Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

The film is about the growth of a girl who desires to pursue what she loves and a loving father who believes in her and supports her. Yoshiko, the girl, has an intense interest in insects. Her classmates and the older kids in school think this strange and tease her because “it’s weird for a girl to like insects. The father encourages her not to mind what the kids say. “Love will carry you through,” he tells her. Yoshiko is in shock one day, when her precious beetle dies, but this　further piques her curiosity to study living things. With the continuous support of her parents and her father’s words, Yoshiko immerses herself in biology. She spends her days and nights at her desk studying throughout junior high, high school, and university. Later, after having become a researcher, she makes a historical discovery. All because she pursued what she loved.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Unlike in Europe and the United States, admittance into Japanese schools are　often determined by a one-time written test. School grades, statement of purpose, and extra-curricular activities are not taken into much consideration unless in unconventional screening systems. For this reason, many parents feel the need to pressure their children to acquire the knowledge necessary to score high on the written tests, creating a uniquely Japanese business that is the cram school system. Because of this, there is little room for an educational environment that allows for a child to develop an independent mind, and to pursue individual interests, and for the parents to support that. What you see in this film is a rare case.

Provide the full film script in English.

“The Girl Who Loved Insects” A summer afternoon. The daughter comes home from her little insect-catching expedition. She shouts something at the front door. Her father is in the living room. He reacts to her voice. Daughter : Daddy! Father : Wow! Night. The father peeks at his daughter through the open door. She talks to the beetle. Daughter : I’m going to take care of you. Recess time at school. The daughter talks to a praying mantis by the windowsill. The other girls whisper to each other loud enough for her to hear. Daughter : Where did you come from? Classmate: Look at her. She’s talking to insects. In the school yard after classes. The daughter finds a sow bug. She finds it cute. She has dirt on her face. The older students are on their way home from their after-school activities. They make fun of her. Daughter : You’re cute. Senior students : Looking at insects again? End of summer. It’s a weekend afternoon. The daughter stares at the beetle. She turns to her father. Daughter : Daddy? Is it strange for a girl to like insects? The mother and father exchange glances. The father approaches the daughter. Father : But you love them, right? Then it doesn’t matter what people say. Love will carry you through. She tears up. She starts to cry in her father’s arms. Father : You’ll be fine. Autumn. Yard. A grave is being made for the beetle. The father watches as the daughter makes her way back into the house. "Here lies Mr. Beetle." Night. The father looks at his daughter through the open door. She cries in front of the empty insect cage. She raises her head, her expression resolute. The parents talk about their daughter in the living room. Father : What happened? The daughter studies hard at her desk. The father remembers that night she was crying about her dead beetle. Winter. Evening. Bus stop. The daughter is now in high school. She reads her biology textbook. Her father taps her on her shoulder. Father : Dr. Insect! Daughter : You startled me! Father : Studying biology again? Daughter : I can’t help it! Daughter :Thanks. Father : Love – Father & Daughter : –will carry you through. Daughter : I know. Spring. University café. The daughter studies alone at her table while the other students seem to be enjoying themselves. Class. The daughter listens to the lecture intently. Research lab. We transition from one season to the next. 8 years pass. The daughter looks through the lens of the microscope. She comes to a certain realization. Daughter : Wait… It can’t be! We see a reporter on a digital screen in the street. Reporter : A first for a Japanese! Grade school girls talk about the news. Elementary school students : Did you see the news? The father slowly places the newspaper with his daughter’s photo on it on the table. "A first for a Japanese. Biology Prize goes to Ms. Morisaki." The father watches his daughter on the TV screen giving interviews. She is surrounded by reporters. Reporter : A message to the children please. Daughter : When you’re different, They may laugh at you and hurt you. But you have to protect - The thing you love. Because love will carry you through. The daughter is in her lab. She takes a framed photo from the desk. Tagline : “What you love makes you strong.” We see the daughter in the lab from behind. The scene transitions back to the elementary school girl who loved insects.