Summer Project (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Set in rural Japan during the 1990s, Summer Project follows a lonely boy whose discovery of a human head in a suitcase turns an innocent game with friends into a tragedy with lasting consequences. Yuki Hara writes and directs this 15-minute short film.

Summer Project is a 2026 short film written and directed by Yuki Hara. Set in rural Japan in the 1990s, it centers on a disturbing discovery that changes the course of a child’s seemingly innocent summer activity.

With a runtime of 15 minutes, the film builds its premise around Akira, a lonely boy who finds a human head inside a suitcase. The discovery leads to a game with friends before events take a tragic and irreversible direction.

Summer Project movie details

Story without spoilers

Akira, a lonely boy living in rural Japan during the 1990s, makes a shocking discovery: a human head concealed in a suitcase. Rather than ending there, the incident becomes connected to an innocent game involving his friends. As the situation develops, what begins with childhood curiosity leads toward tragedy and consequences that cannot be undone.

The supplied synopsis keeps the details of the events and their outcome undisclosed, allowing the film’s central mystery and escalating danger to remain intact.

What to expect

Summer Project is a brief, dark short film built around a disturbing premise and a sharp shift from childhood innocence to tragedy. Its setting in 1990s rural Japan provides the backdrop for a story focused on Akira’s discovery and the consequences that follow.

The 15-minute runtime suggests a compact narrative rather than an expansive character study. Viewers can expect the film to concentrate on its central incident, the children’s response to it and the irreversible turn described in the synopsis, without revealing the ending.

Cast and creative team

Iori Sugimoto plays Akira Miyamoto, the lonely boy at the center of the story. Misa Wada appears as Yuko Miyamoto, while Mutsuo Yoshioka plays Masato Miyamoto. Yuki Hara is credited as both director and writer.

• Iori Sugimoto as Akira Miyamoto
• Misa Wada as Yuko Miyamoto
• Mutsuo Yoshioka as Masato Miyamoto

Release and production context

Summer Project is listed as a 2026 release with a release date of September 4, 2026. It has a runtime of 15 minutes and is classified as a short film. The supplied information identifies the original title as Summer Project and does not provide a country, spoken language or production company.

Movies Dock view

Summer Project presents a tightly contained story in which a troubling discovery interrupts an apparently innocent childhood experience. With Yuki Hara handling both writing and direction, the film’s concise format keeps attention on Akira, the suitcase and the consequences set in motion by what he finds.

Film data:
TMDB