What the Snow Brings (雪に願うこと, Yuki ni Negau Koto) is a 2005 Japanese drama film directed by Kichitaro Negishi and based on a novel by Shō Narumi.
Contents
Synopsis
Manabu Yazaki had left his family's home in Hokkaidō years before to go to Tokyo to earn a degree, start a company and get married. Now, divorced and pursued by creditors, he returns to his home and the family he has ignored for so many years. He loses the last of his money on a ban'ei horse race, a local sport where huge draft horses compete while pulling sleighs. Now broke, Manabu finds a job at the stable run by his brother Takeo. There he meets two women, Haruko, who helps Takeo run the stable, and Makie, the jockey who seems to have lost her touch. He also finds Unryu at the stable, the horse that cost him his money at the ban'ei, and who may be heading for the slaughterhouse.
Cast
Yūsuke Iseya as Manabu Yazaki
Kōichi Satō as Takeo Yazaki
Kyōko Koizumi as Haruko Tanaka
Kazue Fukiishi as Makie Shudo
Teruyuki Kagawa as Ogasawara
Kippei Shiina (椎名桔平) as Kurokawa
Yukiyoshi Ozawa (小澤征悦) as Sutō
Masahiko Tsugawa as Ozeki
Denden (でんでん) as Tamotsu Fujimaki
Hiroshi Yamamoto (山本浩司) as Tetsuo Kato
Release
What the Snow Brings played at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2005 and was released theatrically in Japan on May 20, 2006. In September 2007, it had a showing at the 2007 Raindance Film Festival.
Awards
18th Tokyo International Film Festival
Won: Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix
Won: Audience Award
Won: Best Director – Kichitaro Negishi
Won: Best Actor: – Kōichi Satō
28th Yokohama Film Festival
Won: Best Supporting Actress – Kazue Fukiishi
31st Hochi Film Awards
Won: Best Director – Kichitaro Negishi
2006 JRA Award
Won: JRA Equine Cultural Award - Be WILD