棒球落到《字裡人間》、《患難家族》(第11屆)導演石井裕也手上又會是怎樣的故事？根據真人真事改編，關於一隊活躍於1914至1941年間名叫温哥華朝日(Vancouver Asahi)的棒球 隊。隊員由一班第二代日本移民、加拿大出生的青年組成。他們 生活艱難、受盡歧視、屢戰屢敗，但仍繼續打棒球，可見他們熱愛棒球的程度。不論生活上或球場上好不容易找到殘存的空間， 可惜二次大戰的陰霾籠罩下，最終在1941年解散。故事道出一群日本移民的辛酸，他們的歷史卻鮮為人知，連導演也承認都是因為拍這部戲才知道。此片不止日本觀眾有共鳴，在海外也大獲好評。

Ishii Yuya (The Great Passage) tells the rousing true-life story of the Vancouver Asahi, a baseball team made up of Japanese- Canadians that captured multiple city championships and the adoration of Vancouver’s Japanese community between 1914 and 1941. Tsumabuki Satoshi (Ishii’s Our Family) stars as Reggie, a second-generation immigrant who must learn how to turn his hardworking but perpetually losing baseball team into winners when he is selected to take over as the team captain. The winner of the Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival, The Vancouver Asahi is also an eye-opening portrait of the hardships and social injustices that Japanese immigrants faced in their search for a better life abroad.