Danny Glover to bridge the culture gap in “The Hariyama Bridge”

by Chris MaGee

I’d heard rumblings about of project before, but surfing through the Mainichi Daily News website I found full details. Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, The Colour Purple) is producing and starring in “The Hariyama Bridge”, a film being shot in San Francisco and in a small town in Kōchi Prefecture that tells the story of Daniel Holder, played by actor Ben Guillory, a man with a deep prejudice against the Japanese due to his father being killed during the Pacific War. Glover plays the supporting role of the Daniel’s brother. This will be the feature length directorial debut of Aaron Woolfolk, an American filmmaker who has worked in Japan previously on his two short films “Eki (Station)” and “Kuroi Hitsuji”. Japanese cast members on “The Hariyama Bridge” include model turned actress Saki Takaoka (Nagai Sanpo) who plays a former English teacher who befriends Daniel, Hajime Yamazaki (Bayside Shakedown, Onibi: The Fire Within), Miho Ninagawa (M, Imprint) and Japanese AV star Honoka. “The Hariyama Bridge” is set for release in 2009.