April Story (Japanese and Chinese: 四月物語) is a Japanese short film directed by Shunji Iwai starring Takako Matsu.

Plot

Uzuki Nireno bids goodbye to her family in Hokkaidō - in the very north of Japan - and climbs on a train bound for Tokyo to attend the university of her choice. She deals with her new situation with poise and strength. She flirts with the movers, sets up her apartment, buys a new bicycle and admires her view of the cherry blossom-filled yard. Uzuki approaches her suspicious neighbour and ultimately befriends her. She is shy at school, not responding to the jocular teasing of the boys in front of her. She is particularly embarrassed when a teacher asks her to explain why she chose this university. A mystery for most of the film, she gets close to a slack-jawed tomboy and joins the fly-fishing club, the mystery unravels.

• Edited from Yentown.co.jp

Cast

• Takako Matsu AS Uzuki Nireno
• Seiichi Tanabe AS Yamazaki
• Kahori Fujii AS Teruko Kitao
• Kazuhiko Kato AS The Man in the Art Gallery

Crew

• Director/Writer: Shunji Iwai
• Director of Photography: Noboru Shinoda
• Lighting Director: Yuki Nakamura
• Production Designer: Yuji Tsuzuki

DVD Editions

• Japanese R2 (No English Subtitles)
• Korean R3 (English Subtitles)

Festivals

• Toronto Film Festival, 1998
• Pusan International Film Festival, 1998

Awards

• 1998 Pusan International Film Festival: Audience Award