"Junko's Shamisen" - Casting Call for Short Film in Toronto Canada (Post in English)

“Junko’s Shamisen,” a unique short film with an innovative style is holding a CASTING CALL for the following TALENT:

JUNKO
Age: 6-18 (average height)
Character Description:
• a bit of a tomboy – medium long hair
• a peasant who lives with her grandfather.
• Playful yet cautious
• Old soul (mature for her age)
• Quiet
• Innocent but tactful

Grandpa
Age: 60-80 (medium to small in height)
Character Description:
• Wrinkles and bent over with a small frame
• Bald/shaved head with no facial hair
• Unhealthy due to illness – sickly
• Rough exterior but gentle and loving
• Loves to play the Shamisen

Samurai
Age: 35-55 (medium to tall in height)
Character Description:
• Brash and foolish
• Arrogant
• Dominant presence
• Shaved head
• Strong/fierce

Narrator
Age: 40-60 (medium to small in height)
Character Description:
• A frail, delicate old blind man
• Nobel
• Wise
• Mystical presence
• Has a rhythmic voice that ranges from soft to powerful

Synopsis:
“Junko’s Shamisen” is a unique short film blending the aesthetic traditions of Japanese Kabuki, stop-motion animation and contemporary manga illustration. Set in feudal Japan, “Junko’s Shamisen” is an original Kabuki tale following the struggles of a young orphan named Junko.
Living with her grandfather on the outskirts of a small village, Junko spends her days caring for her grandfather and playing in the forest with a local fox. One afternoon, Junko returns home to find that her grandfather has been slain by the samurai, and the skin of his beloved shamisen (a traditional Japanese instrument) torn in the process.
Seeking vengeance against the malevolent samurai who has killed her grandfather, Junko becomes possessed by the fox and in a poetic act of retribution, slays the samurai, then repairs the skin of her grandfather’s broken shamisen using his skin.

PLEASE SEND RESUMES AND HEAD SHOTS TO JUNKOSHORT@GMAIL.COM