Set in modern-day Tokyo, ‘Rental Family’ follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese ‘rental family’ agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.
HIKARI
Originally from Osaka (Japan), HIKARI is an award-winning writer, director, producer with professional background as a dancer, singer, painter, and photographer. Her debut feature ‘37 Seconds’ premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival and won the Panorama Audience Award and the CICAE Art Cinema Award. Her past television credits include the eight Emmy winning series ‘Beef’ (2023) as pilot director and ‘Tokyo Vice’ (2022). She has also written and directed multiple award winning short films such as ‘Tsuyako’ (2011), that won over 50 awards including DGA Student Award for the Best Female Director, live action/animated fantasy short film ‘A Better Tomorrow’ (2013), ‘Can & Sulochan’ (2014); and a dance short film ‘Where We Begin’ (2015), which was nominated for the Best International Short Film at Tribeca Film Festival.
DIRECTOR
HIKARI
SCREENPLAY
HIKARI, Stephen Blahut
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Takurô Ishizaka
EDITOR
Alan Baumgarten, Thomas A. Krueger
SOUND
Sung Rok Choi, Ryotaro Harada, Chuck Michael, Kevin Senzaki
MUSIC
Jónsi, Alex Somers
PRODUCTION
Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, HIKARI, Shin Yamaguchi
