.
Performed mostly by non-professional cast including the real-life mother and two brothers, Akio Fujimoto's “Passage of Life” involves a Burmese family seeking refugee status in Japan who face an uncertain future. The struggles take an emotional toll on the young family who simply want to stay together and live without fear. Based on a true story, the film is a tale of love across two countries that masterfully combines artistry and realism.
The writer director Akio Fujimoto is one of the most highly acclaimed rising talents in Japan. His latest feature “Along the Sea” premiered at the 68th San Sebastian Film Festival and won him multiple international and domestic awards, including prestigious Kaneto Shindo Award and Nagisa Oshima Prize.
“Passage of Life” is Fujimoto's debut feature, which took him 5 years to complete. The Japanese-Burmese co-production produced by Kazutaka Watanabe highlights a very important issue of the refugee families in Japan, which is one of the largest donors to the UNHCR but accepts a very small number of refugees and asylum-seekers compared with other developed nations.
SAKKA is a new distribution hub for quality Japanese independent films. Its mission is to introduce more hidden gems and inspiring works to the world, to champion emerging filmmakers from Japan, and to bring the two sides closer.
