On the occasion of “Before the Sunset” opening from September 29 at select AMC Theatres across the U.S, Yoichi Utebi talks with Panos Kotzathanasis regarding the story of the film and how it was developed, the messages about second chances and grief, balancing life and career, the casting, how Japanese movies work in US and other topics.

Yoichi Utebi, hailing from Japan and born in 1968, is the producer of the recently released film “Before the Sunset” by HS Productions for its theatrical debut in the US. Raised in a unique Japanese Christian household, Utebi spent his formative years in Lebanon, where he was deeply influenced by Muslim culture and the country’s beauty. He later moved to New York at the age of 12 and spent 10 years there, surrounded by friends from various cultural backgrounds. With 12 years of experience in marketing and senior management at American IT companies in Japan, Utebi joined Happy Science in 2010, where he currently serves as a world lecturer and producer for “Before the Sunset.”

Please review the film here.