Film Screening |
We Are Little Zombies & And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool.

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to launch the new film screening program “Emerging Creators” to introduce new, up and coming talent in Japan’s film industry. In this program, we present the creators who have released up to three feature-length films in their career so far. The first creator that JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles introduced was Director Makoto Nagahisa, who became the first Japanese recipient of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 for his feature-length film, “We Are Little Zombies”.

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles also featured Director Nagahisa’s previous short film "And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool.", which first caught the eye of festival programmers and brought him international attention when he won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017.

For one month from August 19 to September 15, both films were available to watch for free on JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles’ movie streaming portal.

*Registration for tickets is required.
*Film streaming is limited to residents of U.S. only.

Featured Film

We Are Little Zombies

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STORY
When four young orphans—Hikari, Ikuko, Ishi, and Takemura—first meet, their parents’ bodies are being turned into dust, like fine Parmesan atop a plate of spaghetti Bolognese, and yet none of them can shed a tear. They are like zombies; devoid of all emotion. With no family, no future, no dreams, and no way to move forward, the young teens decide that the first level of this new existence involves salvaging a gaming console, an old electric bass, and a charred wok from their former homes—just enough to start a band—and then conquer the world. Tragedy, comedy, music, social criticism, and teenage angst are all subsumed in this eccentric cinematic tsunami.

DIRECTOR'S COMMENT
"I staked everything in my life on WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES. The film is like a music festival featuring all my favorite actors, musicians, and artists. It may be a bit hectic, but I hope it can touch the heart of at least one troubled person who might be crouching in a dark room, alone, looking for help. I, myself, cried several times at the preview screening. I can’t wait for everyone to see it."

Featured Short Film

And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool.

 

STORY
This is a true story which took place in Saitama in 2012. In the summer of 2012, 400 goldfish were released in the swimming pool of a junior-high school in Sayama Town, Saitama. The culprits: four female students.  According to the Police statement, the girls “thought the fish would look pretty”. But why did they really do it? Based on a true story, this fast-paced short film continually betrays the viewer’s expectations as it explores the feelings of the four girls and their motives, accompanied by a soundtrack of old-time hits including Seventeen and Virgin Blues!

*To watch the video in full screen, please click on the image above, then click on the YouTube icon on the lower right-hand corner. 
 

Director Profile

Makoto Nagahisa
Born August 2, 1984 in Tokyo, Nagahisa began directing films and music videos while working at a major ad agency as a commercial planner. In 2017, he wrote and directed the short film And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool. and was the first Japanese to win the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 33rd Sundance Film Festival. His full-length feature film, We Are Little Zombies received the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality at the Sundance Film Festival. His latest work is an advertising short film for Gucci, released in August 2022.

Read more.

Feature film
We Are Little Zombies (2019)

Short film
And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool. (2017)
DEATH DAYS (2021)

MUSIC VIDEO
Insight by JOY DIVISION (2019)
SUKUINOTE (2021)
Seeds (2020)

TV series
FM999: 999 Women’s Songs (2021)

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