is a 2009 Japanese film. This film is adapted from the 1872 novel A Dog of Flanders and is inspired by the 1971 film A Small Love Melody. Directed by Joji Matsuoka and written by Kundō Koyama—the scriptwriter for the film Departures, it is a poignant story of a middle class woman's teenage friendship with a poor artist. Shintaro Morimoto plays the role of Sota, the orphan artist who lives with his grandfather, and Marino Kuwashima plays the role of Sota's friend, Sayo. Together, they have to weather the many challenges that come their way because of their lowly social status. Snow Prince marked the film debuts of Morimoto and Kuwashima. The main and supporting cast of Snow Prince was revealed on 11 May 2009, and the filming subsequently took place at a movie village located in Shōnai, Yamagata from November 2008 to February 2009. The theme song of this film, entitled Snow Prince, was sung by a group of 10 boys including Shintaro Morimoto, the lead actor of this film. This song debuted at the 9th position on the Oricon weekly charts. Snow Prince had its international debut in Flanders, Belgium, the setting for A Dog of Flanders. It then showcased at the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival, and subsequently opened in Japanese cinemas on 12 December 2009. The film, which grossed $845,375 in Japan and Singapore, received mixed reviews from critics. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa was nominated for the best supporting actor award at the 52nd Blue Ribbon Awards for his role. Plot The film opens when Sayo Arima, a girl brought up in a wealthy family and now an elderly woman, unexpectedly receives a manuscript written by Haigo, a circus clown whom she met many years ago. It deals with the events seventy years earlier when Sayo was friends with Sota, a poor village boy who lived with his grandfather and dreamt of being a painter. The film moves back to that time, when a circus came to the town where Sayo and Sota lived. Despite Sota's grandfather warning him not to go near the circus, Sota goes with Sayo. After the performance, they sneak backstage and are caught by the circus clown Haigo, who kindly gives Sota an egg, which he had intended to buy for his grandfather. Sota believes that the clown can read his mind, and calls him Kamisama, which means "god" in Japanese. Later,