Year: 2006
Country:
JAPAN
Run Time:
101 minutes
After the fall of the Japanese to the Allies in 1945, World War II officially came to an end; yet in 1954, a young Japanese solider was just returning home from duty in China. Today that solider is 80-year-old Mr. Okumura, and THE ANTS follows his campaign to uncover the undisclosed military orders that kept 2,600 Japanese soldiers fighting in China after the war. Failing to gain an official acknowledgement of the orders from the Japanese government, Okumura returns to China after nearly 60 years to secure further proof. The trip to China is oddly nostalgic as Okumura comes face to face with difficult memories. Even at home Okumura and his few living fellow soldiers are constantly confronted with their past. Director Kaoru Ikeya handles Okumura's journey simply and blatantly. The end result is a reverent, yet starkly painful tale of the unceasing political/personal blur that both creates war and sustains the memory of it long after the fact. (In Japanese and Mandarin with English subtitles) - J.B.H.
Monday, March 19, 2007 at 11:30 AM
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 9:30 PM
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Director
Kaoru Ikeya
Producer
Yoko Kwon
Cinematography
Masaharu Fukai, Taizo Toyama
Editing
Koichi Tayama
Principal Cast
Waichi Okamura
vagrant Films Releasing
Ryan Bruce Levey
72 Martin Rd. Unit 28
Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3N3
CANADA
Phone: 4165467841
Email: v_f_c_rb@yahoo.com
This film is presented with the generous support of MIKE BARUSCHKE and DENISE C. HUCK
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