Hula Girls

A mining town in northern Japan in the mid-sixties. The coal is running out, the pit is closing, people are losing their work. The idea for saving the place is a strange one: build a Hawaiian resort and put on a dance show. The miners' daughters start learning hula. Their families treat it as a disgrace, the girls dig in, and the instructor sent up from Tokyo is dealing with the mess of her own life. Lee Sang-il's film draws on a true story, the Joban Hawaiian Center built at Iwaki, which is still operating as a resort today. It was named best film at the Japan Academy Prize in 2007, where Yu Aoi also won best supporting actress.