Yamada Yoji, Shimizu Takashi Titles Adorn Shochiku TIFFCOM Slate

variety.com:

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Recently-released titles by – very different – Japanese film icons Yamada Yoji and Shimizu Takashi adorn the TIFFCOM sales slate of Shochiku, one of Japan’s oldest and most powerful film studios.

The 91-year-old Yamada, known for classics including “The Yellow Handkerchief” and “The Twilight Samurai,” is behind “Mom, Is That You?,” a heartwarming drama that marks the third picture in his recent “Mother” series, following “Kabei, Our Mother” and “Nagasaki: Memories of My Son.” Starring Yoshinaga Sayuri and Oizumi Yo, the film tells how a dissatisfied salaryman pays a rare visit home and discovers his mother’s previously hidden fashionable and outgoing sides.

It released in Japanese theaters on Sept. 1. Shimizu, who played a large part in bringing Japanese horror to Hollywood’s attention with titles such as “Tomie: Rebirth” and “Ju-on: The Grudge,” has returned to his horror roots with “Sana.” It depicts a musical curse that is delivered in old-fashioned style on a cassette tape, by the titular Sana.

Starring Shirahama Alan, Katayose Ryota and Hayami Akari, the film had its theatrical premiere in Japan on Aug. 11. In the upcoming category for the studio, are “Till We Meet Again on the Lily Hill” and “Give it All.” Directed by Narita Yoichi, the former is a time-slip romantic drama about a present day schoolgirl, portrayed by Fukuhara Haruka (“My Girlfriend Is a Serial Killer”) and a soldier from 1945 (Mizukami Koshi).