Futanogo – Covid-19 Short Movie

This "short-short" is a story that portrays a "thug" living through the pandemic, showing some funny moments of his daily life.

Director: Kan Yamamoto
Length: 04:25
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2020

Additional Info

Director Biography:

Kan Yamamoto is a film director based in Tokyo, Japan.

He began having interest in films at an early age, making his first short film when he was 17 with his twin brother who is an actor. To pursue his passion as a career, he entered Osaka University of Arts, majoring in films.

 

While studying, he actively continued to make independent films as well as directing music videos.

As a student, he directed the film “ゴロン、バタン、キュー・Goron, Batan, Kyu”, a film produced by Osaka University of Arts. The film won the Kodak Vision Award and other various awards from several film festivals in Japan such as the Tokyo Student Film Festival, Kyoto International Student Film Festival and the PIA Film Festival.

 

After graduating from university, he started working on a freelance basis while he began training himself in motion graphics. He worked with various clients including a major company like Yoshimoto Creative Agency.

 

In 2017 he relocated to Tokyo.

 

In 2018, he gets selected as one of the top five upcoming directors by NDJC’s New Filmmakers Nurturing Project, a project initiated by the Agency of Cultural Affairs. His 35mm film “うちうちの面達は・Uchi Uchi no Tsura Tachiwa” was screened in theaters in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

 

In 2019, with his new film “After One Night”, he competed in “Monocon 2019”, a “story entertainment platform” operated by Sony Music Entertainment. His film gained over 2 million views in just 2 months and won an award.

 

After being greatly affected by the pandemic that left him almost jobless, he bands with his two brothers, older brother who is a comedian and his twin brother who is an actor, to form a “brothers creator team” and founded FUTANOGO in May 2020. Together, they produced the “covid short movie series” and gained popularity on twitter.

 

In the same year in August, they produced their first short film, “Blackout”. The film won the Grand Prix Award at the Kyoto International Film Festival’s “Creators Factory 2020”. The film is currently also competing in the Clermont Ferrand Short Film Market Pick 2021 and the Irvine International Film Festival 2021.

 

He recently signed an artist contract with Japan’s StarDust Pictures as a film director.

Director Statement: The first State of Emergency in Tokyo, Japan was declared in March, 2020. Since then, everything has changed. The "battle" against an invisible enemy, the "fear" that urged people to keep distance from each other and the "new normal" that has changed how we live our daily lives have greatly impacted each and every one of us. That's no exception even for the "tough guys". Acting "tough" won't let you evade reality and the threats we live with. Even those thuggish tough guys are doing their best to survive by facing the challenges of this new world we now live in. While we live in fear and uncertainty, it's important to stay positive and keep a smile on your face . In moments like these, we find value and happiness in the smallest things that we used to take for granted. This "short-short" is a story that portrays such a "thug" living through the pandemic, showing some funny moments of his daily life. Remember.... Smile, Laugh, Enjoy life! "There's nothing more pure than a laugh of a thug" (*joke)

Cast: Kousuke Yamamoto, Shun Yamamoto