- 23 wins & 8 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
Yasuko Matsuyuki | ... |
Madoka Hirayama
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Etsushi Toyokawa | ... |
Yojiro Tanikawa
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Yû Aoi | ... |
Kimiko Tanikawa
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Shizuyo Yamasaki | ... |
Sayuri Kumano
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Shoko Ikezu | ... |
Hatsuko Sasaki
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Eri Tokunaga | ... |
Sanae Kimura
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Hiroki Miyake | ... |
Mitsuo Inokari
(as Kojo Miyake)
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Susumu Terajima | ... |
Ishida
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Masaru Shiga | ... |
Goro Kumano
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Hiroshi Ohkôchi | ... |
Coal Miners' Union Offical
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Daikichi Sugawara | ... |
Koji Wakamatsu
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Chihiro Asakawa | ... |
Aiko Kamiyama
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Kaede | ... |
Naoko Ogawa
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Tomori Abe | ... |
Yoneko Tsutaya
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Ami Ikenaga | ... |
Junko Soma
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Kanami Tagawa | ... |
Sumie Muto
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Natsuhi Ueno | ... |
Hiroko Miyata
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Haruko Uchida | ... |
Ritsuko Iwata
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Eijun Toyokawa | ... |
Satoko Tanagi
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Namiko Nakahama | ... |
Mei Ashiya
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Meikyô Yamada | ... |
Sayuri's Uncle
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Izô Oikawa | ... |
Union Executive 1
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Yoshiaki Kitajima | ... |
Union Executive 2
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Hidekazu Mashima | ... |
Toru
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Koji Higuchi | ... |
Newspaper Cameraman
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Megumi Ujiie | ... |
Coal Miner's Daughter 1
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Kei Mayama | ... |
Coal Cleaning Lady
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Sumiko Fuji | ... |
Chiyo Tanikawa
(as Junko Fuji)
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Matsumi Fuku | ... |
Sayuri's Aunt
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Hiroshi Fukuzawa | ... |
Labour Division Staff 3
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Ittoku Kishibe | ... |
Norio Yoshimoto
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Miyabi Koteyama | ... |
Miner 4
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Ryôji Sugimoto | ... |
Labour Division Staff 1
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Katsumi Takahashi | ... |
Seiji Kimura
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Shigeo Ôsako | ... |
Labour Division Staff 2
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Directed by
Sang-il Lee |
Written by
Sang-il Lee | ... | (written by) & |
Daisuke Habara | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
Yoshiaki Hosono | ... | executive producer |
Akira Inori | ... | line producer |
Hitomi Ishihara | ... | producer |
Hiroshi Kawai | ... | executive producer |
Bong-ou Lee | ... | executive producer |
Music by
Jake Shimabukuro |
Cinematography by
Hideo Yamamoto |
Editing by
Tsuyoshi Imai |
Production Design by
Yôhei Taneda | ... | (as Yohei Taneda) |
Art Direction by
Shinsuke Kojima |
Costume Design by
Kazumi Hoshino |
Sound Department
Mitsugu Shiratori | ... | sound |
Camera and Electrical Department
So Kanda | ... | camera operator |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Cathay-Keris Films (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
- Cine Quanon (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Cinequanon (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Panasia Films (2007) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
- Viz Pictures (2007) (United States) (theatrical) (subtitled)
- Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (2007) (Brazil)
- Asia Video Publishing Co. Ltd. (2007) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
- Asian Crush (2010) (United States)
- Celestial Pictures (2007) (Hong Kong)
- Digital Media Rights (2010) (United States)
- Fortissimo Films (2006) (World-wide)
- Group Power (2007) (Taiwan)
- Mediatres Estudio (2007) (Spain)
- Paris Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Viz Pictures (2008) (United States) (DVD) (subtitled)
- WOWOW (2007) (Japan) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Ibaraki Film Commission (film commission)
- Tokyo Laboratory Co. Ltd. (film processing)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
In 1965 the planned closing of a coal mine in Iwaki (northeastern Japan) will put 2,000 people out of work with devastating effects on the community. The mining company plans to build the Hawaiian Center to promote tourism, but the idea meets with resistance by the community's union families who boycott the effort. However, a few of the young women in Joban see the call for dancers to possibly provide a more promising future. Norio Yoshimoto is put in charge of organizing the center, with Madoka Hirayama, a professional dancer fleeing creditors in Tokyo hired to train the dancers. Kimiko, her friend Sanae, and Sayuri are amongst the handful first showing up for lessons but soon others join them. When Kimiko's mother, Chiyo, discovers that she has skipped school classes to learn dancing the two argue and Kimiko leaves home. Her brother Yojiro, one of the newly out of work miners, comes to be supportive of her dancing as he becomes protective of Madoka. The girls start to tour neighboring communities and dance to promote the center, getting more proficient in the process. After secretly seeing Kimiko practice, and how good she has become, Chiyo helps gather heaters to save palm trees imported from Taiwan from dying from the cold. Her change of heart as head of the union's woman's organization shifts the sympathies of the community as the opening of the center nears. Madoka has molded coal miner's daughters into professional dancers, and Kimiko performs a standout solo dance at the opening. Written by Brian Greenhalgh |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
Trivia | In September 2006, the film was selected as the official submission from Japan in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 2007 Oscars. See more » |