KIM Ki-duk’s Fukushima Drama STOP Released in Japan

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Anti-Nuclear Indie Screens in Tokyo, Yokohama

KIM Ki-duk’s Fukushima-themed indie drama Stop (2016) was released on May 13th in Tokyo at the K Cinema and Cineka Ōmori, and on June 24th it will expand to Yokohama.

The maverick filmmaker’s 21st film follows a couple who are expecting a child and are forced to move to Tokyo after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of March, 2011. They are forced to grapple with the worry of giving birth to a child that may have been affected by the disaster’s nuclear fallout. The husband travels back to the accident zone to find evidence that may reassure his wife and convince her not to go through with an abortion.

Made for less USD 10,000, the film was shot, written, directed and produced by KIM and featured local Japanese actors such as Tsubasa Nakae, Natsuko Hori and Allen Ai. KIM’s intention was to offer a warning about the effects of nuclear power plants on future generations. The director will donate part of the proceeds of the film’s release to victims of Fukushima.

Following its debut at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Stop went to screen at international film festivals in Busan, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing, among others. The film was released in Korea in December last year.

Meanwhile, KIM has assembled a cast that includes AHN Sung-ki, Joe Odagiri, JANG Keun-suk and RYOO Seung-bum for his 23rd film The Time of Humans, which begins filming at the end of June.

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