115 minutes, Japan, 2023
Directed by Cony Shun
Theater screening on Saturday, September 14 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hang On to the Dream Theatre. Cast Nozomi Kojima and Shun Shioya, and director in person.
Online screening available from Sep. 1, 12:00 a.m. through Sep. 16, 12:00 a.m.
Who’s Dancing Now?
Baba Koichi (49) is the head of the design department at a construction company and has just transferred to Tokyo from Kagoshima. He has little regard for his family and constantly quarrels with his wife and daughter. At work, he acts selfishly and is viewed with contempt by those around him.
One day, Koichi is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but he cannot accept it and is left alone. On the recommendation of his doctor, Koichi starts attending PD SMILE, a rehabilitation facility for Parkinson’s disease. However, being an introvert, Koichi struggles to communicate with his peers at the facility.
Gradually, he begins to come out of his shell and faces his Parkinson’s disease positively through his first dance experience at PD SMILE and an encounter with a photographer he admires, whom he falsely claims to be. The medication that had been ineffective starts to work, and he begins to bond with his subordinates at work after confiding in them about his Parkinson’s disease, which improves his isolated situation.
At his estranged wife’s dance contest, Koichi showcases the dance he has been practicing with great dedication in front of a large audience. Koichi’s wife and daughter are moved by his significant change, and the family relationship is restored.
Lead Character: Ryoichi Higuchi as Koichi Baba
Higuchi is a singer-songwriter. Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, he made his debut in 1993 with Even Now for Toshiba EMI. Although an indie release, 1/6 no Yume Tabibito 2002 sold 150,000 CDs, and Letter – Dear Children became a hit, selling over 160,000 copies.
While working as a performing artist, he has also provided songs for SMAP, Hiromi Go, Sayuri Ishikawa, and Mika Nakajima, among others.
Around the time his best-known song Letter was gaining wide recognition, he began experiencing physical issues, such as difficulty playing the guitar and producing his voice as he wanted.
After visiting numerous medical professionals, he was later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He continues to work while managing the condition.
Director/Screenplay: Shun Coney
Under the theme of Give Life to Your Story!, he is engaged in collaborative learning activities that nurture a sense of self-acceptance in both adults and children through the fusion of film and education.
He is continuing to produce works that address social issues, such as the film No Voice, which focuses on the problem of stray dog and cat euthanasia, and Amanogawa, a story about the interaction between a high school girl who has lost her sense of self and a telepresence robot named OriHime.
Film Amanogawa was selected as a Special Invitation Film at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival and was nominated at six international film festivals, winning the Best Screenplay Award at Japan Film Festival Los Angeles (JFFLA) 2019. In January 2021, it was selected as one of Japan’s representative films alongside Shoplifters by director Hirokazu Koreeda at the Japanese Film Festival in Vietnam.
His latest film, Who’s Dancing Now?, released in October 2023, explores the theme of “Parkinson’s disease × Dance” and stars Ryoichi Higuchi. It was chosen as a recommended film by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and has been nominated at JFFLA 2024, following his previous work.
His contributions extend across academia, industry, and government sectors, including lectures at the Japan Center for Economic Research in 2021, the Japanese Psychological Association in 2022, the Tokyo Workers’ Welfare Council in 2023, and the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2024.
He is currently the CEO of Cosmobox Inc., an outside director and CSO of Aroma Join Co., Ltd., and is pursuing a doctoral degree at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.