US Premiere!
A tale of love and heartbreak in the mountains of rural Japan, The Milk Woman centers on Minako, a 50-year-old spinster working two jobs: delivering milk and running a register at the local grocery. One of the fringe benefits of Minako’s milk route is the chance to see Keita, an old high school classmate for whom she has been carrying a secret torch for three decades. Keita’s time is divided between his functionary job with the local government and tending to his terminally ill wife Yoko. When Yoko’s concerns for her husband’s future happiness set the circumstances of life on a collision course with the intricacies of love, both Minako and Keita must face up to elements of themselves they never knew existed.

“A serene meditation on opportunities missed and options not taken.” – Variety

Akira Ogata, 47, received the Berlin Film Festival’s coveted Alfred Bauer award for his debut feature, 2000’s Boy’s Choir. He worked as an assistant director to legendary Japanese maverick Sogo Ishii in the ‘80s before branching out to direct more than 100 music videos. The Milk Woman, his second feature, was awarded the Jury Prize at the 2005 Montreal Film Festival.

Producers: Motohiro Hatanaka, Shiro Oiwake Screenwriter: Kenji Aoki Cinematographer: Norimichi Kasamatsu Music: Shinichirô Ikebe Cast: Yuko Tanaka, Ittoku Kishibe, Akiko Nishina, Koichi Ueda, Teruyuki Kagawa, Misako Watanabe