Japanese Film Festival 2021 - The Voices in the Wind

The Embassy of Japan, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation, is very pleased to announce the return of the Japanese Film Festival to Wellington!

The Japanese Film Festival is an annual event held to encourage the growth of Japanese culture and understanding in New Zealand. Each year, we try to give the people of New Zealand some insight into the culture, customs, and traditions of Japan, alongside what is popular with Japanese society today, through film.

All films will be in Japanese with English subtitles.

Title: The Voices in the Wind
Director: Nobuhiro Suwa
Released: 2019
Running Time: 139 minutes
Rated: M

After losing her family in the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster, Haru moved to Hiroshima to live with her aunt Hiroko. When her aunt falls ill and is in the hospital, Haru decides to travel in the direction of home. Haru heads towards her hometown, making connections with several people along the way. Upon arriving home, she hears that there is a phone booth people call the “Wind Phone”, close by. It’s not hooked up to any phone lines, but people use the phone to communicate with the loved ones they have lost. Haru goes toward her final stop, as if she has been guided there her entire journey. Inspired by the existing “wind phone” in Japan’s Iwate prefecture, which was opened to the public for people to find closure after the disaster.

Embassy of Japan in New Zealand.