Ode to Mount Hayachine 早池峰の賦

Ode to Mount Hayachine
早池峰の賦

Friday, July 1, 5:59PM – Sunday, July 3, 11:59PM (ET)
Directed by HANEDA Sumiko | 1982 | Documentary | 156 minutes | Japanese with English subtitles
Online Film Screening (Canada only) | Admission Free | RSVP Required (register below to receive a viewing link before July 1)

A surprising box-office hit in Japan, HANEDA Sumiko’s documentary epic revels in the patterns of Japan caught between tradition and modernity. Shot in the foothills of Iwate Prefecture’s mystical Mt. Hayachine, the film records a year in the life of the area’s villages and villagers as they prepare for kagura performances, a dance-theater form with origins in religious rituals (and now mainly performed for eager tourists). Fittingly, the film’s true beauty comes not through its commentary on tradition and society, but in its harmonization to the mountain’s own intricate rhythms.

About HANEDA Sumiko
Born in 1926, in Dalian, China (then Manchuria, under Japanese occupation), Haneda started her career with Iwanami Productions, a company producing educational films, where she would make her first films about the arts, education, and nature. In 1976 she directed her first independent film, The Cherry Tree with Gray Blossoms, a personal project she had worked on for many years. She made films about folkloric dances and changing rural traditions (Ode to Mt. Hayachine, 1982), portraits of aging artists such as Akiko-Portrait of a Dancer (1985) or the monumental Kabuki Actor Kataoke Nizaimon (1992-1996). Haneda led a prolific career directing over 80 films and receiving widespread recognition for her work on welfare politics and caring for the elderly. Later in her career, Haneda reflected upon her early life in China with films about the Japanese settlers in Manchuria such as Faraway Home – Lushun and Dalian (2011). She also participated in the creation of the Tokyo International Women’s Film Festival (1985-2012), the first of its kind in Japan.

Online Talk: Women Directors in Contemporary Japanese Cinema

Available Now on the JFT Youtube Channel

This special presentation with Dr. Colleen Laird (UBC) focuses on the emergence of women directors in early 21st century Japanese cinema industries. In this talk, Dr. Laird introduces prominent directors who have been successful in both domestic and international markets, and she discusses the various factors that supported a new career pathway for women in film, as well as ongoing barriers that pose difficulties for continued success.  Presented in English.

Watch Here