After tackling late-term abortions in After Tiller, documentarian Lana Wilson will delve into an equally difficult and complex subject in her next project: suicide.
Wilson’s follow-up to Tiller, which she directed with Martha Shane, will focus on Japanese Buddhist priests who fought the suicide epidemic triggered by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Last Call will explore how their techniques might combat the rising rate of suicide worldwide.
“When I learned that there was a new wave of Buddhist priests combating the suicide problem in Japan, I immediately wondered how they convince desperate people to catch hold and move forward with their lives,” Wilson commented. “I realized I wanted to be in the room for these potentially extraordinary emotional encounters between two human beings and explore how those stories connect with the larger issues of economic turmoil, increasing alienation and fragmenting communities.”
Last Call will be financed and produced by Lilly Hartley’s Candescent Films, and Hartley will take on executive-producing duties.
“This is my second time supporting Lana Wilson as a director,” Hartley said. “She continues to impress me in her ability to tackle profound and complex issues.”
[via THR]
