Hula Girls
Encyclopedia
is an award-winning Japanese film
, directed by Sang-il Lee
and co-written by Lee and Daisuke Habara, and first released across Japanese theaters on September 23, 2006. Starring Yū Aoi
, Yasuko Matsuyuki
, Etsushi Toyokawa
, Shizuyo Yamazaki, Ittoku Kishibe, Eri Tokunaga, Yoko Ikezu and Sumiko Fuji
, it is based on the real-life event of how a group of enthusiastic girls take on hula dancing
to save their small mining village, Iwaki
, helping the formation of Joban Hawaiian Center
(now known as Spa Resort Hawaiians), which was later to become one of Japan's most popular theme parks. It received its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival
.
Hula Girls was critically acclaimed upon release in Japan and nominated for a total of 12 awards at the 2007 Japan Academy Awards, going on to win five major awards, including that of best film, best director, best screenplay, best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi
), and most popular film. It also won two major awards at the 80th Kinema Junpo
awards, including that of best film and best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi
). Since its release in Japan, the film has been shown across theaters and film festivals worldwide.
In 1965, the cold, northern coal mining
town of Iwaki
, was facing unemployment due to oil becoming the predominant energy resource in Japan.
The mining company develops a plan to use hot spring
s, which seeped into the mines, to provide heat for a Hawaiian Center spa resort. The plan is greeted with hostility by the miners, but the company recruits Madoka Hirayama (Matsuyuki) a down-on-her-luck dance instructor from Tokyo
to train local girls in the hula
.
At first, only a small core group take the challenge. Sanae (Tokunaga) is worried that her widowed father will lose his job, and the ability to support the four kids. She convinces her lifelong best friend Kimiko (Aoi) to join her at the disastrous first meeting. After the rumor runs through attendees that they will be dancing topless, Sanae and Kimiko seem to be the only two listening to the assurances that the rumor is false, as dozens of their companions flee. The two girls are joined by Hatsuko (Ikezu), the organizer's secretary, and Sayuri (Yamazaki), a large clumsy girl.
Things go poorly as training begins, and a frustrated Hirayama nearly gives up, until the girls' enthusiasm persuades her to give the plan another try.
Kimiko and her mother, Chiyo (Fuji), have an argument, which prompts the girl to leave home to stay at the school, but as training continues and local unemployment looms, some of the other girls come back and join the school.
On the day that Sanae's father is fired, he comes home to find her in Hawaiian costume, and beats her. This outrages Hirayama, who attacks him. When he leaves, Sanae goes with him to take care of her siblings, after getting Kimiko, who has become the leader of the girls, to promise that she will keep going.
Crushed by the departure of her friend, Kimiko finds it impossible to maintain the focus needed in dancing, but is told The show must go on
. She does not accept this until her brother (Toyokawa) tells her to see it through. She pulls herself together in time to join the publicity tour.
After a disastrous first performance in the tour, the girls come together as a team and the tour is a great success, until a mine accident in which Sayuri's father is caught. Told of the accident just before the last planned performance, the troupe prepares to leave for home. Knowing that her father wants her to succeed, Sayuri begs for the chance to finish the tour. The bus pulls into town hours after Sayuri's father dies, and as distraught family and friends berate her, Hirayama claims responsibility for not returning immediately, accepting another failure in her career. Her students, however, refuse to let her leave.
However, the imported palm trees are threatened by cold weather. A package from Sanae arrives for Kimiko. Her mother, Chiyo, brings it to the dance studio, where she sees the skills her daughter has gained. Chiyo collects stoves to give her daughter the chance to live her dream. She even attends the opening night of the show, at which Kimiko wears the flower sent by Sanae.
The opening show is a great success, establishing the Joban Hawaiian Center (now Spa Resort Hawaiians
) as a tourist destination.
), and most popular film. It also won best film and supporting actress award (for Yū Aoi
) at the 80th Kinema Junpō awards, held on January 9, 2007. At the 31st Hōchi Film Awards, held on November 28, 2006, it won the awards for best film and supporting actress, while at the 19th Nikkan Sports Awards, held on December 5, 2006, it won the awards for best film, best actress (for Yasuko Matsuyuki
), best supporting actress (for Sumiko Fuji
) and best new talent (for Yū Aoi
). At the 61st Mainichi Film Awards, held on January 19, 2007, it won the awards for best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi
) and best film. At the 49th Blue Ribbon Awards
, it won the awards for best film, best actress (for Yū Aoi
) and best supporting actress (for Sumiko Fuji). It was also chosen for Japan's entry for the 79th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
.
