Ainu Neno An Ainu • アイヌネノアンアイヌ

Friday, August 12, 5:59PM – Sunday, August 14, 11:59PM (ET)

Directed by Neo Sora & Laura Liverani • 2021 • Documentary • 72 min. • Presented in Japanese & Ainu with English subtitles

Online Film Screening (Canada only) • Admission Free • RSVP Required (register below to receive a viewing link on August 12) • Trailer

A cinematic family photo album of a remote village in Hokkaido, where the Ainu, the indigenous population of northern Japan, have kept their culture and language alive despite a history of Japanese colonization.

Ainu Neno An Ainu collects the stories of the Ainu. The film is an interwoven set of stories narrated by Maya, a young Ainu who grew up in the remote Hokkaido village of Nibutani. As a college student Maya’s goal is to revitalize the Ainu language and culture, making it more accessible to future generations of both Ainu and Japanese.

Maya’s voice guides the audience as other villagers tell their stories and portray the histories of their community, from their individual and collective journey of forced assimilation and discrimination to the revitalization of their own language and culture. The cast is comprised of the people who live in the village of Nibutani, which hosts a population that is over 70 percent of Ainu descent.

In celebration of International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9.

The Fox of Shichigorosawa • 七五郎沢の狐

Directed by SUGIHARA Tune • 2015 • Animation • 14 min. • Presented in Ainu with English subtitles • Trailer

Higashiyama, the home of the foxes, has become an illegal dumping ground. This results in the decrease of small animals, which the mother fox relied on as prey to feed her children. The fox comes down from the mountains in search of food to feed her children, and comes upon a human village. This story is told in the Ainu language.

The Fox of Shichigorosawa will play before the screening of Ainu Neno An Ainu.

Related Programming:

Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan • アイヌ：ひと

Director MIZOGUCHI Naomi depicts the manifold attempts of the Ainu today to regain and pass on their cultural identity. This documentary was filmed in Biratori town in Hokkaido, where many people with Ainu roots still live. It is also known as the hometown of the late Shigeru Kayano, who contributed greatly to the field of research on Ainu culture. In celebration of International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Online Film Screening 

Inuit Print Art and its Early Japanese Influences

In the mid-20^th century, a series of fortunate events led to the introduction of Japanese printmaking techniques to the Inuit community of Cape Dorset. In this talk with Dr. Norman Vorano (Queens University), we will hear the story of how these ancient traditions of Japan made their way to the remote Canadian arctic, how Inuit artists built upon these traditions, and the ways in which Inuit printmaking continues to thrive today.

Watch Here

JF OverDrive: Ebooks about indigenous peoples of Japan

Deepen your understanding about the Ainu people and their culture by checking out ebooks on indigenous peoples of Japan before or after the film screening! Apply for a new library card or renew your expired card here.