Desert of Namibia

Namibia No Sabaku

Director: Yoko Yamanaka
Country: Japan

2024 | 137 min. | Japanese
Subtitles: German, English
FSK | Nicht geprüft / No clearance

Cast_ Yuumi Kawai, Daichi Kaneko, Kanichiro, Yuzumi Shintani, Keisuke Horibe Screenplay_ Yoko Yamanaka Camera_ Shin Yonekura Producer_ Keisuke Konishi, Shinji Ogawa, Masafumi Yamada, Tokushi Suzuki Rights_ Happinet Phantom Studios

A radical portrait of a fascinating young woman in claustrophobic Tokyo. Intense cinema of the body about Japan’s Generation Z.

Nothing gives 21-year-old Kana (Yūmi Kawai) lasting satisfaction or even stability – neither her job at the beauty salon, nor her relationship with the loving Honda. Her entire existence is a silent, stifled cry against conformity. Only an affair with the free-spirited artist Hayashi seems to finally bring some change to her dreary life. But the relationship soon becomes toxic.

A fresh, initially tentative self-portrait of urban Gen Z that gives way to increasingly haunting emotions. Brimming with visual fantasy, it takes us on a journey through Tokyo while painting an authentic and penetrating picture of its unusual protagonist.

Director

Yōko Yamanaka is from Nagano and shot her debut feature ›Amiko‹ (2017) as a teenager. It screened in the Forum section of the Berlinale, making her the youngest female director in the festival’s history. ›Desert of Namibia‹ celebrated its world premiere at Cannes in the Quinzaine des cinéastes section, where it won the film critics’ award.

Trailer

Screenings

  • AvailableTuesday 12.11.202417:30with GuestsMannheimMACinema Quadrat
  • AvailableSaturday 16.11.202414:30MannheimMACinema Quadrat
  • Only a few tickets left!Saturday 16.11.202421:00HeidelbergHDKarlstorkino