KimStim has announced the acquisition of North American rights to Yui Kiyohara’s “Remembering Every Night.”
“We were struck by how much this deceptively simple and delicate film could be so mesmerizing, humorous, and moving. It clearly demonstrates that Yui Kiyohara is one of Japanese cinema’s rising stars,” stated by KimStim co-founder Mika Kimoto.
Kimoto negotiated the deal with Chinese sales company Parallax Films’s co-founder and head of international sales Cao Liuying.
Liuying speaking to Screen for the film’s Berlinale bow adds: “It’s our goal to work with talents beyond the Chinese-speaking territories. “Remembering Every Night“ will be our attempt to further explore our pan-Asian collaboration.”
“Remembering Every Night“ was produced and supported by Japan’s Pia Film Festival and its PFF Scholarship for young filmmakers. Kiyohara’s “Our House“ won the grand prize at Pia in 2017 and the best director award at Shanghai’s Asian New Talents competition in 2018.
Enfolding on a summer day in the overgrown leafy environs of once hopeful Tokyo satellite city Tama New Town, “Remembering Every Night“ stars Kumi Hyodo, Minami Ohba and Ai Mikami.
A film that moves on the rhythms of a gentle breeze, Yui Kiyohara’s follow-up to her acclaimed “Our House“ is an evocatively quotidian film that’s as mysterious and beautiful as everyday life itself. Kiyohara immerses viewers in the quiet pursuits of several women, including a wandering university student, a helpful neighborhood meter reader, and a middle-aged gentle soul seeking employment but finding herself agreeably lost instead.
Their paths converge or just miss one another over the course of a single sunny afternoon, captured by Kiyohara with calming long takes and the occasional drifting camera that seems to have a perspective all its own.
“Combines delicate human drama, mesmerising imagery and a reflection on personal and social history… “Remembering Every Night“ is further proof of Kiyohara’s standing as a stellar auteur for the future, as she keeps her directorial eye on leavening the past. -The Film Verdict
KimStim is a Brooklyn-based, full-service distribution company that releases exceptional independent, foreign, and documentary films. Founded in 2000 by Mika Kimoto and Ian Stimler, KimStim brings to US and North American audiences selected films from around the world gleaned from the most prestigious film festivals and include top prize winners from Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, and Tribeca. Recent releases include Japan’s 2023 Oscar submission “PLAN 75,” the Berlin competition film “THE PASSENGERS OF THE NIGHT” starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Norway’s 2021 Oscar Shortlisted film for Best Foreign language film “HOPE” starring Stellan Skarsgård.
Yui Kiyohara was Born in Tokyo in 1992. Kiyohara completed a master’s program in Directing at the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts.
“Our House“ was her graduation project and her first feature film. “Remembering Every Night“ is her second feature, and second film to premiere at Berlinale.
The U.S release starts with Sept. 15th at Film at Lincoln Center.