To the Ends of the Earth

Friday, March 19 - Thursday, March 25, 2021

World premiered as the closing night film at 2019 Locarno Film Festival, To the Ends of the Earth was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan.

Yoko (former J-pop idol Atsuko Maeda) travels with a small crew to Uzbekistan (breathtakingly captured by veteran DP Akiko Ashizawa) to shoot an episode of her reality TV travel show. In front of the camera her persona is carefree and happy-go-lucky, but behind the scenes she is cautious and introverted. Despite her best efforts, all the shootings end unsuccessfully. Frustrated by the failed filming, she takes to the streets of this mysterious country on her own. Lost in the streets of Tashkent, she finds herself adrift and alone, confronting her deepest fears and hidden aspirations.

A brilliant mix of black comedy, travelogue, drama, and an adventure-imbued mockery of showbiz, To the Ends of the Earth is a young woman’s journey from displacement to a place of self-discovery.

All screenings of TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH feature an exclusive video introduction from filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, recorded to welcome back audiences to IFC Center for our reopening.

• Country Uzbekistan
• Language In Japanese and Uzbek with English subtitles
• Running Time 120 minutes
• Distributor KimStim
• Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
• Writer Kiyoshi Kurosawa
• Editor Koichi Takahashi
• Cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa
• Cast Atsuko Maeda, Shota Sometani, Tokio Emoto, Adiz Rajabov, Ryo Kase

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.