Ishikawa Hiroshi Returns After 13 Years With 'the blue we touch'
Director Ishikawa Hiroshi has a new feature, and it is his first in 13 years. Its English title is 'the blue we touch', and its original title is 'Awo no Jo', Variety reported.
The film is still in post-production, the stage where footage is cut, sound is mixed and the final picture is finished. Japanese distributor Bitters End will release it in Japan in 2027. It unveiled the project ahead of TIFFCOM, the business market held alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival, where distributors and sales companies meet to make deals.
Ishikawa wrote, directed and edited the film himself. Doing all three jobs means one person shapes the story, the scenes and the rhythm of the cut, which is a common approach for filmmakers who want close control over their work.
The cast is led by Nao, who plays Mitsu, a 29-year-old contract web designer. Nakajima Ayumu plays Fujino, who runs human resources, or HR, at Mitsu's company. Karata Erika plays Ayane. Aoki Yuzu plays Tomoki, an art student, and Nakano Arisa plays Nozomi, a classmate of Tomoki. Nakano made her screen debut in Wim Wenders' 'Perfect Days'.
Ishikawa has been making features for more than two decades. He moved into features with 'Tokyo.sora' in 2002, followed by 'Su-ki-da.' in 2006 and 'Petal Dance' in 2013. Each was a step on a career that has built slowly, with long gaps between films.
Bitters End has been sharing details in stages. Its official site gives the Japanese-language title as Awo no Jo in romanised form, lists Nao in the lead role, and posted additional cast news and first cast visuals on September 28, 2026. The company keeps a dedicated page for the film at bitters.co.jp/awonojyo.
For Japanese audiences, the 2027 date gives the film a clear place on the calendar, with a year or more before it reaches cinemas. Festival and market appearances like this one are where films usually find their first buyers for other countries, so overseas sales are a question for later. No other release territories or dates have been announced.
