Lost souls find love and labor in a gateway between worlds
Sneak Preview Screening: "Who were we? (Watakushidomowa.)"
followed by a Q&A with director Tetsuya Tomina,
producer Mina Hatanaka and actor Sennosuke Kataoka
Tuesday, May 21 at 6:00 pm*
*Please note early start time.
In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan 2024 101 minutes 
Written and Directed by: Tetsuya Tomina
Produced by: Mina Hatanaka
Cinematography by: Susumu Miyazu
Starring: Nana Komatsu, Ryuhei Matsuda, Shinobu Otake, Min Tanaka,
Sennosuke Kataoka, Shizuka Ishibashi, Yayako Uchida, Kaiji Moriyama,
Manjiro Tatsumi, Tsubaki Tanaka, Teru Mishima
Film courtesy of Happinet Phantom Studios and TETSUYA to MINA film
Like a lingering dream, the enigmatic romance "Who Were We?" plays with the imagination as it evokes the great mysteries of existence and the unknowable nature of love. Set amid the magnificent, forested landscape of Sado Island, with dazzling cinematography and a haunting soundtrack, the film is poetry in motion, both visually ravishing and metaphysically beguiling.
The second feature from rising arthouse director Tetsuya Tomina, "Who Were We?" follows a young woman (Komatsu) who awakens in a long-abandoned gold-mining town with no memory of her past. She is rescued by an elderly female janitor named Kii (Otake), who provides shelter, friendship and work on the cleaning staff. Kii calls the young woman Midori, as she's unable to recall her name. When Midori finishes work, she wanders about the premises, gradually meeting others, including Toru (Kataoka) and the director (Tanaka). Each of the characters
has taken a color as their name, and has no memory of their past. Midori finds herself strangely drawn to the night guard, a man called Ao (Matsuda). When they discover he feels the same way, they begin asking questions that don’t seem to have answers.
The idea for the film came to Tomina as he was finishing his debut feature Blue Wind Blows (2018), which was also shot on Sado Island, once the site of a gold-mining boom that began in the 1500s. But the filmmaker discovered a dark historical side to the economic prosperity. During the Edo period (1603-1868), the ruling Tokugawa shogunate would send criminals and indigents to the island, forcing them to work the mines in harsh conditions, often resulting in their early deaths.
"When I first visited the place," recalled Tomina, "I felt they were still drifting, not to be able go back home. Wandering spirits. That's what came to mind. I wanted to make a film so they would not be forgotten in the future."
Please join us for this sneak preview of the mesmerizing "Who Were We?" before the film's Japan release on May 31.
For more (in Japanese): https://watakushidomowa.com/
Director TETSUYA TOMINA studied film at the London Film School and premiered his first short film, "At the Last Stop Called Ghost Chimney" (2013) at the Busan International Film Festival. In 2018, his first feature, "Blue Wind Blows," competed in the Generation section of Berlin International Film Festival and won awards at festivals in the Ukraine and Bangladesh. His second feature, "Who Were We?" (2023) premiered in Competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Producer MINA HATANAKA started her career as a building designer at the Kume Sekkei, a major architectural design firm. She has demonstrated amazing versatility in a variety of jobs: as the planner and publicist of legendary pro-wrestling organization the UWF International, production manager for the closing ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Paralympics; and the agent of Japanese actor Ryuhei Matsuda. She has produced all the films of director Tetsuya Tomina and in 2013, established Tetsuya to Mina Film with him.
Actor SENNOSUKE KATAOKA debuted at the Kabukiza Theatre at the age of 4 and in 2011, acted in "Renjishi" with Nizaemon XV, the first grandfather-grandson performance of "Renjishi'' since 1945. In 2017, he was invited by Peninsula Paris for its anniversary celebration to perform Kabuki dances, and was also selected and photographed by world-renowned photographer Mario Testino for his art project. Kataoka has been active in various fields both domestically and internationally, including serving as the 2020 Cartier Pasha Wristwatch Achiever figure.
In 2023, he starred in his first leading film role, "Noodle Doodle." In 2024, he played the lead role in the historical period drama "Hashimonogatari Promise."
Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk 03 3211-3161 or register online.
All film screenings are private, noncommercial events primarily for FCCJ members and their guests.
- Karen Severns, Film Committee