The character Madoka Hirayama is loosely based on Kaleinani Hayakawa, the original kumu hula at Joban, who stayed for 32 years, while also becoming the founder of the first hula school in Japan. Her work helped inspire the hula craze in Japan.
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
, directed by Sang-il Lee
Sang-il Lee
Lee Sang-il is a Zainichi Korean film director and screenwriter. His first film Chong was a short film about the lives of third generation Koreans living in Japan....
and co-written by Lee and Daisuke Habara, and first released across Japanese theaters on September 23, 2006. Starring Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
, Yasuko Matsuyuki
Yasuko Matsuyuki
is a Japanese actress and singer signed to Stardust Promotion.-Biography:Yasuko Matsuyuki was born in 1972 in Tosu, Saga. In 1989, while she was in high school, Matsuyuki won a Non-no fashion magazine contest...
, Etsushi Toyokawa
Etsushi Toyokawa
to pursue a career in acting. He began by joining the sho-gekijo theatrical troupe "Under Thirty," which was known for the membership of another famous actor, Watanabe Eriko, at the time...
, Shizuyo Yamazaki, Ittoku Kishibe, Eri Tokunaga, Yoko Ikezu and Sumiko Fuji
Sumiko Fuji
is a Japanese actress. The daughter of a producer at the Tōei studios, she originally began acting under the name Junko Fuji , becoming famous as the female lead in yakuza films against such stars as Ken Takakura and Kōji Tsuruta. She even starred in her own series as the knife-wielding gambler Red...
, it is based on the real-life event of how a group of enthusiastic girls take on hula dancing
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
to save their small mining village, Iwaki
Iwaki, Fukushima
is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
, helping the formation of Joban Hawaiian Center
Spa Resort Hawaiians
, located in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is a resort and theme park in Japan. It opened on January 15, 1966 as the Joban Hawaiian Center, becoming the first in the country....
(now known as Spa Resort Hawaiians), which was later to become one of Japan's most popular theme parks. It received its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.
Hula Girls was critically acclaimed upon release in Japan and nominated for a total of 12 awards at the 2007 Japan Academy Awards, going on to win five major awards, including that of best film, best director, best screenplay, best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
), and most popular film. It also won two major awards at the 80th Kinema Junpo
Kinema Junpo
, commonly called , is a Japanese film magazine which began publication in July 1919. The magazine was founded by a group of four students, including Saburō Tanaka, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology . In that first month, it was published three times on days with a "1" in them. These first three...
awards, including that of best film and best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
). Since its release in Japan, the film has been shown across theaters and film festivals worldwide.
Story
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town of Iwaki
Iwaki, Fukushima
is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
, was facing unemployment due to oil becoming the predominant energy resource in Japan.
The mining company develops a plan to use hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s, which seeped into the mines, to provide heat for a Hawaiian Center spa resort. The plan is greeted with hostility by the miners, but the company recruits Madoka Hirayama (Matsuyuki) a down-on-her-luck dance instructor from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to train local girls in the hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
.
At first, only a small core group take the challenge. Sanae (Tokunaga) is worried that her widowed father will lose his job, and the ability to support the four kids. She convinces her lifelong best friend Kimiko (Aoi) to join her at the disastrous first meeting. After the rumor runs through attendees that they will be dancing topless, Sanae and Kimiko seem to be the only two listening to the assurances that the rumor is false, as dozens of their companions flee. The two girls are joined by Hatsuko (Ikezu), the organizer's secretary, and Sayuri (Yamazaki), a large clumsy girl.
Things go poorly as training begins, and a frustrated Hirayama nearly gives up, until the girls' enthusiasm persuades her to give the plan another try.
Kimiko and her mother, Chiyo (Fuji), have an argument, which prompts the girl to leave home to stay at the school, but as training continues and local unemployment looms, some of the other girls come back and join the school.
On the day that Sanae's father is fired, he comes home to find her in Hawaiian costume, and beats her. This outrages Hirayama, who attacks him. When he leaves, Sanae goes with him to take care of her siblings, after getting Kimiko, who has become the leader of the girls, to promise that she will keep going.
Crushed by the departure of her friend, Kimiko finds it impossible to maintain the focus needed in dancing, but is told The show must go on
The show must go on
"The show must go on" is a well-known phrase in show business, meaning that regardless of what happens, the show must still be put on for the waiting patrons...
. She does not accept this until her brother (Toyokawa) tells her to see it through. She pulls herself together in time to join the publicity tour.
