Ainu Mosir (Ainu: アイヌモシㇼ, lit. 'the land of the Ainu; Hokkaido') is a 2020 Japanese drama film directed by Takeshi Fukunaga. It features a story about a young Ainu boy, and deals with issues around the conflict between his personal thoughts, modern Japan, and the way of his traditional Ainu heritage. The film featured as a premier at the Tribeca Film Festival.[1]
| Ainu Mosir | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Takeshi Fukunaga |
| Written by | Takeshi Fukunaga |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sean Price Williams |
| Edited by | Keiko Deguchi |
| Music by | Clarice Jensen |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Countries | Japan United States China |
| Language | Japanese |
Production
editThe movie was filmed on location in Hokkaido, Japan in 2020. The film runs for 84 minutes.
Plot
editKanto is a fourteen-year-old Ainu boy living in a small town in Hokkaido.[2] His mother runs an Ainu gift shop after his father’s death. Kanto is disgruntled with life in the town and wishes to move away from it to a big modern city, away from the Ainu people. The town itself is a traditional Ainu community, essentially carrying on the traditions and surviving through the tourism industry.
After the death of his father, he is taken under the wing of an Ainu Elder, Debo (Debo Akibe), a friend of his father's, who shows him the ways of the Ainu. The Ainu residents are reviving a lost tradition called Iomante, a controversial ritual killing of a bear, which some of them agree with and others see as a practice that should be changed. Around this time, Kanto discovers a bear in the forest. A Japanese journalist (Lily Franky) visits, interviewing the Ainu about the current situation, including the Iomante rite. Kanto keeps visiting the bear in the forest, befriends it, and then has to decide how he feels about the bear killing, ultimately coming to the conclusion that he does not agree with it.[3]
Kanto finds videotapes of the Iomante rites and watches them. He begins to discover more about Ainu culture, including some of the more mystical elements, and eventually comes to appreciate some of the rites.[1]
Cast
edit- Kanto – Kanto Shimokura
- Debo – Debo Akibe
- Emi – Emi Shimokura
- Japanese journalist – Lily Franky
Awards and film festivals
editAinu Mosir received a number of nominations, and won two awards:
- Guanajuato International Film Festival 2020 – winner – best International Feature competition
- Hainan International Film Festival 2020 – nominee – Future New Talent Award
- Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2020 – New Talent Award
- Image Awards (NAACP) 2021 – nominee – Outstanding International Motion Picture[4]
- Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival 2021 – nominee – Visions Jury award and Audience award
- Taipei Film Festival 2020 – nominee – New Talent award[5]
- Tribeca Film Festival 2020 – Special Jury Mention[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Lang, Jamie (2020-11-11). "Ava DuVernay's Array Releasing Drops Trailer for Takeshi Fukunaga's Netflix-Bound 'Ainu Mosir' – Global Bulletin". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
- ^ Winkelman, Natalia (2020-11-17). "'Ainu Mosir' Review: A Crisis of Cultural Identity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Schilling, Mark (October 21, 2020). "'Ainu Mosir': A coming-of-age tale, respectfully told". The Japan Times.
- ^ Bosselman, Haley (2021-03-28). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (2020-05-25). "Taipei Film Festival Going Ahead Without Overseas Visitors". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (2020-10-09). "Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Releasing Acquires Takeshi Fukunaga's Drama 'Ainu Mosir'". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
External links
edit- Ainu Mosir at IMDb
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