Q&A with director Yutaka Tsunemachi and Columbia College Associate Professor Ron Falzone

DRIFTING FLOWERS, FLOWING DAYS (Yutaka Tsunemachi, 2022, 85 min, DCP, Japan)

Please note early start time of 5:30 PM

DRIFTING FLOWERS, FLOWING DAYS, Japanese director Yutaka Tsunemachi’s first feature film, aims to capture the reality of the contemporary young generation in Japan, one in which a mundane daily existence and uncertainty about what lies ahead has the film’s trio of protagonists drifting through life rather than living it fully. The film follows the daily lives of Hiroto, Futaba, and Daigo, three friends in Tokyo. Hiroto works at a construction site, Futaba at a flower shop, and Daigo in a design studio. Things gradually begin to change when they start questioning the here and now and contemplating what’s next. When Hiroto and Futaba learn they must move out of their apartment because it will be torn down, more doubts arise than just where to search for a new place. What will the future be like?

Yutaka Tsunemachii was born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1997. He studied drama at Tama Art University and also entered The Film School of Tokyo when he was a sophomore student. His first short film NAMIGIWA, completed as part of the elementary course at the film school, was selected for many film festivals in Japan and won five prizes, including the Best Film Award at the Yokohama Independent Film Festival. DRIFTING FLOWERS, FLOWING DAYS is his debut feature film.

Ron Falzone is an award-winning screenwriter and associate professor in Directing and Cinema Studies in Cinema and Television Arts at Columbia College Chicago.

Asian Pop-Up Cinema at the Block Museum

Asian Pop-Up Cinema, founded in 2015, is an annual Asian Film Festival dedicated to “bridging east and west through cinema.”

In collaboration with the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, Asian Pop-Up Cinema brings four films from China, India, Japan, and South Korea respectively to Block Cinema. This new program features films reflecting on contemporary social issues and fostering a shared appreciation for Asian art and culture.

This initiative is made possible through the generous support of Northwestern University’s Block Museum of the Art, Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, WCAS Language Resource Center, the Council on Language Instruction, as well as the Simeon Leland Forum.

Ticketing Note from Asian Pop-Up Cinema: For free screening ticket holders, seats on the day of the screening are subject to availability on a first-come, first-serve basis. Any unclaimed seats will be released 15 minutes prior to showtime.

RSVP THROUGH ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asian-pop-up-cinema-at-the-block-museum-drifting-flowers-flowing-days-tickets-853283432717?aff=oddtdtcreator?_eboga=false

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Tags: Asian Pop-Up Cinema, Block Museum, DRIFTING FLOWERS FLOWING DAYS, Evanston, Kresge Hall, Northwestern, Northwestern University, Ron Falzone, Yutaka Tsunemachi