"(Returning to Hiroshima) eight years later, you can’t see much of the (storm) damage, it has been rebuilt. But people’s feelings have not been fixed. Because you can’t see these on the surface, it is even more important that it is portrayed.” Nobuhiro Suwa

Inspired by real life events, Nobuhiro Suwa's Voices in the Wind features some of Japanese cinema’s finest, including Tomokazu Miura and Toshiyuki Nishida.

Eight years after the Great East Japan Earthquake that killed her family, 17-year-old Haru (Serena Motola) silently embarks on a 1,300 km solo hitchhiking journey to her hometown of Otsuchi, where her family died. Guided by an unseen force, will the journey help heal her pain?

Nobuhiro Suwa's Kaze no Denwa (Voices in the Wind) is his first film in Japan in 18 years, based on a real non-functioning phone in the coastal town of Otsuchi that allows people to "call" deceased loved ones and find closure.

The UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2024, returns to Watershed with its biggest showcase ever, another exciting lineup showcasing the versatility and uniqueness of Japanese cinema. This year's theme is Unforgettable: Memories, Times and Reflections in Japanese Cinema.

---