Naomi MIZOGUCHI 溝口尚美
Replay: Ainu – Indigenous People Of Japan
Nippon Docs ¾
The Ainu are an indigenous people living in the northern part of Japan, especially on the island of Hokkaido. Being relatively autonomous until the 19th century, they suffered a strong pressure to “modernize” and to assimilate to the Japanese “national culture”, starting with the era of the Meiji Restoration. Today, most younger Ainu have no relation to their ancestors’ culture, and knowledge of the Ainu language is rare even among members of the elder generation. In her documentary, Naomi MIZOGUCHI depicts the manifold attempts of the Ainu today to regain and pass on their cultural identity.
Wed., March 31, 2021
About Naomi MIZOGUCHI
Naomi MIZOGUCHI, born in Hyogo Prefecture, worked at a film production company in Japan before becoming a freelance filmmaker in 1995 and moving to New York in 2004 to study community media. In 2008, she co-established the non-profit-organization Cineminga, shooting a number of films with the active cooperation of indigenous people in South America and Asia. She then founded her own film production company GARA FILMS in 2014. AINU – INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF JAPAN (2019 / NC ’20) is her first feature-length documentary.