Hawaii International Film Festival Spring Showcase 2009

The story of the quiet unraveling of a family begins when the father, Ryuhei, loses his job unexpectedly. Facing completely unfamiliar circumstances, he decides not to tell his family and begins his lonely sojourn into the world of the secretly unemployed. The film is crafted in a way where you not only observe the crisis and triumphs of what each family member goes through, but experience it as well. Equal parts social commentary and situational comedy, Kurosawa's film also feels like a thriller. With TOKYO SONATA, director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has produced one of his most original and accomplished works.

When their mother decides to search for her estranged husband, seven year-old Jin and younger sister Bin are left in the care of Big Aunt. Jin and Bin cling to the promise of their mother's return, but as time goes on, no news is heard, the two sisters must find ways to cope with being shuffled from one relative to another, adapt to their new environment, and deal with feelings of abandonment. Drawing critical acclaim in the festival circuit, TREELESS MOUNTAIN is a heartbreaking tale told through the eyes of a little girl forced to grow up too soon.

Nati Baratz's outstanding new documentary chronicles a former disciple's search for his reincarnated Tibetan master. After twenty-six years of isolated meditation in a mountain cave, Lama Konchog became one of the greatest Tibetan masters of our time. When he passed away in 2001 at age eighty-four, the Dalai Lama instructed his shy, devoted disciple Tenzin Zopa to search for his master's reincarnation. Assisted by astrology, signs from dreams and the whispers of villagers, Tenzin travels by helicopter, mule and foot. Visually stunning, emotionally gripping and shot over the course of four years, UNMISTAKEN CHILD follows a sacred quest through the eyes of a remarkable attendant.

We follow a pair of young brothers as they arrive at an elite small town martial arts school with their father who is a teacher there. Together with their best friends, the five children discover a secret hideaway and form their own gang swearing allegiance to each other and to be the best. As they reach their graduation year, with the provincial team selection looming, their friendship is tested and they are forced to face the perils of the world outside their school. The actors are all wushu graduates and accomplished martial artists. Executive produced by Jackie Chan and co-starring Sammo Hung!

A lovelorn schoolteacher and her class of young high school girls are visiting a rural countryside in search of a shrine rumored to help people find true love. Little do they know that they are about to be caught in the middle of a battle between a zombie samurai and the villagers he is determined to destroy. Stuck in the countryside and with limited cell phone reception, what is this group of unlikely heroes to do against the rage of the undead? YAMAGATA SCREAM is a hilarious comedy-horror film directed by and starring Naoto Takenaka (SHALL WE DANCE, PING PONG, AZUMI).