Boneless Lantern (film on grief care that leads to local revitalization)@Tokyo: Jun 7 Director&cast on stage w/ Kumamon, Jun 3-22 Screening w/ Eng., Fr., & Chin. (traditional) subtitles
2025.05.30
Overseas film festival achievements:
Canada: Best First Time Fillmmaker
Toronto International Women's Film Festival 2023
Netherlands: 3rd MOST POPULAR FILM
013CIFF Cinecitta International Film Festival 2023
US: WINNER LOS ANGELES FILM AWARDS OCTOBER 2023
BEST FIRST TIME DIRECTOR（FEATURE）
BEST TRAILER
HONORABLE MENTION:ACTOR
Aichi: OFFICIAL SELLECTION
Aichi International Women's Film Festival 2023
In-flight screenings for overseas airlines:
(July to December 2024)
British Airways (UK), Lufthansa (Germany)
Swiss International Air Lines (Switzerland),
Austrian Airlines (Austria), Oman Air (Oman)
(January 2025 onwards)
EgyptAir (Egypt)
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The Kumamoto Yamaga Eiga Project produced the movie "Boneless Lantern," with the cooperation of the citizens of Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, where the film was shot, thereby contributing to the revitalization of the city.
Old books from the Heian period (early 900s AD) mention the existence of a "hot spring resort" (Yugou), which is thought to refer to "Yamaga." Yamaga is also home to the traditional craft "Yamaga lanterns," made only from washi paper and glue. The "Yamaga Lantern Festival," which is held every summer, features a spectacular climax, the "Thousand Lantern Dance."
https://yamaga-tanbou-jp-e.
The movie is quietly becoming popular in Japan. It is a story about a man who loses his wife and arrives in Yamaga with an urn of her ashes, and begins to heal his heart through his encounters with the people of the town. The movie is full of the traditional history and kindness of Japan, which even the Japanese themselves have almost forgotten.
The film premiered at the Denkikan mini-theater in Kumamoto Prefecture in 2024. It was scheduled to run for two weeks, but ended up running for five months. After that, it went to Kobe. Marking the 30th anniversary of the unprecedented Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, an editorial in a Kobe newspaper said, "Even now, there are bereaved families who have been struggling to move on without being able to move forward. Can this city, like Yamaga, become a city that is kind to those who have lost someone important?" (Kobe Shimbun), and the cinema where the film was screened was filled with people in tears. It was then shown in Nagoya.
"The Boneless Lantern" is also a story about grief care.
In March this year, professors from three universities (Sophia University, University of Tokyo, Toyo Eiwa University) who study thanatology and grief care held a roundtable discussion after a preview screening of "The Boneless Lantern" in Tokyo. The discussion is currently being streamed on YouTube at Yahoo!news "Can a film heal the pain of losing a loved one? - Grief care discussion about "The Boneless Lantern"" (author: Sakai Osamu).
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/
The film will be screened at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum Hall (subtitled version) from June 3rd to 22nd.
The screenings will be subtitled in English, French, and Traditional Chinese, as well as barrier-free Japanese, making the films accessible to those with hearing impairments, those with hearing impairments, and those whose native language is a foreign language.
June 3-22 (starts at 15:30): Screening with English subtitles
June 6, 13, and 20 (starts at 18:00): Screening with French subtitles
June 5, 12, and 19 (starts at 18:00): Screening with Chinese (traditional characters) subtitles
June 3-22 (starts at 13:00): Screening with barrier-free Japanese subtitles
After the screening on Saturday, June 7th, the director and cast will give a speech on stage (with sign language interpretation).
Kumamon, a popular mascot from Kumamoto Prefecture, is also scheduled to make an appearance.
"Boneless Lantern"
Produced and distributed by Kumamoto Yamaga Eiga Project
Website: http://honenashi.com
Contact:
Kumamoto Yamaga Eiga Project
Producer of the film "Boneless Lantern": Koba Tamio
Email: tamiokoba0802@gmail.com
Tel: 090-3478-8036
Photos (from the left):
1. The climax of the Yamaga Lantern Festival is the Thousand Lantern Dance (a thousand lantern girls dancing)
2. Lantern girl in front of the nationally designated important cultural property "Yachiyoza"
3. The Yachiyoza Theatre, a nationally designated important cultural property
4. Traditional craft "Yamaga lantern"
5. Traditional craft "Yamaga lantern"
6. A man holding an urn in front of a traditional craft, the Yamaga lantern
7. Two important characters in this story
8. the heroine of this story
9. Two important characters in this story
10. Yebisu Garden Cinema where the Japanese version was screened
