NHK & Kurosawa Kiyoshi Team for 8K Epic Drama

NHK’s 8K channel is set to premiere an 8K drama by Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Wife of a Spy, the filmmaker’s first production in that format.

The story is set in the Japanese city of Kobe in 1940, just before Japan was caught up in World War II. It centers on a wife who stays true to her own convictions amid the tides of war. Her husband, a trader, brings a woman back to Japan when he returns from Manchuria. When the woman dies, the wife learns her husband’s secrets and takes a course of action. Wife of a Spy stars Aoi Yu and Takahashi Issei.

Kiyoshi said of his first 8K drama: “Figuring out how to combine the abstractness of a past era with the real physical presence of people in front of the camera was a huge initial challenge, but the results were great. The two leading actors poured themselves into their roles and gave a very realistic sense of the era. Everyone on the production team did a great job of supporting the cast. And the 8K images are rich and almost magical. They instantly transport viewers back to Japan in the 1940s. So everything came together in the best possible way. I’ve had a long career, but I’ve never had this kind of good fortune.”