[1999]

Bicycles

(“Jitensha”)
Director: KOBAYASHI Shigeru

1999 Japanese Subtitled in English Color 16mm 30 min

Production Company: After School Production Committee
Producer: KOBAYASHI Shigeru
Photography: KOBAYASHI Shigeru
Editing: KOBAYASHI Shigeru
Music: Pore Pore Jinbe-tai, Tau
Sound: KUBOTA Yukio
  International Sales: After School Production Committee
c/o Tsubasa Club, 18-10-47, 4jo, Tsukisamu-higashi, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-0054 JAPAN
Phone: 81-11-855-7388
Fax: 81-11-855-7388
E-mail: tsubame@kodomonosora.office.ne.jp
URL: www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~sb0845/kodomo/

English subtitled VHS available for sale (Iwanami Eizo, Fax: 81-3-5689-2685, E-mail: iwanami@iw-eizo.co.jp

[Festivals and prizes] Short Film Festival of IYCS Tehran ’99, Yamagata IDFF ’99, Taiwan Doc Fest 2000

[Synopsis] Moving travelogue of children on their first major biking tour, with glowing faces.
The children of Tsubasa Club go on a bicycle tour around Hokkaido during their summer vacation. The faces of twelve sixth-graders in close-up are intent as they ride their bikes in total concentration. They learn that weather and their own health as well as the condition of others must be taken into consideration in their daily biking. A look at the challenges a diverse community must face in working together. Sequel to After School.


KOBAYASHI Shigeru

Born in 1954 in Niigata Prefecture. After working as assistant director to documentary filmmaker Yanagisawa Hisao, he was cameraman for Living on the River Agano in 1992, for which he was awarded by the Japanese Society of Cinematographers. As cinematographer, he has worked with Tokieda Toshie on Nomin to Tomoni and Chiiki o Tsumugu. Publications include a book of his photography. After School is his first film. Bicycles is its sequel. He is now preparing the third film of this trilogy about Tsubasa Club.


KOBAYASHI Shigeru | After School | Bicycles | Children in the Cosmos | And Life Goes On