IDOL / JAPAN / SOUTHERN U.S. PREMIERE

Single mother Miyabi relies on her child idol daughter Kasumi as their only source of income and ticket to future financial stability. When Kasumi is replaced in the group by a more popular girl, Miyabi must ensure she gets her daughter back in the lineup.

Japanese with English subtitles.

Cast: Ryoka Neya, Miyu Sasak,i Sawa Takahashi, Akira Takanohashi, Yui Matsuura, Yuki Mayama, airi, Aoi Obata, Miyu Sakuraba, Aira Fukuda, Miho Oshita, Aimi Serizawa.

Director Biography

Ryushi Lindsay, a COTB alum, is an Anglo-Japanese filmmaker based in Tokyo.

Director Statement

I was drawn to this story by two main sources - one an AFP article about Tokyo child idol clubs where middle-aged men fan over performing girls as young as six, and the second stories I read about families who go into extreme debt to fund their children's performing careers, putting all their eggs into the one basket of their children becoming stars.

I do not see Miyabi as an evil character. She is just a mother put in a desperate situation by an uncaring society without a safety net. With this film I wish to tell a story about an ordinary person whose socio-economic situation forces them to make some bad choices.

The film was shot on location in the Tokyo suburbs over three days, with a crew consisting of Japanese and Japan-based international staff.