BONFIRE AT DAWN
Japan, 2019 - 72’
Direction: Koichi Doi / Screenplay: Koichi Doi / Producer: Kentaro Murayama / Cast: Raiju Kamata, Motonari Okura, Yasunari Okura, Akira Sakata / Music: Manabu Sakata / Cinematography: Osame Maruike / Editing: Koichi Doi
One winter, traditional stage star Motonari Okura and his son, Yasunari, head off to undertake training in an isolated mountain resort. The Okura family has 650 years of history as performers of Japan’s traditional stage art, Kyogen. When he was a boy, Motonari used to train and rehearse in the mountains with his father and elder brother. This is the first time Motonari has brought his beloved son Yasunari and he is determined to get the boy accustomed to the strict regime which includes rehearsing and cleaning.
Yasunari, is bewildered and hurt by his father’s severe attitude and at times he almost gives up on training.
Doi Koichi was born in Yokohama in 1978. After graduating from Tama Art University in Tokyo, he worked as an associate director for Seiichi Motohashi, a documentary film-maker known for "Nadja’s Village" and "Alexei and the Spring", the works about the people living in an area which was affected by the Chernobyl accident.
Koichi has been working as a director at Sakura Motion Picture Co., Ltd. since 2009. The 41-year-old director produced many works including TV programs, commercials, and promotional videos.
