Two Siblings Brave a Perilous Journey to Freedom
Sneak Preview Screening: "Lost Land" followed by a Q&A with
director Akio Fujimoto and producer Kazutaka Watanabe
Thursday, April 2 at 6:00 pm
In Rohingya with Japanese and English subtitles
Japan/France/Malaysia/Germany 2025 99 minutes
Written and directed by: Akio Fujimoto
Produced by: Kazutaka Watanabe
Co-produced by: Angèle de Lorme, Sujauddin Karimuddin,
Elise Shick, Christian Jilka
Cinematography: Yoshio Kitagawa
Film courtesy of Kino Films
Acclaimed director Akio Fujimoto and producer Kazutaka Watanabe, the award-winning team behind "Passage of Life" (2017), which focused on Burmese refugees in Japan, and "Along the Sea" (2020), about illegal Vietnamese workers in Japan, have now created the world's first-ever Rohingya-language film, with a large Rohingya cast. Marking its world premiere in competition in the 2025 Venice International Film Festival's Orizzonti section, "Lost Land" earned a Special Jury Prize and the Bisato d'Oro Award for Best Director, as well as 13 more prizes from festivals in 11 countries.
The powerful new docudrama echoes the ongoing reality of life for the persecuted Rohingya. "Lost Land" follows two young children, 4-year-old Shafi and his 9-year-old sister, Somira, on a long and perilous journey to some semblance of freedom. Leaving their refugee camp in Bangladesh with others, they travel by foot, boat, motorbike, van and two-wheeled cart for almost a month across Thailand, staying hidden, enduring the harshest of conditions and constant danger, in the hopes of reaching relatives in Malaysia. As the days wear on and the challenges mount, the two resilient youngsters must use their wits to survive.
More than 200 Rohingya, none of them trained actors, took part in "Lost Land," including the siblings who portray Shafi and Somira. Fujimoto crafted the narrative based on stories they told him, lending the film a level of authenticity and urgency that could not have been attained any other way. Blending stark realism with touches of fable-like lyricism, the film confronts the brutal realities of statelessness - human trafficking, forced migration, and the precarious existence of a people denied citizenship - while preserving the fragile wonder of its childhood perspective.
Shot handheld by cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa (Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "Evil Does Not Exist"), the film employs extended takes that allow reality and performance to merge organically, resulting in an intimate cinematic space where documentary truth and narrative storytelling coexist. Through the eyes of Somira and Shafi, "Lost Land" transforms a global humanitarian crisis into something profoundly personal.
Please join us for this sneak preview of "Lost Land" ahead of the film’s Japan release on April 24.
For more (in Japanese): https://www.lostland-movie.com/
AKIO FUJIMOTO is known for his socially engaged cinema exploring migration, identity, and marginal lives. His debut feature "Passage of Life" (2017), a Japan-Myanmar co-production, won Best Feature Film and the Spirit of Asia Best Director award in the Asian Future section of the Tokyo International Film Festival. His follow-up, "Along the Sea" (2020), a Japan-Vietnam co-production, premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival. The groundbreaking "Lost Land" has won multiple awards since its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2025.
KAZUTAKA WATANABE is a Tokyo-based producer and founder of E.x.N K.K., established in 2014. He has worked across distribution, festival programming, production, and subtitling, giving him a broad international perspective. He has produced all of director Akio Fujimoto's films, supporting cross-border projects that explore migration and identity. Watanabe is also a programmer for "Yamagata Roughcut!" at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and a member of NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema).
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