After a disastrous first performance in the tour, the girls come together as a team and the tour is a great success, until a mine accident in which Sayuri's father is caught. Told of the accident just before the last planned performance, the troupe prepares to leave for home. Knowing that her father wants her to succeed, Sayuri begs for the chance to finish the tour. The bus pulls into town hours after Sayuri's father dies, and as distraught family and friends berate her, Hirayama claims responsibility for not returning immediately, accepting another failure in her career. Her students, however, refuse to let her leave.
However, the imported palm trees are threatened by cold weather. A package from Sanae arrives for Kimiko. Her mother, Chiyo, brings it to the dance studio, where she sees the skills her daughter has gained. Chiyo collects stoves to give her daughter the chance to live her dream. She even attends the opening night of the show, at which Kimiko wears the flower sent by Sanae.
The opening show is a great success, establishing the Joban Hawaiian Center (now Spa Resort Hawaiians
Spa Resort Hawaiians
, located in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is a resort and theme park in Japan. It opened on January 15, 1966 as the Joban Hawaiian Center, becoming the first in the country....
) as a tourist destination.
Locations featured in film
- Fukushima PrefectureFukushima Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
- IwakiIwaki, Fukushimais a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
- FurudonoFurudono, Fukushimais a town located in Ishikawa District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 6,563 and a density of . The total area is .It is a sister town of Warkworth in New Zealand.The town is surrounded by forests and mountains...
, Ishikawa DistrictIshikawa District, Fukushimais a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 48,399 and a density of 105.98 persons per km². The total area is 456.70 km².-Towns and villages:*Asakawa*Furudono*Hirata*Ishikawa*Tamakawa... - Spa Resort HawaiiansSpa Resort Hawaiians, located in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is a resort and theme park in Japan. It opened on January 15, 1966 as the Joban Hawaiian Center, becoming the first in the country....
(actual spa resort located in Iwaki)
- Iwaki
- Ibaraki PrefectureIbaraki Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
- KitaibarakiKitaibaraki, Ibarakiis a city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki, Japan, between the cities of Hitachi and Iwaki.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 46,465, with a household number of 17,438 and the density of 249.08 persons per km²...
- TakahagiTakahagi, Ibarakiis a city located in Ibaraki, Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 30,367, with household number being 11,943 and the density 156.81 persons per km². The total area is 193.65 km²....
- Nakaminato StationNakaminato Stationis a train station in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...
(located in HitachinakaHitachinaka, Ibarakiis a city located in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 155,354 and a population density of 1,570 persons per km²...
)
- Kitaibaraki
Awards
Hula Girls won several awards upon release, including five major awards at the 2007 Japan Academy Awards, including that of best film, best director, best screenplay, best supporting actress (for Yū AoiYû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
), and most popular film. It also won best film and supporting actress award (for Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
) at the 80th Kinema Junpō awards, held on January 9, 2007. At the 31st Hōchi Film Awards, held on November 28, 2006, it won the awards for best film and supporting actress, while at the 19th Nikkan Sports Awards, held on December 5, 2006, it won the awards for best film, best actress (for Yasuko Matsuyuki
Yasuko Matsuyuki
is a Japanese actress and singer signed to Stardust Promotion.-Biography:Yasuko Matsuyuki was born in 1972 in Tosu, Saga. In 1989, while she was in high school, Matsuyuki won a Non-no fashion magazine contest...
), best supporting actress (for Sumiko Fuji
Sumiko Fuji
is a Japanese actress. The daughter of a producer at the Tōei studios, she originally began acting under the name Junko Fuji , becoming famous as the female lead in yakuza films against such stars as Ken Takakura and Kōji Tsuruta. She even starred in her own series as the knife-wielding gambler Red...
) and best new talent (for Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
). At the 61st Mainichi Film Awards, held on January 19, 2007, it won the awards for best supporting actress (for Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
) and best film. At the 49th Blue Ribbon Awards
Blue Ribbon Awards
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan.The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers...
, it won the awards for best film, best actress (for Yū Aoi
Yû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
) and best supporting actress (for Sumiko Fuji). It was also chosen for Japan's entry for the 79th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
Production notes
The dancers spent three months learning and becoming skilled in hula.The character Madoka Hirayama is loosely based on Kaleinani Hayakawa, the original kumu hula at Joban, who stayed for 32 years, while also becoming the founder of the first hula school in Japan. Her work helped inspire the hula craze in Japan.
External links
- Hula Girls at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.