ARTICLE FILMS

 

Synopsis:

The Yukiguni cocktail welcomes its 60th anniversary in the same year  that the Heisei Era comes to an end. Since claiming first prize at the 1958 Kotobukiya (currently Suntory) Cocktail Competition, Yukiguni has become a favorite amongst bartenders all over Japan, with its continued consumption leading to a rightful spot as an industry standard. A bar critic once stated, “it’s the bar that makes the man”, and cocktail fans have flocked from all over the country to appreciate Keichi Iyama’s creation while listening to his tales in what has since become somewhat of a cocktail pilgrimage. This gem of a story is of a cocktail that transcends generations, of more than a half-century of Mr. Iyama’s reflection in a cocktail glass, of the loss of the love of his life, of recovering lost bonds with family after a split, and of unwavering beauty and love through tough times. Directed by Yamagata local Satoshi Watanabe of Yomigaeri no Recipe and Odayakana Kakumei fame, the film took a full two and a half years to complete, and leaves nothing to the imagination in showing the brilliance and charm of the unconventional life of a now 92-year-old Keichi Iyama.

 

DCP/Color/Japan/Japanese/ 87m/production:Idehado,LLP/English Sub/2019

 

Credits:

Narrator: Kaoru Kobayashi

Director: Satoshi Watanabe

DP: Koichi Sato

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