TRAILERS

Festival Promo Trailer for Japanese Doc Film 'Me and the Cult Leader'

by Alex Billington
June 12, 2020
Source: YouTube

"Why does he still believe?" An official trailer has debuted out of the Sheffield Doc Fest taking place in the UK (online) this month for a film called Me and the Cult Leader, originally titled Aganai: The Cult Leader and Me. In 1995, Tokyo was attacked by a doomsday cult known as "Aum". They left packets of sarin gas on subway trains in the city. One of the people injured, Atsushi Sakahara, has decided to make a film about Aum and who they really are. Sakahara meets with and travels with Hiroshi Araki, an executive of Aleph (formerly Aum Shinrikyo), visiting their own hometowns and the university they both attended. Conversations unfold, building intimacy: we learn why Araki joined the infamous organization led by Shoko Asahara and why, still, Araki remains an executive member of the cult, even though he was not directly involved in any of the crimes. The beginning of a friendship, a trip for redemption, or the confirmation that each human has to go their own way. What a way to deal with demons in your life - confront them head on.

Here's the festival promo trailer for Atsushi Sakahara's doc Me and the Cult Leader, from YouTube:

Atsushi Sakahara, a victim of the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo's subway system, travels with Hiroshi Araki, an executive of Aleph (formerly Aum Shinrikyo), the attack's perpetrators, visiting their respective hometowns and the university both attended to learn why Araki joined the infamous organization led by Shoko Asahara and why, still, Araki remains an executive member of the cult, even though he was not directly involved in any of the crimes. Me and the Cult Leader, also known as The Atonement or originally Aganai: The Cult Leader and Me, is directed by Japanese writer / filmmaker Atsushi Sakahara, making his feature directorial debut after one other short film previously. He was injured in the sarin gas attacks in Tokyo in 1995. This is premiering at the Sheffield Doc Fest in the UK this month. It will be released in Japan this summer. No official international release dates are set yet - stay tuned for updates. Anyone interested?

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