April Story (film screening)

April Story
四月物語

Sunday, April 6, 7:00PM (ET)

Doors open 6:30PM | Film Screening | In-Person | Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Avenue, University of Toronto)

Directed by IWAI Shunji • 1998 • Romance / Drama • 67 minutes • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • Trailer

Uzuki (MATSU Takako), a shy girl from the countryside of northern Hokkaidō, leaves her family for university in Tokyo to follow the local boy she fell in love with. Just as the cherry blossoms are falling, Uzuki discovers that it can feel lonely even in the big city.

Lead by an enchanting performance from MATSU Takako amidst the fairy tale backdrop of Tokyo cherry blossoms and raindrop confessions, IWAI Shunji paints an unforgettable and nostalgic tale of independence with April Story, an ultimate springtime classic.

April Story director IWAI Shunji will be in attendance via video call for a virtual Q&A session following the screening.

April Story is the “Spring” film and final screening of our Seasonal Impressions series.

Free admission. Register below.

This event is now fully booked and registration is closed. We will have a rush line before the event to release available seats on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is not guaranteed. Thank you for your understanding!

Director Profile:

IWAI Shunji was born on January 24, 1963, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Ever since 1988, Iwai has been an avid creator in a variety of visual fields including TV dramas and music videos, and his unique and outstanding visual style has become to be known as “Iwai Aesthetic” – attracting much attention. In 1995, Iwai made his feature film directorial debut with Love Letter. His representative works include Swallowtail Butterfly (1996), April Story (1998), All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), Vampire (2011), and Last Letter (2018). In 2012, Iwai wrote the lyrics for “Flowers Will Bloom,” the theme song to support the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In October 2023, his latest feature film, Kyrie, was released. Iwai continues to work across diverse genres both domestically and internationally, maintaining a borderless creative presence.