2010 Sunset Cinema Series – Departures (Japan)

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Departures (Japan, 2008)
Running Time: 131 Minutes

Freshly unemployed, young cellist Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) has an epiphany in which he realizes he’s been heading down the wrong career path. Retreating to his hometown, he trains for a new professional role as a nakanshi, or one who prepares the dead for burial. Tsutomu Yamazaki provides comic relief as Daigo’s eccentric mentor in director Yojiro Takita’s Oscar-winning, richly detailed — if unlikely — drama about finding your bliss.

Workshop Instructor: Vinit Parmar
Workshop Coordinator: Antony Wong
Technical Assistance: William Tam, Zhu-Hui Wu

Author Bio

Vinit Parmar is a documentary filmmaker who has fought for the underdog to tell stories all over the world, such as impoverished Indian villagers finding renewable solutions to save their island Quest for Energy (2012), or children of war seeking refuge in Berlin (We Stay Here, 2021), investigating why the holiest river in India is the most polluted, and (Mosaik, 2026) finding home with a pseudo-mother at their German shelter. He left a career as a lawyer in New York State to teach filmmaking, and currently an Associate Professor at Brooklyn College/CUNY. He recently finished his first film Down The Line (2024) made in America with Steve Kim, his best friend in high school.