Production
Film Production & Distribution
Feature Film “The Law of Share” (2023)
A feature film adaptation of “The Law of Share,” a work originally written by Akiko Iwase for Seinenzu, one of Japan’s most established and prestigious theatre companies.
Selected as a “Tokyo Metropolitan Recommended Film.
Director: Shinjiro Kuma
Screenplay: Akiko Iwase
Cast: Takehiko Ono, Shiori Kanjiya, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Kohdai Asaka, Machiko Washio, Akiko Iwase, Hirota Otsuka, Moeko Oyama, Nami Uehara, Junichi Uchiura, Morihiro Yamaguichi, Seimu Iwamoto, Chukichi Kubo, and others
Synopsis
The Haruyama couple lives in a house in Tokyo. The share house they created by renovating their home is home to a diverse group of residents—people of varying ages, professions, and nationalities. They cooperate with one another, and although they sometimes clash, they share daily life together.
Kiyoko, the manager’s wife, hosts dinners and provides counsel to the residents, serving as a motherly figure to them. However, a sudden accident forces her into hospitalization. For a time, her husband Hideo must step into her role. Unlike the sociable Kiyoko, Hideo dislikes socializing and refuses to open up to others. He is shunned by the residents and is harsh with his son Takashi, who is gay. Meanwhile, Miho, who works at a cabaret club, gets into trouble at her workplace and is called in.
This is the story of a man who has long viewed the world through his own values, and who gradually learns to extend compassion to others as he encounters people from diverse walks of life.
Short Feature Film “Moon Sea” (2021)
Japan’s aging society faces the pressing issue of elder care, with the number of certified care-requiring individuals rising year after year. This film explores the universal reality that all must eventually face, telling a poignant drama of love between mother and daughter—two individuals bound not by blood, but by deep affection and mutual devotion.
Director: Koji Hagiuda
Screenplay: Akiko Iwase
Cast: Akiko Iwase, Yoko Yano, Takanobu Kaneko, Ichiruko Domen, Naoaki Kenmochi, Takeshi Homma, Minori Ihara, Nnami Yamamoto, Yuki Miyauchi
Synopsis
A house in Tokyo. Shizuko Yuzuki lives with her mother-in-law, Harui, whose husband Toyoshi left five years ago. Three years prior, Harui developed dementia and no longer remembers even Shizuko’s name. She wanders the neighborhood repeatedly in search of her missing son. Shizuko finds herself consumed by the endless cycle of caring for her mother-in-law.
One day, a theft occurs in the neighborhood. A wounded burglar, Daiki Koguro, hides in the Yuzuki home but is discovered by Shizuko. He silences her before she can scream. Shizuko resists desperately. Harui approaches the two, moving into danger herself. Yet from an unexpected word she utters, a glimmer of light begins to shine into the Yuzuki home…
Feature Film “Inside Water” (2022)
Set in Senzan Inunaki, Izumi—the birthplace of Shugendō in Osaka—this film was shot entirely on a smartphone.
Director & Screenplay: Masaki Inoue
Cast: Irina Inoue, Akiko Iwase, Masaya Kato, Osamu Yamamoto, Tsukasa Matoba
Synopsis
Olivia has lost her young son and husband in a fire. Unable to shake the weight of her grief, she travels to Inunaki, a sacred site in Japan that held meaning for her late husband.
Inunaki is a place of Shugendō—a mountain training ground where one refines oneself and confronts one’s inner truth.
There, at a beautiful temple beside a waterfall, she meets Mizuho, a woman who has also suffered the loss of her son in a traffic accident and is here to overcome her sorrow.
Through Mizuho’s introduction, she encounters Ryūnosuke, a yamabushi—a mountain ascetic. He is a spiritual counselor, helping those whose burdens are beyond the reach of police or hospitals.
On his recommendation, Olivia stays for a time at the lodge “Inunaki,” a place where those carrying sadness in their hearts come to heal.
Dappled sunlight filters through the trees, a gentle wind whispers, and water flows slowly in the nearby stream. The tender embrace of nature gradually soothes her wounded spirit.
Yet the darkness in her heart—the loss of her son and husband to flames—runs far too deep. The sudden waves of grief that ignite like consuming fire become unbearable, and she struggles to endure them.
Theater Production
Theatre Company BION (日穏-bion-)
A production theatre company founded in 2008, directed by Daigo Tanji, with Akiko Iwase—an actress and playwright—serving as producer and writer.
The company is known for works that weave social issues such as war and discrimination into their narratives, creating stories that make audiences laugh and cry. What distinguishes their productions is the warmth that lingers in viewers’ hearts long after the curtain falls—appealing to audiences across all generations.
Company Overview
| Company Name | Bion Entertainment Inc. |
|---|---|
| Representative Director | Akiko Iwase |
| Address | Kita Ward, Tokyo |
| Established | May 2016 |
| Business Operations | Management of actors and playwrights Planning and production of theatrical performances Planning of theatrical and independent films, and domestic and international distribution Production and sales of posters, programs, publications, toys, and other materials related to theatrical, film, and other entertainment productions Promotion, secondary use, videogram sales, television broadcast distribution, and online streaming of film, theatrical, and other visual works |