Hey, I’m Casey. Welcome to our newsletter, sharing the startup journey of Kamui Whisky K.K. We’ve been busy, but when we aren’t overwhelmed, we’ll share a story as we craft up a whisky distillery on a remote, volcanic island in the most northern part of Japan.
A remarkable1 debut it was.
Check out these moody, wallpaper worthy shots:
As you can see the film was beautifully shot.
It’s safe to say our Whisky stole several scenes.
DECEMBER, a Film by Anshul Chauhan
Our film debut is in DECEMBER, which just had its World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival.
Here is director, Anshul Chauhan, introducing the film:
The trailer, with its imposing musical score, can be seen:
I was able to watch a pre-screening.
It’s a compelling film. Fantastic score, superb visuals, gripping acting, all ro tell an important story. Anshul and team shot it during the pandemic. Shooting it on, I believe, a tight budget.
It feels like a thriller, with fast pacing. The end credit goes up seemingly just a few minutes after it opens. You don’t know how it is going to end.
DECEMBER has a lot of memorable scenes. We’re proud that we could help sponsor the production and be captured in such a wonderful film2.
Why We Sponsored
Kamui Whisky K.K. was a sponsor for DECEMBER. It was unplanned. It was more money than we had budgeted, having not sold a thing when we signed on as sponsor.
The reason I decided to support Anshul in his vision, in his career as a Director, was that I’ve scene his previous films, was impressed with his talent. I know how hard it is to create something new. And, I know a little bit about the film industry in Japan, having executive produced a film a few years ago. I know that it is not easy to survive, and not easy at all to keep creating with all of the financial pressures. The finances are hard for independent films3.
We were in a position that we could help Anshul’s dream come alive, to go bigger than he had gone before, to give a little help for him to jump to the next step. I’ve sold creative visions before and received small sums in support, less than I needed, but more than the money received is the belief. To receive belief, quickly, without complication, backed up with real money, is meaningful to someone trying to create something new, something hard. That’s what I wanted to give to Anshul. That belief.
Anshul’s created something important. Do give it a watch when you have a chance.
DECEMBER.
Our Sponsorship Strategy
Going forward we will do some sponsorships here and there. In the arts, in sports, and other creative endeavors. Our approach will be to support up and coming talent. People that are striving to make their dreams come true rather than those that are already living their dream. As a startup we want to support people that are sacrificing, living with deep uncertainty while trying to create something better for themselves, better for the world.
We won’t look to sponsor major sports or major artists. We want to help those that still don’t know whether or not they will make it. They need the most help. Money we give will of course help them, but, the belief in them, with little expectation that we will receive a financial return, will be the more important gift that we can give. At least that is our hope, and the sentiment with which we will approach sponsorship decisions.
We sponsored Anshul and DECEMBER very early in our own story, before we were financially sound, well before profitably (still not there yet). Next time we make a sponsorship decision it’ll be more financially prudent, when we have a sustainable cash base to work from.
Until then please keep in mind our sponsorship approach. If you have an artist, athlete, team, or group that is working at a very high, very talented level, but need some financial help, drop us a note. It won’t happen soon, but Kamui Whisky K.K. will be looking to support gifted people working hard to get their big break.
Congratulations to Anshul, Mina4, Taka5, and everyone who created DECEMBER.
From all of us here, we loved how you made us feel and how you made us look so good on the big screen.
See you on Netflix next, Anshul.
adjective
worthy of attention; striking.
from Oxford Languages
Drinking game: when you get your hands on a bottle of our whisky, have a sip every time you see us on screen.
Matt Damon breaks it down for you:
Producer, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7286397/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Producer, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1397093/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr8
Congratulations Casey and team. In your previous post, you toyed several creatives for the label and bottle form. Was there a particular reason you used the kintsugi version in this film? Just curious. I love all the designs by the way.