A Story of Yonosuke (KOTATSU screening)
March 7 @ 2:00 pm - 4:45 pm EST
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A Story of Yonosuke
横道世之介
Saturday, March 7, 2:00PM (ET)
Doors open 1:30PM | Film Screening | In-Person | Innis Town Hall
Directed by OKITA Shuichi • 2012 • Drama • 160 minutes • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • Trailer
A coming-of-age drama based on a serialized newspaper novel by YOSHIDA Shuichi (author of Kokuho), it nostalgically depicts the interactions between a good-natured young man and his friends, while interweaving the past and present. The lead roles are played by Kora Kengo and Yoshitaka Yuriko, who previously starred together in Snakes and Earrings.
In 1987, a youth named Yonosuke (played by KORA Kengo, who won Best Actor at the Blue Ribbon Awards for his performance) who is unable to decline the requests of others leaves his hometown of Nagasaki to start university life in Tokyo. One day as he is juggling classes and extracurricular activities, he goes to a driving school and meets Shoko (YOSHITAKA Yuriko), the daughter of a company president, who takes a liking to him.
This screening is a part of our annual winter film showcase, KOTATSU 2026: Japanese Cinema at Innis Town Hall.
Free admission. Registration Required.
Director Profile:
OKITA Shuichi (沖田 修一) is one of Japan’s most distinctive contemporary filmmakers, known for his humanistic storytelling, understated humor, and deep compassion for his characters. His films often focus on ordinary people navigating moments of quiet change, blending comedy and melancholy with remarkable emotional precision.
Okita gained recognition with The Woodsman and the Rain (2011), a warmhearted comedy about an unlikely friendship between a retired lumberjack and a young film director, which won the Jury Prize at the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival. He followed this success with A Story of Yonosuke (2013), winning Best Director at the 2014 Japan Film Professional Awards, which further cemented his reputation.
Other notable works include Mori, The Artist’s Habitat (2018), a meditative portrait of artist MORI Morikazu (shown at our KOTATSU 2020), One Summer Story (2020), Ora, Ora Be Goin’ Alone (2020), and The Fish Tale (2022). Across his body of work, Okita demonstrates a rare ability to find meaning in the everyday, portraying lives not defined by dramatic turning points, but by the gentle accumulation of moments.
