Chikyu Films: Hunt for Matsutake

CHIKYU FILMS 

This spring, we will feature a series of films, CHIKYU FILMS, which will share the stories and people who examine the close relationship to our environment, our earth, or Chikyu 地球 in Japanese.

THE HUNT FOR MATSUTAKE

April 4, 6:30 PM & April 17, 2:00 PM

Directed by Alejandro Yoshizawa (40 min.) 2011

Preceding the film, we will be screening the short films of the We Heart Canada and Japan 90 Short Film Contest (20 min). There will also be a Q+A and discussion after the film.

This documentary looks at Japanese-Canadian history and the history of Matsutake hunting. Matsutake – a delicacy in Japanese cuisine – can only be found in the wild, and is both a commercial and cultural symbol. The film chronicles annual trips into the forests of Canada in search of the elusive and much sought-after mushroom.

I believe there is something unique about these rare, precious mushrooms. For more than just their earthy aroma, they are special to many Japanese people in North America, symbolizing a connection to Japan yet rooted (literally) in Canadian and American soil. This simple Fall tradition flourished before and now alongside the now multi-million dollar matsutake exporting industry.

By documenting matsutake hunting, I hope to learn about our shared history. Yet perhaps most of all, I would like to tell a simple, sweet, and heartwarming story decades in the making.

Fall can’t come fast enough. – Alejandro Yoshizawa