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Born in 1995 in Osaka Prefecture, Kisa Ito studied filmmaking in the Department of Cinema at Nihon University College of Art. Since graduating, he has gained experience directing by working as a freelance assistant director for notable filmmakers such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takahisa Zeze, Izuru Narushima, and Yoji Yamada. His short “Awakeless Dream” (2017) was shown at the Kanazawa Film Festival that year, followed by his graduation art project “Hello, Shrew!” (2018), which was screened at the 10th Okinawa International Movie Festival. In 2020, he directed episodes 17 to 23 of the TV series “Memories: The Nurses’ Story.” His latest work, “Over the Mountains,” is based on the poem “Über den Bergen” by Carl Busse.

Over The Mountains is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival

The story begins in a heavily snow-covered landscape, where a young man is seen running frantically through vast snowfields. His movement is urgent and disoriented until he encounters an elderly...

Vulnerability and humanity are showcased through a gray-area emotional journey in Kosai Sekine's wonderful film “Stay Mum,” also known as “Hidden Things” and “Kakushigoto” in Japan. Based on the original story “Uso” by novelist Koji Kitakuni and a screenplay by Sekine, the director explores family love wrapped up in lies and moral dilemmas without ever feeling manipulative in how the movie presents itself. Anne Watanabe stars alongside a cast that includes Eiji Okuda and Toma Nakasu.

Stay Mum is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

Following her mother's passing, writer Chisako Satoya temporarily moves back in with her father, Kozo, to help him. This proves hard for her because they haven't seen each other in forever due to a long-standing feud. Yet, her dad has dementia and is now living alone without support, so she becomes obligated to assist him. Plus, she is revealed to be still coping with...