The world premiere screening of the film, “When the Island Floats” took place at Edion Kamiyacho Hall on Friday, November 28th, starting at 2:15 PM. Set in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, this film tenderly portrays Mikio (Mr. Shinji Matsubayashi), the former manager of a closed movie theater, and Nobuhiro (Doronz Ishimoto), his childhood friend who has struggled to face his father’s dementia. Together, they confront their roots back in their hometown.
The film was directed by Mr. Ryo Katayama. Director Katayama is an up-and-coming director who gained attention when his debut feature film, “Roar” was officially selected for the NEXT Generation section at JAPANCUTS, North America’s largest Japanese film festival, and also selected for the Brigadoon Section at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. He was also featured in Weekly Bunshun CINEMA as one of the most promising directors, generating significant anticipation for this film.
Following the screening, the lead actors who had watched the film in the audience— Mr. Shinji Matsubayashi, Mr. Doronz Ishimoto, Ms. Hinako Saeki, Mr. Nobuto Okamoato, and Mr. Ryo Shinoda—took the stage, receiving warm applause from the audience. Film commentator Ms. Yukiko Suzuki served as the interviewer, and the talk unfolded in a consistently friendly atmosphere.
When asked about challenging scenes during filming, Ms. Saeki shared, “Because I am from the Kanto region, I was worried about whether I could get the intonation of the regional dialects specific to places like Yamaguchi and Hiroshima right.” In response, Mr. Okamoto, who is from Hagi City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, praised her, saying, “You were perfect during the actual shoot. You were amazing,” bringing smiles to the audience.
Regarding the inspiration for the film, Mr. Matsubayashi revealed, “I’ve served as Iwakuni City’s tourism ambassador since 2020, and I wanted to share the beauty of Iwakuni’s cityscape and its people through film.” Director Katayama shared the sentiment behind the project, stating, “We made this film driven by the desire to preserve the scenes of Kabuto Island that Mr. Matsubayashi saw in his childhood and the changing landscapes around Iwakuni Station.”
Finally, Director Katayama stated, “It was truly a pleasure to record the moment the film moved at Iwakuni’s last film theater.” Mr. Matsubayashi expressed his gratitude, saying, “We’ve come this far thanks to the support of so many people.” Mr. Okamoto sent a message: “We hope many people will watch this and come visit Iwakuni.”
The venue was enveloped in a warm, friendly atmosphere, and the screening and stage greeting concluded to great acclaim.