Actress Miho Kanno (32) has been given her first starring movie role since 2002. She will play the protagonist in "Permanent Nobara," directed by Daihachi Yoshida ("Funuke Domo, Kanashimi no Ai wo Misero").

In recent years, Kanno has starred in television dramas such as "Kiina" and "Hataraki Man," but her last lead role on the big screen was Takeshi Kitano's "Dolls" seven years ago.

"Permanent Nobara" is adapted from a manga by Rieko Saibara. Kanno plays a newly divorced woman who returns with her daughter to her hometown, where her mother operates a beauty salon called "Permanent Nobara." The story deals with family, friendship, and romance. Currently, Kanno is undergoing special training to learn Tosa-ben, a dialect spoken in the Kochi prefecture, where the movie takes place.

Kanno's supporting cast includes Yosuke Eguchi as her boyfriend, Eiko Koike and Chizuru Ikewaki as her classmates, Mari Natsuki as her mother, and Ryudo Uzaki as her father-in-law. Filming will start on September 2 in Saibara's hometown of Sukumo, Kochi. Theatrical release is tentatively scheduled for May 2010.