The premire of the film ‘A Girl Named Ann,’ along with a completion commemoration stage greeting, scheduled to be released on June 7th (Friday), was held on May 8th (Wednesday) at the Iino Hall in Uchisaiwaicho, Tokyo.
The film is a human drama inspired by a real-life incident that occurred in Japan in the year 2020. Yuumi Kawai, who plays Ann, the main character who has struggled in her life since childhood when her mother beat her and forced her into prostitution in her mid-teens, Jiro Sato, who plays Tatara, a detective who tries to save Ann, Goro Inagaki, who plays Kirino, a weekly magazine reporter who is covering the case based on leaks related to Tatara, and director Yu Irie The director of the film, Yu Irie, also took the stage.
The film is a human drama based on a real-life incident that occurred in Japan in 2020. At the event, Yuumi Kawai, who plays the main character Ann, who has struggled in her life since she was a child, beaten by her mother, and forced into prostitution in her mid-teens, Jiro Sato, who plays Tatara, a detective who tries to save Ann, Goro Inagaki, who plays Kirino, a reporter for a weekly magazine who is covering the case based on a leak related to Tatara, and director Yu Irie director Yu Irie, took the stage.
Kawai greeted the first screening of the film with emotion, saying, “The warm applause from the audience made me realize that this film, which was shot a year and a half ago, has reached you all. Since the story is based on a true story, he said, “The fact that it is a story about a real person was a big part of me until the very end. I thought it was something that could only be done by touching it carefully with strong feelings, and from the script, I received a kind of ‘chi’ that Irie-san wrote with the same feelings and determination.
Sato recalled his role as a serious one, saying, “During the filming, I kept in mind consistently throughout that Tadara’s feeling of saving the unfortunate girl was serious,” while Inagaki said, “Neither Jiro here, nor Kawai, nor Goro are on screen! and testified that they each lived the character they were given. Sato responded, “That’s a good point, Goro! Inagaki added, “If the audience is prepared to see the film with that in mind, it will be a success.
Inagaki said, “I was so shocked when I read the script that I felt like my heart was going to burst. This story is exactly about An, but it could actually happen to any of us. Through this film, I really felt the need to create a world that reaches out to people in such times of despair.
This is the first time Irie has worked on a story inspired by a true story. He said, “The model for Ann is 20 years old. I thought that if an old man like me depicted it from the perspective of someone who understood it, it would only be a painful film, so I left a lot of the details about Ann to Kawai. The same goes for Mr. Jiro and Mr. Inagaki. Everyone resonated with the script, so I had the sense that they were looking forward to seeing how I would play the role,” he said behind the scenes.
Kawai looked back on the filming period and said, “I remember we were shooting in a friendly atmosphere during the shoot, but when I talked to the two of you today, I realized that we didn’t have such pleasant conversations. Sato said sincerely, “The Yuumi Kawai I met today looked cheerful, so I think she was carrying Ann on her back on the set a year and a half ago,” and Inagaki recalled Kawai’s enthusiastic performance, saying, “It’s only natural, isn’t it?” and also praised him for it.
In response, Kawai said of Anne, “It has been and will continue to be a special role for me. I believe that the experience of working on this film will be a source of sustenance and support for me in the many things that will happen in my life in the future.
Sato also mentioned the scene under the elevated railway tracks with Kawai as a memorable scene. Before they started shooting the scene, Sato said Kawai held both of his hands as if they were wrapped around each other. The reason for this was that he wanted to feel the body warmth of Sato, his partner, before the important scene. To this Sato replied, “If a junior actor does this to me, I wanted to make it a good scene because I knew I couldn’t miss this scene. In a way, I am more grateful to her than she is to me.
Inagaki was also moved by this episode, but Kawai appealed to the audience, “If I tell you too much, you will think about it and watch the movie, so please forget! Please forget about ! Hearing this, Sato apologized flatly and Inagaki said, “I’m sorry! We were ‘inappropriate’!” Inagaki apologized, referring to the drama in which Kawai appeared, “There’s no limit to inappropriateness! Inagaki apologized, referring to the drama in which Kawai appeared, “It’s not even inappropriate! I used it! The audience laughed out loud when Inagaki confessed that he had used the word “inappropriate” in the drama in which Kawai appeared.
During the stage greeting, the cast talked about “life-changing encounters that changed their destinies” in reference to the film’s content. Kawai cited his first independent film, in which he was invited by chance via DM on the day he decided to become an actor, while Sato declared, “My wife! and he showed a look of a loving wife. Inagaki said, “I have been in the industry since I was in the second year of junior high school, so I have been a member of this group with them for a long time. Although the group has disbanded, I’ve been working with Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Katori Shingo, which is great because we’ve been together for over 30 years. I am very grateful for that,” he said, describing the members and fans as people with whom he was destined to meet. Director Irie mentioned the name of Mizue Kunizane, whom he met when he was 29 years old and who is also involved in the film as a producer.
Finally, Kawai, who plays the lead role, said, “We all cared about this film and made it seriously. I hope you will take home with you what you received and thought about through this film.
A Girl Named Ann
Cast: Yuumi Kawai, Jiro Sato, Goro Inagaki, Aoba Kawai, Yuriko Hirooka, Akari Hayami
Director/Screenplay: Yu Irie
Production: Kinoshita Group, Dongyu Club Production Production: Cogito Works Distribution: Kino Films © 2023 “ANNOKOTO” Production Committee
Official Website: annokoto.jp Official X: @annokoto_movie
