A Piece of Our Life -Kakera- • カケラ

Friday, June 10, 5:59PM – Sunday, June 12, 11:59PM (ET)
Directed by ANDO Momoko | 2009 | Drama / LGBTQ | 107 minutes | Japanese with English subtitles | Trailer
Online Film Screening (Canada only) | Admission Free | RSVP Required (register below to receive a viewing link on June 9)

College student Haru (MITSUSHIMA Hikari) is stuck in an unfulfilling relationship with a boyfriend that’s just not right for her. One day, Rico (NAKAMURA Eriko), a “medical artist” who makes prosthetic body parts, strikes up a conversation with her. Rico believes that gender has nothing to do with love. The two quickly become intimately involved.

Continue to celebrate Pride Month with the JFT with more screenings of Japanese LGBTQ films!

About ANDO Momoko
Born in 1982, the daughter of actor-director OKUDA Eiji and essayist ANDO Kazu, and the sister of award-winning actress ANDO Sakura, ANDO Momoko is certainly no stranger to the world of cinema. After graduating from the Slade School of Fine Arts in London and studying film at New York University, she returned to Japan where she initially worked as an assistant on her father’s films while harboring strong ambitions to become a director in her own right. The result is her delicately nuanced 2009 debut A Piece of Our Life -Kakera-, a free adaptation of Erica Sakurazawa’s manga about a lesbian love affair and boasts a soundtrack by former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. In 2012, she published her first novel which she then adapted into her second feature film, 0.5mm, starring her sister ANDO Sakura and receiving numerous awards including the Shanghai International Film Festival Best Director Award.

Online Talk: Women Directors in Contemporary Japanese Cinema

Dates: Thursday, June 9, 7:00 PM – Sunday, June 12, 7:00 PM

Register today to view a special presentation with Dr. Colleen Laird (UBC) about the emergence of women directors in early 21st century Japanese cinema industries. Dr. Laird will introduce prominent directors who have been successful in both domestic and international markets, and she will discuss the various factors that supported a new career pathway for women in film, as well as ongoing barriers that pose difficulties for continued success.

Presented in English; register here.