Kontora

2021

Japan Cuts - WINNER Obayashi Prize

Skip City International D-Cinema Festival

Japannual

Osaka Asian Film Festival

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival - WINNER Grand Prix Best Film

Glasgow Film Festival

A headstrong teenage Sora, living with her emotionally distant father, follows her late grandfather’s WWII diary and embarks on a search for a mysterious trove in the wilderness of her hometown. Meanwhile, a strange man wanders into town who is unable or unwilling to speak, and only walks backward. Sora quickly draws to the man who may be an unlikely catalyst in both her quest for treasure and the remedy for her strained family. Anshul Chauhan’s sophomore feature is a masterfully layered, poetic portrait of healing and self-exploration.
( 144 min. )
Available in US, Canada

▷About the Filmmaker - Learn more about the director Anshul Chauhan

▷Send Message to the Filmmaker - Share your thoughts of the film!

Director

Anshul Chauhan

Cast

Wan Marui, Hidemasa Mase

Despite its minimal budget, Kontora delivers high-gloss monochrome visuals, strong performances and a layered narrative that wavers between past and present, realism and magical realism, straight family drama and poetic allegory. ... Kontora is never less than absorbing.

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Despite the arty shopfront, KONTORA is an extremely traditional narrative of familial angst, sins of the past, and a youth’s search for identity. ... From the opening shot of Anshul Chauhan’s KONTORA, crisply shot with Maxim Golomidov’s sumptuous photography, it’s hard not to be captivated by this elegant and mystical spin on the coming-of-age narrative.

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Bonus Content

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FEATURETTE [Available with rental/purchase]

10m

A beautiful montage of behind-the-scene videos and pictures with the original score from the film.

DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY [Available with rental/purchase]

18m

The director Anshul Chauhan shares behind-the-scenes of this unique film’s setting, what inspired him to make the film, and how his 9-day production unfolded.

Director's Note

I made "Kontora" while still working in the animation industry, making it a quick production. Despite the speed, we had a passionate small team that took time off from their jobs to collaborate on the film. My main goal was to connect the two significant parts of my life: my military background and my art background. Additionally, feeling that my grandma might pass away soon, I wanted to dedicate something special to her. She used to share stories of my grandfather from the war, which inspired the film. Initially, I hesitated to make this personal film in Japan. However, after learning about similar news of excavations from Tokyo after the war, I realized it could work. Despite my naivety in wanting to release "Kontora" on YouTube due to a lack of knowledge about theater releases, we were fortunate to start winning awards in many festivals, completely changing our trajectory. Looking back at November 2018 when we were shooting "Kontora," it was a pure filmmaking experience. I hope that through SAKKA, "Kontora" reaches more people, and I sincerely hope everyone enjoys the film.

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