One Summer Story (virtual film screening)

One Summer Story
子供はわかってあげない

Friday, November 8, 5:59PM (ET) – Sunday, November 10, 11:59PM (ET)
Virtual Film Screening | Free to Stream | Canada-wide

Directed by OKITA Shuichi • 2020 • Comedy / Drama • 139 minutes • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • Trailer

Between competitive swim team practice and cramming for classes, the anime “Buffalo Koteko is the Magical Plasterer” is Minami’s only respite from her hectic life. So, it feels a lot like fate when she discovers that her classmate Shohei, an aspiring manga artist and the son of a calligraphy instructor, shares her obsession—and that his sibling is an amateur detective. It seems Minami has finally found the perfect team to help her unravel a big mystery of her own, following a recent trail of clues that just might lead to her long lost father. The timing couldn’t be better when an out-of-town swim competition presents itself as the perfect alibi, and she sneaks off to the Japanese coast to discover a whole new side of herself in this bold and charming story of anime, friendship, family, and the life aquatic.

Based on the manga Kodomo wa Wakatteagenai by TAJIMA Rettou, originally serialized in the weekly MORNING magazine published by KODANSHA Ltd.

Co-presented with JETAA Ottawa and the Embassy of Japan in Canada. In support of JET Programme Canada.

Free to Stream. Register below.

*Reminder: After registration, the streaming link will be sent to you on November 8. You will be able to watch the film anytime between November 8, 5:59PM (ET) to November 10, 11:59PM (ET) regardless of which date option you select in the registration form below. Once you start watching, you have 24 hours to finish the film.

Annual JET Film Screenings:

For the third consecutive year, we are hosting a Canada-wide virtual film screening in early November to highlight inaka (田舎, countryside) life in Japan, in support of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme Canada. Many JET participants are assigned to small towns and rural areas across the Japanese countryside to teach at schools or work at local government offices. We carefully curate films that reflect this experience. In 2022, we screened A Gentle Breeze in the Village, and last year in 2023, we screened Restaurant from the Sky.

JET Programme Canada

Application Deadline: November 14, 3:00PM (ET)

Apply Here

Be a part of the JET Story! Gain valuable overseas work experience, learn about Japanese culture, and meet people from around the world, while contributing to language education and international understanding. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme seeks to enhance internationalisation and enhance foreign language education at the local level through the fostering of ties between Japanese youth and foreign youth alike.

Director Profile:

OKITA Shuichi is an acclaimed filmmaker both at home in Japan and overseas. His films, Mori, the Artist’s Habitat (2018), The Mohican Comes Home (2016), and Ecotherapy Getaway Holiday (2014) were invited to Shanghai International Film Festival and Udine Far East Film Festival. The Story of Yonosuke (2013) was invited to the Tokyo International Film Festival and Nippon Connection Film Festival in Frankfurt. His 2012 The Woodsman and the Rain won the Special Jury Prize at the 24th Tokyo International Film Festival and won triple honors at Dubai International Film Festival with Best Actor, Best Editor and Best Scriptwriter awards. His second feature The Chef of South Polar (2009) had both domestic and international acclaim. His first feature was What a Wonderful World (2006). Prior to his feature film career, Okita made short films, including Pots and Friend (2002), which was invited to the 7th Mito Short Film Festival Grand Prix, and he also wrote and directed TV dramas. Okita was born in 1977 in Saitama and graduated from Nihon University, College of Art, Department of Cinema. His latest films are 0.5 Man (2023), Because We Forget Everything (2022), and The Fish Tale (2022).