Mori, the Artist's Habitat

Mori no Iru Basho
dir. Shuichi Okita
Japan 2018, 99’
subtitles: Polish and English

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Theatrical Screenings
Th 17 Nov, 18:15
Kinoteka 1
Kinoteka 1
Su 20 Nov, 12:45
Muranów
Muranów
Online Availability
16 Nov, 10:00 – 4 Dec
Additional Materials
Awards and festivals
World premiere: Beijing IFF 2018 Golden Rooster Awards 2018 - Audience Award, Best International Director
Credits
Japan 2018
Duration: 99’
director: Shuichi Okita
screenplay: Shuichi Okita
cinematography: Yuta Tsukinaga
editing: Takashi Sato
music: Kensuke Ushio
cast: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kirin Kiki, Ryo Kase, Kaito Yoshimura, Ken Mitsuishi
producer: Shigeto Arai, Kazumi Kawashiro, Nao Kataoka
production: Nikkatsu Corporation dub inc.
language: Japanese
colouration: colour

Film description

An episode in the life of Mori (Tsutomu Yamazaki), an eccentric painter who practices his art in his garden, surrounded by insects, cats and the fish in his pond. With the exception of his wife (Kirin Kiki), he is hesitant to interact with people and rarely meets with anyone. This contributes to his legend, and his abode becomes a local attraction for nosy fans. His everyday harmony is shattered with the appearance of a film crew shooting a documentary about him and local eco-activists protesting against aggressive moves by developers. The planned modernisation will not only change the local landscape, but also destroy the microcosm of the garden, so integral to Mori’s art. The painter is a silent rebel devoted to observing nature and harmonious existence.


Mori, the Artist’s Habitat is yet another brilliant biography of an eccentric subject directed by Shuichi Okita. This time, it’s the avant-garde artist Morikazu Kumagai, known as the “Hermit Painter”, who gained fame for his depictions of nature and his vivid, stylized cat portraits. He spent most of his life in the garden behind his house, avoiding people and curious stares. This is where Okita shows him – the painter is fully devoted to creating art and contemplating, carving out an oasis untouched by time in the world of breakneck technological development which comes to mind when we think of Japan. Okita invites us to Mori’s garden, which resembles an enchanted bubble of the natural world, where the human and the non-human coexist, in spite of the hostility of the outside world, in keeping with an environmental philosophy.

text:
Łukasz Mańkowski

Shuichi Okita

Born in 1977 in Saitama. Award-winning director known for his unique humor and oddball biographies of odd characters. Author of over a dozen feature films. His career breakthrough came with A Story of Yonosuke. The Japan Feel-Good section includes three of his movies, acclaimed on the international festival circuit and showcasing his idiosyncratic style as one of the most empathetic observers of today’s Japan.

Filmography:

2009 Nankyoku ryōrinin / The Chef of South Polar 

2012 Kitsutsuki to ame / The Woodsman and the Rain 

2013 Opowieść o Yonosuke / Yokomichi Yonosuke / A Story of Yonosuke 

2014 Taki wo mini iku / Ecotherapy Getaway Holiday

2016 Mohikan kokyōni kaeru / The Mohican Comes Home 

2018 Mori, siedlisko artysty / Mori no iru basho / Mori, the Artist's Habitat 

2020 Ora, Ora Be Goin' Alone 

2021 Letnia opowieść / Kodomo wa wakatte agenai / One Summer Story 

2022 Rybie dziecko / Sakana no ko / The Fish Tale

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