Photo/Illutration Residents attend a screening at the Kesennuma civic hall in Miyagi Prefecture on May 28 where movie director Makoto Shinkai made an appearance. (Masataka Yamaura)

KESENNUMA, Miyagi Prefecture—A special screening here of Makoto Shinkai’s latest feature film hit further strengthened the famed director’s bonds with this northern city.

In “Suzume no Tojimari” (Suzume’s door locking), a girl with memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake travels across the country to lock doors that would otherwise bring about calamities.

A roadside rest area in Kesennuma, which was devastated in the 2011 tsunami, is depicted in the anime title.

The real-life Kesennuma has no dedicated movie theater.

So Koichi Sato, 69, head of a citizens group that organizes film screenings in the city, sent a letter to Shinkai, informing the director about how the group will allow residents to enjoy his latest title.

The screening event on May 28 attracted a larger-than-expected crowd of 1,250 people. A surprise decision was made to show the film twice that day.

An even bigger surprise occurred when Shinkai took the stage at the venue to deliver a speech.

“I checked locations to be illustrated in our film with other staff members the last time I came to Kesennuma two years ago,” Shinkai said following the first showing. “I wish I could see what this town was like before the disaster.”

When “Suzume no Tojimari” was nominated for the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, the Kesennuma city government organized a ceremony at the Oya Kaigan roadside facility, the site featured in the movie.

A civic hall was later picked as the venue for the screening. Most of the viewers there said they were watching “Suzume no Tojimari” for the first time.

Shinkai, who received high international acclaim for “Your Name.” in 2016 and “Weathering with You” in 2019, recounted his sentiment about “Suzume no Tojimari.”

He also talked about the roadside station portrayed in his movie as well as the local specialty called the peanut cream sandwich, which the film’s protagonist tries.

Kaya Hirasawa, 15, a first-year student of a local high school, told Shinkai about how she became “absorbed in the film.”

“My only memory of the earthquake is about my life as an evacuee, and I can recall little about the tsunami, except for my washed-away home stripped of everything but the pillars,” Hirasawa said.

“I could see firsthand what the disaster was actually like with genuine empathy as the title is themed on events that really transpired.”

The film’s run in Japan ended on May 27. It had been seen by 11.1 million people by May 25 in the six months following its release in November.

It has pulled in 14.73 billion yen ($106 million) at the Japanese box office.

“Suzume no Tojimari” has made waves in China and elsewhere, drawing a total of 35 million viewers.

The Blu-ray and DVD set of “Suzume no Tojimari” is scheduled for release on Sept. 20 by Toho Co. for 14,300 yen, including tax.

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