Description: Ishihara Umi’s new film, The Light of Gravity: A Record of Prayers, comes from a filmmaker whose work spans art and moving images, including the feature debut Garden Apartment, which was invited to screen at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the BBC television film The Mad Caretaker. This work is an ambitious documentary film portraying nine people gathered at a church in Kitakyushu, including former homeless people, someone who used to be in organized crime, people who suffered abuse, people struggling with the meaning of life, people working for an NPO, and a married couple working at the church. Synopsis At a Christian church in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, where Okuda Satoshi of the NPO Houboku, which supports people in need, serves as pastor, people from a wide range of backgrounds gather. This film portrays nine people who come to the church, including former homeless people, someone who used to be in organized crime, people who suffered abuse, people struggling with the meaning of life, people working for an NPO, and a married couple working at the church. The Light of Gravity: A Record of Prayers is an ambitious documentary film that interweaves a passion play depicting the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, performed by nine wounded yet beloved sinners, with scenes from their rehearsals, daily lives, and interviews.

A man and woman couple who have moved to a new town for some reason. As they gaze listlessly at the town they’ve just moved to from inside their car, they find it overflowing with strange people, and are left breathless, wondering what kind of place they’ve moved to. And then, at the Chinese restaurant they enter there... A story about the only utopia in hell, a filthy paradise that exists solely for worthless people.