Ogawa Shinsuke and Ogawa Pro: “Nippon”: Furuyashiki Village

A heartfelt tribute to the few people living in a small village in the mountains. Ogawa Pro moved to the village of Furuyashiki to make a study of the weather and rice. They discovered the whole history of ancient and modern Japan in this hamlet of eight houses.

While living in the village of Magino where they were filming The Magino Village Story, the filmmakers of Ogawa Pro heard about the 'white south', a cold air front blown from the Pacific that damaged the crops in the small hamlet of Furuyashiki. They moved for two years to this small village with eight houses and an ageing population.

Adopting the methods of a scientific documentary, the first part of the film is a rigorous investigation of the influence of the cold weather on the crops. In this small village, the filmmakers found the whole history of Japan: they recorded the personal and collective stories told by the villagers, including the ancient tales passed down from their ancestors, and they addressed the transformations brought about by the modernisation of the country. The film is a tribute to these people, and one of the greatest films made by this group of filmmakers.

“Nippon”: Furuyashiki Village (Nippon koku: Furuyashiki-mura), Ogawa Productions, Japan 1982, 16mm, colour, 210 mins, Japanese with English subtitles.

With thanks to the Athénée Français Cultural Centre (Matsumoto Masamichi, Takasaki Ikuko), Hirasawa Go, Jed Rapfogel.

We are offering a special multibuy deal for the Ogawa Season: book tickets for 2-5 screenings and get them for £9 each, or 6-9 screenings and get them for £8 each.