Japan’s Lisa Takeba Explores Twin Identity in Tokyo Gap-Financing Market Project ‘Children of the River’
variety.comNaman Ramachandran Acclaimed Japanese director Lisa Takeba (“The Pinkie,” “Signal 100”) is developing “Children of the River,” a Japan-Italy co-production that explores themes of identity and loss through the story of twin sisters.
The project is participating in the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market operated by TIFFCOM, the film market allied to the Tokyo International Film Festival.
The film, slated to shoot in summer 2025, follows Ryoka, a 19-year-old art student who struggles with feelings of inferiority toward her twin sister Kaya.
After Kaya’s sudden death in a car accident, Ryoka must navigate her grief while dealing with an unexpected connection to Eito, a 17-year-old who had feelings for her late sister. “It’s a story about identity crisis,” Takeba told Variety. “As a twin is a kind of dual identity, if you lost your partner, you lost half of you.” The project marks one of the first features to take advantage of the Japan-Italy co-production treaty that came into effect in August.
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