April 10 is "Siblings Day!" Free one-day showing of the Sibling Movie "Siblings".

Do you know that there is a "Siblings Day"?
Although it may not be familiar to many, there is actually a "Siblings Day" not only Mother's Day and Father's Day.

That day is April 10.

In the first place, what is a "Sibling" ?
A brother or sister of a person with a disability, disease, or incurable illness is called a "sibling" or "kyodai" in hiragana in Japan.
In the United States, April 10 is designated as "Siblings Day. Like Father's Day and Mother's Day, Siblings Day is a big anniversary for people to think of, appreciate, and celebrate their siblings.

What about “Siblings Day”  in Japan?
In Japan, there was an encouragement to establish a memorial day led by Sibutane, a non-profit organization that supports sibling children, and it became an official memorial day in 2019.

Siblings Day Campaign!
The Siblings Film Production Committee will release the short film "Siblings" (produced in 2021), which sheds light on siblings, for free online in honor of April 10, "Siblings Day. (Regular viewing 1,500 Japanese yen)

The struggles and worries of "siblings" are not well known to the public

In Japan, recognition of “youngcarers” has been growing rapidly in recent years due to increased media coverage of "youngcarers," which refers to children under the age of 18 who care for and assist their parents, grandparents, brothers, or sisters with disabilities or illnesses.

The term "sibling(s)" refers to anyone who has a brother or sister with a disabling disease, regardless of whether or not they have cared for or assisted them, and regardless of their age.

Although it is not exactly the same, "sibling(s)" have also been under-recognized because, similar to the issues faced by young carers, they often do not ask for help or are unaware of their struggles, in the shadow of the many concerns of the disabled themselves and their parents.

Therefore, Hitomi Mima, a film producer and representative of the Siblings Film Production Committee, produced "Siblings" based on her own experiences as a "sibling”. The film depicts the main character as she reexamines her life as a "sibling" and takes a step toward a life that is uniquely her own.

Winner of the Grand Prix at the Kobe Independent Film Festival 2021 and nominated at various film festivals.

The short film "Siblings", which was produced by producer Mima after meeting director Yoko Sato, has been selected at numerous film festivals in Japan and abroad, and won the Grand Prix out of 261 entries at the Kobe Independent Film Festival 2021. It has received acclaim as a form of entertainment relating to social issues. The film has been selected at nine other film festivals, and has been highly acclaimed for its subject matter, approach, and completeness.

Lack of understanding and support for "siblings" is a common issue worldwide　

Support for the "families" of people with disabilities is provided, to varying degrees, in many countries around the world. However, in many cases, this support is provided mainly to the "parents" of people with disabilities, while in reality, the "siblings" of people with disabilities, who are closer in age to the parents and share the same era of growing up and living together, are often the ones who are the most in need of support. We are conscious of the fact that there may be a blind spot in any country as to what kind of support is needed. Therefore, on "Siblings Day," the Siblings Film Production Committee would like to promote a deeper understanding of "siblings," and would like to present "Siblings” The film will be released online free of charge. Please take this opportunity to view the film.

Outline of the Organization

Company name: Siblings Movie Production Committee (Managing company: BP&Co., Inc.)
Rep: MIMA Hitomi
Official website: https://www.movie-of-siblings.com/en/english/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/futari_movie

Siblings Film Production Committee
(Executive Committee: BP&Co., Inc.)
Representative: MIMA Hitomi
Born in Aomori Prefecture. In order to create a society where everyone can unleash their passion, she is involved in film production that shines a light on minorities in order to eliminate the "division between majority and minority" that would be a factor in suppressing people's passion. She is currently engaged in a grand social experiment to see how far she can go to turn the indifferent around with films that use images and stories to simulate for the viewer the difficulty of dealing with social issues such as poverty, discrimination, prejudice, and conflict, which have the three most painful images of being heavy, serious, and dark. The films she has produced so far have been nominated at numerous film festivals, and her YouTube films have received over 100,000 views in just over a month since their release.