This fall, Nara-based film director Naomi Kawase dedicated her new film, "Rinne," to Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The film premiered at the Nara International Film Festival, which Kawase also organizes. The film begins with a single drop of water spilling from a leaf, floating down a river, and eventually reaching the sea. The approximately 10-minute video depicts how "people, nature, and everything that surrounds them are connected from the past to the present, and from the present to the future." Upon completing the film, Kawase commented, "My encounter with you has colored my life, and it weaves together those 'futures' and 'memories.' Compared to the memories of a large tree that has survived in the mountains for hundreds or even thousands of years, enduring the wind and rain, the memories of one person are tiny... But when a 'universe' is born from these connections, history is carved into it."
The film is based on the corporate message of Isetan Mitsukoshi, a sponsor of this year's Nara International Film Festival, "This is Japan." Kawase's inspiration for the film "Rin-ne" resonated with the company's ideals of "consideration for others," "Japanese spirit," and "the changing seasons" that the company seeks to convey through "This is Japan." The film can be viewed on the Isetan Mitsukoshi message website, "This is Japan."
Video Source: (YouTube ISETAN Official Channel: https://youtu.be/MvM2OBjroC0)
