CIFF regular Hirokazu Kore-eda (MONSTER, CIFF 2023; BROKER, CIFF 2022; SHOPLIFTERS, CIFF 2018) returns with this gentle adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's acclaimed manga, following two young artists whose friendship becomes the engine behind their creativity.

In fourth grade, Fujino, admired for the comics she draws for her school newspaper, has her world upended when she has to share the page with reclusive classmate Kyomoto – a better artist than she can ever dream of being. When the girls finally meet in person, they're pulled into an all-consuming passion for drawing that carries them into adulthood, where the joys of self-expression collide with the world’s unpredictability.

Beautifully filmed on 35mm, Kore-eda tells the story with the emotional intensity and tenderness we’ve come to expect from him – resulting in a glorious meditation on the deep-seeded need to create.