Sakanishi Miiku Debuts ‘Memorizu’ at Tribeca, Clip Released
Japanese director Sakanishi Miiku will premiere his debut feature “Memorizu” in competition at the Tribeca Festival on June 6, with a theatrical release in Japan later that month. The film follows Yuta, who travels to a rural Kyushu town to help his ailing photographer father-in-law while staying connected to his wife and daughter in Tokyo through casual phone videos. Sakanishi told Variety the premise grew from a personal experiment of exchanging walking route videos with his wife while she was abroad, describing it as “a dialogue without words.” The film contrasts deliberate photographs from a traditional studio with spontaneous phone clips, though Sakanishi said both modes simply document daily life in their own way. The director, whose father was a music video director who died while Sakanishi was in high school, said he built the script around the gap between capture and recollection. The cast includes Emoto Tasuku, Ogata Issey, and Hoshi Moeka, and the film is sold internationally by Alpha Violet. A clip has been unveiled.
What’s reported
“Memorizu” world premieres in competition at the Tribeca Festival on June 6.
The film will have a theatrical release in Japan later in June.
Sakanishi’s idea came from exchanging videos with his wife while she was abroad.
The film contrasts traditional photo studio work with smartphone video clips.
Sakanishi’s father, Isaku Sakanishi, was a music video director at Epic Records Japan; he died when Sakanishi was in high school.
The director cited filmmaking influences: José Luis Guerín, Abbas Kiarostami, Sofia Coppola, and Edward Yang.
Cast includes Emoto Tasuku (Best Actor winner from Mainichi Film Concours and Kinema Junpo), Ogata Issey (recognized by LA Film Critics for “Silence”), and Hoshi Moeka (Critics’ Choice Award for “Shogun”).
The film is sold internationally by Alpha Violet.
Key figures
Sakanishi Miiku: director of “Memorizu”
Isaku Sakanishi: his father, former music video director at Epic Records Japan
Emoto Tasuku: actor playing Yuta
Ogata Issey: solo theater performer, actor
Hoshi Moeka: actress playing Yuki
Variety: media outlet that interviewed Sakanishi (the source of this article)
Sources: Variety
