Memorizu
Directed by Miiku Sakanishi
Written by Miiku Sakanishi
Starring Tasuku Emoto, Moeka Hoshi, Issey Ogata
2026 | Drama | 1h 37m | Japan
Miiku Sakanishi wrote and directed Memorizu, his first feature-length film. The Tribeca Film Festival awarded him Best New Narrative Director in 2026 for this quiet and tender movie.
What is the nature of communication now that everyone has a cell phone? How does cell phone video relate to traditional photography? Do people even send post cards and write letters any more?
A modern family in Tokyo needs to care for the injured father of the wife. Major changes occur in their lives due to this simple act of filial duty. Husband Yuta (Tasuku Emoto) takes the ferry to the island of Kyushu to assist his father in law in a small town. Wife Yuki (Moeka Hoshi) stays in Tokyo because their daughter is in kindergarten and Yuki works as a tour guide.
For two months Yuta will be away from his family. His young daughter Hana asks when he will return and how long is two months. About 60 breakfasts, he responds. His wife Yuki captures images of father and daughter playing in the ferry waiting room.
Eventually Yuta rents a car while he is on the island with his father in law, Makoto (Issey Ogata). He mounts a camera on the dashboard so he may photograph the countryside as he drives. In the city his wife photographs their daughter at play, and takes pictures of the tourists whom she escorts around town. And at Makoto’s traditional photographer’s studio on Kyushu, Yuta interacts with his father in law’s walk-in customers and accompanies him on formal appointments to take traditional tripod photos of graduating students and weddings.
Makoto’s broken leg limits his mobility. Son in law Yuta walks the dog, shops for groceries, and cooks simple meals for them. These walks take him through compact neighborhoods and he often stops to capture a moment on his cell phone: a landscaper, a cyclist, clothes drying on outside racks, people filling water jugs, a farmer using smudge pots to protect plants during a temperature drop.
In the meantime his wife Yuki is at work in Tokyo, helping Chinese tourists enjoy their vacation. At a small cafe they order gizzard shad and boiled clam, as well as sea urchin and salmon roe. They shop at Readin’ Writin’ Bookstore. Photos are taken before the tourists return to their hotel.
There are no wasted words or superfluous images here.
One evening Yuta and Makoto are surprised by a delightful FaceTime call from daughter Hana, sitting with her mother Yuki. On another occasion Yuta and Makoto review beautiful black and white slides of Yuki and Hana. Yuta is not in the pictures because he is the photographer.
There are no wasted words or superfluous images here. Full color cell phone photos and black and white slides serve different purposes, record a variety of situations, elicit multiple emotions, and supplement rather than compete.
Yuki sends a handwritten letter to her father Makoto and he reads it with tenderness radiating. Hana has her mother record a video of a kindergarten performance, to be sent to her father and granddad.
WATCH: MEMORIZU directed by Miiku SAKANISHI – trailer
At some point Yuki says she cannot remember the sound of her late mother’s voice. Makoto is with her as they express their grief. He takes out his cell phone and lets her listen to her mother’s last phone message to Makoto.
Those weeks in the remote island village, learning to relate to his father in law, give Yuta time to reflect on guilt, on sadness, on what it means to be a family. With subtle wisdom his family chooses to embrace the quiet satisfaction of being together, what it means to connect, using all available technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Memorizu about?
Memorizu follows Yuta, a Tokyo husband who travels to a small town on the island of Kyushu to care for his injured father-in-law and help run the older man's traditional photo studio. Separated from his wife and young daughter, he stays connected through cell phone photos and videos, and a tender portrait of family and memory emerges.
What language is Memorizu in?
It is a Japanese-language film, set between Tokyo and rural Kyushu, and screens with subtitles.
Did Memorizu win any awards?
Yes. Miiku Sakanishi won the Best New Narrative Director Award at the 2026 Tribeca Festival for the film, his feature directorial debut.
Who stars in Memorizu?
Tasuku Emoto plays Yuta, Moeka Hoshi plays his wife Yuki, and veteran actor Issey Ogata plays the father-in-law, Makoto.
Where can I watch Memorizu?
The film premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival and opened theatrically in Japan in June 2026. It is sold internationally by Alpha Violet, with wider festival and arthouse screenings expected to follow.
MEMORIZU — FURTHER VIEWING AND RESOURCES
