Actress Koyuki is finally getting her turn to star in a motion picture. She has been chosen for the lead in "Shin-san," based on the novel of the same name by Tomoki Tsujiuchi. The film is being directed by Hideyuki Hirayama.

The story is set in a coal mining town in Fukuoka during the 1960s. Koyuki plays Michiyo, a divorced woman who moves from Tokyo back to her hometown in Fukuoka, bringing her only son with her. She eventually falls in love with a young man named Shinichi (Shin-san), who is 20 years younger than her and is classmates with her son.

Child actor Ren Kobayashi plays Shinichi as a youth, while Takuya Ishida portrays him as a young man.

Filming started in the middle of last month. "Shin-san" is scheduled for a 2009 release.