III edition
The Krzysztof Kieślowski ScripTeast Award 2009
THE JAPANESE DOG
Title | THE JAPANESE DOG |
Original title | “Cainele japonez” |
Year of production | 2013 |
Country | Romania |
Scriptwriter | Ioan Antoci, Tudor Cristian Jurgiu |
Director | Tudor Cristian Jurgiu |
ScripTeast Edition | III |
Creative Advisors | Michael Tylor |
Head of Studies | Christian Routh |
Krzysztof Kieślowski ScripTeast Award / Special Mention | Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award, Cannes 2009 |
Producers/co-producers/ funding / | Libra Film Production, with the support of the Romanian National Film Center, HBO Romania, Cityplex, Hai-Hui Entertainment and Media Programme. |
Sales agent | M-appeal |
Distributor | Transilvania Film |
Trailer | http://www.romania-insider.com/tudor-jurgius-the-japanese-dog-is-romanias-proposal-to-the-oscar-in-2015/129624/ |
Poster | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3223280/?ref_=ttspec_spec_tt |
Festivals/ awards/ cinema results | · Romanian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at 87th Academy Awards
· Gopos Award, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Gopo Awards Romania, 2014 · Competition 1-2 Award, Warsaw International Film Festival · Opened at Sans Sebastian Film Festival, 2013 · Nominations: Best Eastern European Film Award, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, 2014; Gopos Award, Best Feature Film, Gopo Awards Romania 2014; Gopos Award, Best First Feature Film, Gopo Awards Romania 2014; Gopos Award, Best Art Direction, Gopo Awards Romania 2014
|
Synopsis | An elderly farmer, played by Victor Rebengiuc, has lost his wife in a flood. He has kept his wife’s death hidden from their son, but his son discovers the truth anyway and rushes home to visit his father. Accompanying the son are his Japanese wife and their seven-year old child. The farmer and his son become closer in the days that follow. However, sadness returns when they must part |
Full Credits | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3223280/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 |
Link to the project – archive | http://scripteast.pl/japanese-dog/ |
Old timer Costache Moldu’s inner turmoil is the result of his wife Maria’s demise in the floods, which dealt a merciless blow to the village of his birth, and of the absence of his only son, Ticu, who has settled down somewhere in Japan.
His monotonous existence in a destitute home lacks aspirations and futile wishes. And the behavior of his neighbors and acquaintances feeds the stoicism he adopts in dealing with his problems. The only luxury he would like to benefit from is to be connected to the power system.
His dream is about to become reality, when, during an electoral visit, the mayor assures him that, from now on, he will no longer live in the dark. Moreover, it seems that Costache’s son is about to return home after more than twenty years. The news deeply affects the old father, who is overwhelmed by the impeding reunion.
Ticu’s arrival, however, surpasses any expectation, as he returns accompanied by a lovely Japanese woman, Hiroku, and two children, Mieko-Maria and Koji-Paul.
The Japanese-style lunch and the aged Romanian wine bring the five members of the Moldu family together, reunited in sublime and quiet harmony, an unfortunately transient paradise.
Costache and Ticu have twenty years of silence to work through and the reconciliation does not come easily. They both come up with different solutions. Costache wants his son by his side, in Romania, while Ticu wishes his father would follow him to Japan. And their separation is looming. In the final moment, after the embraces and the farewells, Koji-Paul, the grandson, offers Costache his favorite toy, a Robodog, from which he had never parted.
The story ends with the image of the old man “having a conversation” with the Japanese Robodog, trying to understand how this peaceful clash of civilizations will change his life.
Romania
Ioan Antoci
At the age of four years old, the music was my life and I played the piano.
Later I discovered that the entire world has a dimension, a spiritual dimension, a very important thing to us. So, I have chosen priesthood for helping the lost souls.
For many years I studied theology and now I am at Ph.D..
Recently, my passion (the movies) drove me into a world where I realized that a good story, no matter if it’s real or imaginary, can change one life. 6 months ago I have received a prize for my first screenplay for feature film. The competition was organized by HBO Romania. I realized then that for my fulfillment, my story must say something meaningful to the other people.
The participation at ScripTeast is for me an opportunity to test the universality of my story.
Udayan Prasad
“ScripTeast is the programme all the advisors wish they could have attended at the start of their careers. It would have saved all that stumbling around in the dark looking for the key that stimulates the imagination so much more effectively.”
BAFTA nominated, director of “My Son the Fanatic”, “The Yellow Hankerchief” and ”Opa!”, 5th edition ScripTeast creative advisor, UK
Tom Abrams
“ScripTeast’s top-notch team of professional advisors, each year’s talented group of participants, and venues in Poland, Germany and France continue to make it the very best development workshop in the world today.”
ScripTeast Head of Studies, Associate Professor – Screenwriting and Production at School of Cinematic Arts, USC, screenwriter and director, author of the script for the Oscar-nominated film “Shoeshine”, USA
Scott Alexander
“ScripTeast is a fascinating mix of cultures, political ideas, and voices. I learned a lot, and I think the participants learned a lot more. If only they served vodka!”
Golden Globe awarded author of “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “Ed Wood” with two Oscars, 5th edition ScripTeast creative advisor, USA