The 10th installment of The Okinawa International Movie Festival includes a program of Local Origination Movies, works shot in regional areas of Japan. One such film is Ningyo no Cocoro: A Mermaid in the Gem, which features the beautiful beaches and skies of the Okinawan island of Ishigaki.

It tells the story of famous actress Nagomi Okimoto (former pop idol Makoto Okunaka) who is called back Ishigaki to do retakes for a film based on a local legend of a mermaid who will turn to stone unless she is given a gem. While preparing for filming, Nagomi herself gets an expensive gem from her boyfriend (Takafumi Imai), setting off farcical attempts to prevent it from being stolen, as well as stop any gossip that an actress has a boyfriend. The film also gives glimpses of other people staying at the hotel, including a man (Akira Ishida) who is planning a on the actress for a TV show. Another character is a mysterious singer played by the American musician Jero, who gained fame for performing a genre of Japanese music called Enka with flawless pronunciation.

After the screening, there was an appearance by actor Akira Ishida of Non Style, who also wrote the script, and director Takeshi Jac Kosaka. Ishida said that aside from the beautiful sky and sea, one thing that makes Ishigaki special is that when someone goes out drinking, it is very easy to get to know strangers. He explained that an older man who appears in the film was a resident he met this way, and he also cast local school kids. Kosaka said that filming on Ishigaki was not without its challenges. “The clouds move very fast there,” he said. “We would start a scene, and suddenly it would get dark. We had to plan around it.” Still, he said the island has a wonderful atmosphere that makes you want to take a vacation there.

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