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Departures (2008 film)

World and International Narrative Cinema

Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama directed by Yojiro Takita, following a cellist who returns to his hometown after his orchestra disbands and unexpectedly takes work as a nokanshi, a ritual mortician who prepares the dead for cremation before their families. Despite social prejudice surrounding his new profession, he finds meaning in it and repairs strained family relationships along the way. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009, the first Japanese production to do so, and was the highest-grossing Japanese film domestically that year.

Facts
Classification
Original Language
Japanese 1
Award
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film 1
Award
Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year 1
Award
Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film 1
Release Year
2008 1
Country
Japan 1
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Source Departures (2008 film) - Wikipedia

In Medium

Film, Media Forms
Source Departures (2008 film) - Wikipedia
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1. Departures (2008 film) - Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph, first sentence (release year clause)
    Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yojiro Takita
  • Lead paragraph, first sentence (country adjective)
    Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yojiro Takita
  • Departures (2008 film), Description, original language
    Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama directed by Yojiro Takita, following a cellist who returns to his hometown after his orchestra disbands and unexpectedly takes work as a nokanshi, a ritual mortician who prepares the dead for cremation before their families.
  • Wikipedia category, checked 2026-09-27
    Category:Best Film Kinema Junpo Award winners
  • Wikipedia category (japan-academy-prize-for-picture-of-the-year), checked 2026-09-27
    Wikipedia category for japan-academy-prize-for-picture-of-the-year
  • Wikipedia category (academy-award-for-best-international-feature-film), checked 2026-09-27
    Wikipedia category for academy-award-for-best-international-feature-film
  • In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
    Departures (Japanese: おくりびと, Hepburn: Okuribito; "one who sends off") is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki.
  • Created By: Yōjirō Takita, Article lead sentence
    Departures (Japanese: おくりびと, Hepburn: Okuribito; "one who sends off") is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki.
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