EXCLUSIVE: Cameras have started rolling in Tokyo on Akashi, the debut feature from Canadian writer-director Mayumi Yoshida.
Yoshida, best known as an actor for her role in The Man in The High Castle, will also star in the film alongside an all-Japanese cast, including veteran performers Hana Kino (Like Father Like Son, Come On Irene), Chieko Matsubara (A Long Goodbye, Tokyo Drifter), Kunio Murai (Godzilla VS Gigan, Tokyo Ghoul), and rising performer Ryo Tajima (Avalanche, Informa).
Described as a “coming-of-age love story,” Akashi follows Kana (Yoshida), an artist who is at a crossroads in her career. After finding out her Grandmother (Kino) has passed, she returns home to Tokyo for the funeral, where she rekindles a romance with childhood love Hiro (Tajima) and uncovers a family secret about her Grandpa (Murai).
Akashi is written and directed by Yoshida, who developed the script through the TIFF Writer’s Studio. The pic produced by Nach Dudsdeemaytha, who worked on David Fincher’s Netflix docuseries VOIR and brought Akashi to the Cannes Impact Lab in 2023, as well as Experimental Forest Films’ Tyler Hagan, whose work includes The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open, distributed by ARRAY, and the 2023 International Film Critics Awards FIPRESCI prize winning Seagrass. Musubi Arts and Experimental Forest Films have partnered with Japanese production company Flag Inc. on the pic. Japanese casting is by KAIJU INC., while Ciarra Cook, Megan Bayliss, and Rebecca Davidson are handling the Canadian casting. The film’s Director of Photography is Jaryl Lim, whose recent feature film work includes the award-winning Dark Nature.
The film has received support from Telefilm Canada and is produced in association with Crave, Hollywood Suite, and the Tokyo Film Commission.
“I am immensely grateful for the support and belief that others have placed in me throughout this journey of Akashi. Taking on the roles of Actor, Writer, and Director for my debut feature film has been a unique experience, especially with the added challenge of shooting in two different countries and multiple languages,” Yoshida said.
Born in Japan and raised on three continents, Yoshida is an actor, writer, director, and producer based in Vancouver. She’s an alumna of Women In the Director’s Chair, Women in Focus Mentorship at Whistler Film Festival, and currently a participant in the WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Access Writers & Directors Program, TIFF Netflix Talent Accelerator Fellowship, and TIFF Writer’s Studio.
Yoshida added: “The fact that so many have entrusted me to bring this vision to life is a tremendous honor. This undertaking wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration of this exceptional cast and crew. Together, we are making something truly special, and I am excited to share this heartfelt project with the world.”
