Timelesz Member Taiki Shinozuka Makes Film Debut in Incineration Plant, 2027 Release Set
The film's selection for a competitive section at a major FIAPF-accredited festival before its domestic release positions it as a potential international breakout for both its first-time director and its idol-actor lead.
Reporting from 2 sources: Eiga Natalie, Cinema Today.
Taiki Shinozuka, a member of the group timelesz, will make his film debut in the movie "Incineration Plant" (Shōkyakuro), set for release in 2027. The film is an adaptation of a short story from Kaori Ekuni's collection "Suika no Nioi." It follows a fourth-grade girl named Kozue Miyata, who struggles to fit in at school and has a secret habit of throwing things into a backyard incinerator. During summer vacation, she meets Jinta Suzuki, a college student from a shadow picture club, played by Shinozuka. The lead role of Kozue went to Karin, a child actress making her acting debut after winning the part through auditions. The cast also includes Akiko Kikuchi as Kozue's mother and Takuma Nagao as her father; Nagao also produced the film, having wanted to adapt the story since reading it as a student about 25 years ago. Shuntaro Uchida directed. The film has been selected for the Proxima Competition section of the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic this July, where it will hold its world premiere. Distribution is handled by NAKACHIKA.
Director Shuntaro Uchida said he recalled "small moments from my childhood" while making the film, calling them "delicate, somewhat unstable sensations that I, as an adult, had almost lost." Original author Kaori Ekuni said she was "amazed to see things that should only be expressible through words turned into images." She added that the film captures "the restlessness of children and the hesitation of adults with a gritty texture."
Karin, who was 10 years old during the month-long shoot, said she "never thought the month-long shoot would feel so short" and called it "a great summer memory." Shinozuka described his first film set experience as "fresh and overwhelming," saying "the experience of 'living as a character' was challenging."
Producer Takuma Nagao first read the original story about 25 years ago as a student and had wanted to adapt it ever since. His long-held wish reached Ekuni, leading to the film. The collection "Suika no Nioi" depicts the summer memories of 11 girls. This particular story follows a 9-year-old girl who develops feelings akin to first love through an encounter with a male college student.
Shinozuka joined timelesz through the audition program "timelesz project -AUDITION-" and has since participated in arena and dome tours. He also hosts his own shows on TV Asahi and TBS Radio. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which began in 1946, is FIAPF-accredited and screens about 200 films annually. Last year it screened "Renoir" directed by Chie Hayakawa, which was also selected for the Cannes Competition section.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Eiga Natalie timelesz篠塚大輝が映画初出演、魅惑の大学生演じた「焼却炉」公開 原作は江國香織の短編
- Cinema Today timelesz篠塚大輝の初出演映画『焼却炉』2027年公開 主人公を惹きつける魅惑の大学生役