Kaori Oda
UNDERGROUND
Japan 2024, 83’
I aimed to use the ‘shadow’ – something that journeys through the living traces of the ancient past, the present, and the distant future – to connect the underground and the aboveground, the lost and the remaining, the living and the dead. In the underground, where these signs can be felt, the device of film has, for a moment, made a frozen time move again. Spaces that have been hidden, covered, or concealed are brought to light by the eyes of the living. The living in this film are not only we, the filmmakers involved in this film, but also the audience gazing at the screen.” (Kaori Oda) The film captures a range of underground landscapes, including Okinawa and Hokkaido. Okinawa reflects memories of World War II, while Sapporo features modern infrastructures like subways and sewers. These spaces represent different temporalities and together, they form a vast, puzzle-like depiction.
Returning guest Japanese filmmaker Kaori Oda (Osaka 1987) has mainly worked in the field of documentary, where she tries to explore the memories of human beings through image and sound. 2013 through 2016, she studied in Sarajevo under the supervision of Béla Tarr. Her films have toured all major international films festivals. She received the Inaugural Nagisa Oshima Prize in 2020 and the “new face” award of Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts in 2021.
cast: Nao Yoshigai, Mitsuo Matsunaga, Mikie Nishihara, Eiga Matsuo, Hayato Nagasaki
screenwriter Kaori Oda
producers Ryohei Tsutsui, Eijun Sugihara
cinematographer Yoshiko Takano
technical direction, sound, DI colorist: Hayato Nagasaki
assistant of direction & filming: Yuto Torii
editor: Kaori Oda
sound: Iwao Yamazaki
music: Miyu Hosoi
ALL SCREENINGS ARE FREE
