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Global Pitch



Daughter of Fuji

MIZUTANI Eri

  • Japan, Poland
  • 90min
  • mov
  • color

Synopsis

Keiko is the last recognized teacher of Chigonomai, a worship rite performed by prepubescent virgin girls who are carefully chosen according to strict rules by the male board of elders to appease Mount Fuji. Keiko faces a critical decision: to break away from patriarchal tradition's chains or fight with those in power to reform it. As she strives to find her successor, she also seeks to answer the questions about what tradition truly means today and what the role of women in Kawaguchiko society is – all in the face of Mount Fuji's eruption and the multiple hardships imposed on Keiko by the locals. Keiko is a very secretive person. Her traumatic childhood is a topic of gossip among the local community. She was born in 1966, a year of “Hinoe-Uma’’ (Fire-Horse), which was considered particularly ominous for women in Japan. Many Japanese families chose not to have or abort children that year due to the superstition that women born in these years are believed to kill and cannibalize their husbands.

Director's Statement

I have spent numerous hours conversing with Keiko, the main character of my documentary, and have come to realize that she struggles to convey her thoughts and emotions effectively. This realization reminded me of why I chose filmmaking over painting as my artistic medium.  I employ painterly aesthetics to reveal Keiko's hidden emotional states and the drama surrounding her. By doing so, my characters become the creators of their own psychological portraits on the screen.

 

After spending ten years abroad and gaining a different perspective on Japan, I returned to my homeland and realized that everything remained the same. It was then that I met Keiko, a traditional dance teacher. 

 

In my film, I document Keiko's attempts to reshape the future of her tradition. I want to showcase this world in a movie because I have two different perspectives. This allows me to get closer to Japan's isolated and inaccessible culture and shed light on the internal struggles of women like Keiko.

 

Director

  • MIZUTANI Eri

     

Credit

  • Producer이비 브랑카 EVIE Branka