Same Old Story: A Trip Back 20 Years is a film I co-directed about a famous Japanese rock musician Cheep Hiroishi. He takes a look back at his life over the last 20 years. Traveling back to the places he had been 2 decades before, he realizes how much time changes so many things. The film was shot on location in Japan and New York. Though it is in Japanese, a lot of people were crying at the end of the viewing at the New York Independent International Film and Video Festival.

The film went on to win Best International Music Documentary at the New York Film Festival and is on its way the the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival in February 2009. Later festivals will include California Independent Film Festival, San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, Korea's EBS International Documentary Festival, Puchon Film Festivall, and the big Yamamgata Documentary Film Festival.

The best part of the film is probably when Cheep reunites with Richie Cannata, a very famous producer and saxophonist, after 20 years. They cut it up at the Cutting Room in Manhattan.

I have put the trailer to the film at the bottom of the post so that you can see some clips and hear some of the original music by Cheep Hiroishi. Enjoy!!