A MIDSUMMER’S FANTASIA

THE NIKAIDOS’ FALL

NARAtive2018

The Iranian director Ida Panahandeh is shooting a film in Tenri city in 2017.

At the Nara International Film Festival in 2016, her film NAHID was screened as an opening feature-length film in the competition genre. The film was awarded the Grand Prix (Golden Deer award) in the festival.

She visited Tenri to make field research in March 2017. After returning to Iran, she has been writing a scenario for the next film.

Her new film will be screened as a premier in the opening ceremony of the 5th Nara International Film Festival scheduled for September 2018.

THE WOLVES OF EAST

NARAtive2016

The village of Higashi Yoshino is known as the place where the extinct Japanese wolves were last seen over 100 years ago. Carlos and his writer partner Abel Arcos visited the village for the first time in March 2015, and spent a month there to research about the village and write an original screenplay. They were inspired by the story of the extinct Japanese wolves as well as the movie "La Novia De Cuba," the story about a Japanese sailor who falls in love with a Cuban revolutionist, and the new film "The Wolves of the East" is positioned as a sequal to "La Novia De Duba." A highly distinguished Japanese actor Tatsuya Fuji plays the main charactor Akira, along with other professional and non-professional actors including some local villagers.

A MIDSUMMER’S FANTASIA

NARAtive2014

Korean filmmaker Jang Kun-jae was a runner-up for the Golden SHIKA Award at the Nara International Film Festival 2012, and eventually he was given the right to make a film for NARAtive 2014, as the original winner had a schedule conflict. In the summer of 2013, Jang came to Gojo city, Nara, together with this crew members. "A Midsummer's Fantasia" is a fiction based on his own experience.

INORI

NARAtive2012

Pedro González-Rubio, the winner of the Golden SHIKA Award at the Nara International Film Festival 2010, directed "Inori," set in Kannogawa in Totsukawa Village, Nara. The Great Eastern Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the disastrous flooding in Totsukawa Village 120 years ago, and "Hojoki" (an essay wrtitten by Kamo no Chomei in the 13th century) which laments the transience of this world... Pedro received these incidents as being directly connected to himself and thus his journey began. As if following "Hojoki," Pedro conducted his camera like Kamo no Chomei put his writing brush on paper. In September 2011, the Kannogawa region was subjected to disastrous flooding due to a large typhoon and suffered devastating damage. Rubio heard of this disaster just as he was about to start editing his film. Facing the reality the scenery of the small community he filmed will never come back, the filmmaker showed his determined responsibility and gave his full focus in editing. With profound feelings attached to the villagers and the director himself, "Inori" is completed in 2012, the year marking the 800th anniversary since the Hojoki was written.
Pedro won the Golden Leopard Award with this film at the 65th edition of the Locarno Film Festival in 2012.

LAST CHESTNUTS

NARAtive2010

Two directors were selected by recommendation as a new creator active in the world, made the first NARAtive project.

BION

NARAtive2010

Two directors were selected by recommendation as a new creator active in the world, made the first NARAtive project.