LOGLINE
Leaders around the world are fond of “X First” slogans.
But who really comes first when it’s time to make a decision?
SHORT SYNOPSIS
There are many small towns in Japan in difficult financial situations.
Faced with an urgent need to rebuild their economy, Kiryu is the perfect example.
A hero appears from Tokyo to solve the crisis.
But all is not as it seems, and our hero faces powerful opposition among the people he is trying to help. Who is really pulling the strings?
LONG SYNOPSIS
Behind every meeting in Japan, there is an underbelly of “unspoken agreements.”
About an hour by car from Tokyo, there is a little town called Kiryu.
Our hero, a man who once made advertisements for a living, is hired by Kiryu for the skills a man of his background possesses.
“Will you come up with a plan to revive the town?”
The man conducts a local investigation, identifies problem points, and comes up with a solution.
A plan is constructed, and at last, it is the day of the first tentative plan presentation.
In the Japanese business world, the fact is that success or failure in a presentation is often determined ahead of time,
by “laying the necessary groundwork.”
Despite a meeting’s importance, often the actual decision-makers themselves are not in attendance.
When matters outside the limited scope of the story come up, meetings often end with “we’ll have to sleep on it and reconsider.”
Generally in Japanese business, decision-making is avoided at the actual meeting.
Is it possible for our man to weather the storm of this risk-averse Japanese presentation culture and achieve success?
A former AD man with a plan Takuya Fujisaki
Ailing shopping district chairman Shigeru Nakane
Understaffed nursing home representative Kaori Inoue
Understaffed nursery school teachers Yoko Kakegawa Miyu Kanda
Housewife and mom with parents in need of care Rena (ex.Vanilla Beans)
A long-established restaurant owner Risa Itoi
Local high school girl with chairman's daughter Aoi Sato
Worried municipal hospital manager Noriko Iwasaki
Carefree municipal hospital president Keiji Miyazaki
Timid city hall manager Daisuke Miyachi
Loyal deputy mayor Satoru Kamata
Clueless top brass Kenichi Tamai
Shinshuku Girls、 Numataya Boys、Eikun People in Kiryu City
Isao Furugori
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Planning, Screenplay, Direction, Editing, MA, Promotion: Isao Furugori
Based in Tokyo, mainly involved in planning, directing, and editing commercials.
Past clients include Sony, Toyota, P&G, Honda, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Nestle… With a record that includes numerous car commercials, I’m also a bit of a grease monkey and used to own a Mazda FC3S with circuit specs. Majored in Business Administration at Yokohama National University, where I studied conflicts caused by the progress of structured society. The short film “First” is my film directing debut.
Kiryu JC/TFC/OND°
Producer/Masakatsu Kasai Satoshi Oshima Daiji Yoshida Kiryu JC Nobumichi Asai
Production Manager/Takeshi Shimojo Moe Nishino
Assistant Director/Hirobumi Ichihara
Director of Photography/Ryuji Sanui Sakiko Shimizu
Assistant Cam/Shu Hagiwara Yoshihiro Okayama
Stylist/Sachiyo Yokomizo
Hair Makeup/Yuka Fujigaki
Sound/Ryuji Sanagi
Music/Joji Kano
Car Driver/Masaki Nimura Tetsuki Oka
Translation/Cooper.A Naganihhi Hiroyo Ota Andrew Houston
Director Screenplay Advertising/Isao Furugori
Award history
The Gulf of Naples Independent Film Festival
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
Reale film festival
Montreal Independent Film Festival
Venice Shorts
INDIE SHORTS AWARDS SEOUL
Flixze Film Festival
Chicago Indie Film Awards
New Wave Short Film Festival
New York Tri-State International Film Festival
Screen Power Film Festival
Royal Wolf Film Awards
Roma Short Film Festival
Tokyo International Short Film Festival
New Wave Short Film Festival
GIMFA - Gralha International Monthly Film Awards- Best Short Film Director
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles
Seoul International Short Film Festival
4th Dimension Independent Film Festival
New Year Film Festival
Paris International Short Festival
Indian Indie Awards
Berlin Shorts Award
The Gladiator Film Festival
BIMIFF - Brazil International Monthly Independent Film Festival
Garoa Awards - Monthly Short Film Festival of São Paulo
