Fuku-chan of FukuFuku Flats

North American Premiere

An irresistibly quirky comedy about love, losers, loners, and life in a run-down apartment complex called FukuFuku Flats, Fuku-chan offers laughs aplenty, sweet and bitter, in the expert hands of helmer Yosuke Fujita (Fine, Totally Fine, winner of the 2008 Audience Award at NYAFF) and his lead actress, comedienne Miyuki Oshima (Gu Gu the Cat, The Handsome Suit, Miss Kurosawa, also well known for her comic impersonations of old men), who’s cast here in the improbable role of a Japanese everyman (sort of) rich in friends and poor in romance. Tatsuo Fukuda (Oshima)—or Fuku-chan, as his many buddies have affectionately nicknamed him—lives a modest happy-go-lucky existence running a team of painters/decorators. Walking through life with an all-around positive attitude, he is surrounded by friends during and after work hours. Despite this charmed existence and his kind-hearted nature, Fuku-chan has no luck with women, in whose company he feels almost pathologically awkward. One day, aspiring photographer Chiho Sugiura (Asami Mizukawa) comes back into his life and accursed memories of a nasty high-school prank flood back, reminding him of the trauma that forever destroyed his male mojo and ambitions to get cozy with the fairer sex. Although many things have changed, can they still be friends? Is it possible that they could be more? A film with a heart as big as its lead actress’ smile, it’s not to be missed, especially for fans of Fine, Totally Fine.