KENTARO 健太朗

Short Documentary / 15 min

Director / Cinematographer: Til Stewart / Gaku Matsuda

Sound: Taiki Yamakawa

Colour: Max Ferguson-Hook

Following the Great Japanese Earthquake, parents Miho and Hirohito Yokobori left behind their life in Tokyo and chose to begin again in the remote mountain village of Kawakami, Nara. Kentaro’s birth — the first in the village in 25 years — brings renewed hope and vitality to the community, standing in quiet resistance to Japan’s accelerating ageing population and record-low birth rate.

東日本大震災の後、両親であるミホとヒロヒトは、東京での暮らしを手放し、山間の小さな集落・奈良県川上村で新たな人生を歩み始めた。村の集落で25年ぶりの赤ん坊となったケンタロウの誕生は、高齢化と過去最低水準の出生率という日本が抱える深刻な流れに抗うように、地域に新たな希望と活力をもたらしている。

Awards

Jury Award — Changing Climate, Changing Lives Film Festival 2025 (Thailand)

Highly Commended — Canberra Short Film Festival 2024 (Australia)

Nomination — Best Documentary — St Kilda Film Festival 2025 (Australia)

ACS State Awards: Silver / Documentaries 2025 (VIC/TAS) — awarded to cinematographer Til Stewart

Festivals

Official Selection — Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival 2024 (Canada)

Official Selection — Canberra Short Film Festival 2024 (Australia)

Official Selection — Japan Indies Film Festival 2024 (Japan)

Official Selection — Antenna Documentary Film Festival 2025 (Australia)

Official Selection — Changing Climate, Changing Lives Film Festival 2025 (Thailand)

Official Selection — Buenos Aires International Film Festival (Argentina)

Official Selection — Mountainfilm Festival 2025 (USA)

Official Selection — St Kilda Film Festival 2025 (Australia)

Official Selection — Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival 2025 (Australia)