To mark the fifth anniversary of the theatrical release of “Kanarta: Alive in Dreams”, a film distributed by our company, Toqué Studio LLC will be holding a special screening. Book from here.

This groundbreaking work was created by the director Akimi Ota, filmmaker / anthropologist, who spent approximately one year living in a village of the Shuar people in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, weaving together techniques from documentary filmmaking, visual anthropology and video art. It is also the result of his doctoral research conducted at the University of Manchester in the UK, a world-leading research institution in the field of visual anthropology.

Following its theatrical release nationwide from October 2021, which started at Theatre Image Forum, the film generated a huge response and won the Excellence Award in the Documentary Film category at the 2022 Agency for Cultural Affairs Film Awards. Even now, five years after its release, it continues to exude a unique and powerful character, thanks to the raw intensity of the gruelling fieldwork and the personal bonds forged with the indigenous interlocutors.

There will be three screenings in one day. Morning, afternoon and evening, with a talk session led by director Akimi Ota following each screening.

In this era, marked by the advancement of AI and wars occurring around the world, there is an ever-increasing need to re-examine fundamental questions such as ‘What does it mean to be human?’ and ‘Where are we heading?’. We, the organisers, hope that “Kanarta: Alive in Dreams” will provide an opportunity to reflect on these questions from the ground up.

Synopsis and Film Information

Sebastian and Pastora live in a Shuar village in the Upper Amazonia of Ecuador. Sebastian is not only a respected healer, but also a medicinal botanist who experiments with unknown plants he encounters in the forest. His unique practice seeks to cultivate new knowledge, reconnecting him with his ancestors. Pastora is one of the rare female leaders in Amazonia, who struggles to negotiate with local authorities for her community. With powerful plants such as ayahuasca, they revive and energise their perceptions of the future. These plants allow them to acquire power and a faith to cope with the obstacles they now face, given that their lives have been irreversibly affected by the modern state system. The alert eyes of the filmmaker, embodied in the drifting camera, creates a distinctive field of personal story-telling, inviting the viewers into the unique sensory experience of the life in Amazonia, where truths, meanings and images flow and take unpredictable shapes.

Producer & Director: Akimi Ota

Editing, Cinematography & Sound Recording: Akimi Ota

Cast: Sebastian Zamarlain, Pastora Tanchima

Sound Design: Martin Salomonsen

Colour Grading: Aline Biz

Graphic Design: Heijirō Yagi

In collaboration with: Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Manchester

2020 | Japan / UK | 121 mins | Colour | Japanese and English subtitles | Stereo

Timetable

Morning session: Screening starts at 10:00 (12:10–13:00: Talk by director Akimi Ota)

Afternoon session: Screening starts at 14:00 (16:10–17:00: Talk by director Akimi Ota)

Evening Session: Screening starts at 18:00 (Talk by director Akimi Ota: 20:10–21:00)

Ticket Information

General Admission: 1,800 yen

University and Vocational College Students: 1,500 yen (Please use the promo code ‘STUDENTS’)

High school students and younger: 1,000 yen (Please use the promo code ‘PUPILS’)

* Those purchasing tickets at the university student or lower rate must present their student ID on the day.

* A portion of the proceeds from this screening will be donated to indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest.

Cancellation Policy

As seating is limited, and to prevent those on the waiting list from being overlooked should the screening be fully booked, ticket cancellations must be made at least 72 hours before the screening starts.