World Premiere
Keiko Tsuruoka’s wistful film features Kazunari Yanagitani as Kazu, an actor visiting his hometown, where he will have to confess a sad secret to his family. Saikai is a seaside municipality in Nagasaki prefecture — a place with charm, nice scenery, and not much going on. For Kazu, it’s a nice contrast with Tokyo, where he has gone to make his living. His family and his old community welcome his return visit, and he is loath to disappoint them, but the truth about his upcoming marriage will have to be told…
Serving quadruple duty as writer, director, cinematographer, and editor, Tsuruoka (Tsugaru Lacquer Girl, VIFF 2023) maintains a breezy, casual tone throughout her film, though she’s equally adept at portraying moments of poignancy. Kazu is a man for whom a mellow exterior conceals depths of feeling, and his internal struggle is relatable and moving. Saikai Paradise is a graceful, winning film about the small, quiet moments that make up so much of our lives.
Oct 9 & 11: Q&A
Supported by
Community Partner
Kazunari Yanagitani, Misaki Kinoshita, Hiroki Uehara, Hiroyuki Nagami, Shota Tashima, Mayumi Yanagitani
Japan
2025
In Japanese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Screenwriter
Keiko Tsuruoka
Cinematography
Keiko Tsuruoka
Editor
Keiko Tsuruoka
Original Music
Hiroki Nakano
Keiko Tsuruoka 鶴岡慧子
Keiko Tsuruoka began making films while attending Rikkyo University, and she studied at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Her first feature, The Town of Whales (2012), screened at the Busan International Film Festival and Berlinale, among others, and her film Tsugaru Lacquer Girl (2023) won the Soleil d’Or at the 2023 Kinotayo Contemporary Japanese Film Festival in Paris. She is currently an associate professor of filmmaking at Kobe Design University.
Filmography: The Town of Whales (2012); My First Love (2013); A Light in the Distance (2014); Lingering Memories (2014); Makuko (2019); Tsugaru Laquer Girl (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
