Director(s): Mitsuo Yanagimachi
Writer(s): Kenji Nakagami
Cast: Kinya Kitaoji, Kiwako Taichi, Ryota Najamoto
1985 Cannes Film Festival – Official Selection
A masterpiece from one of Japan’s greatest contemporary directors Mitsuo Yanagimachi (God Speed You! Black Emperor)
When developers arrive in a rural, seaside village with plans to construct a marine park, the divide grows between the village fishermen and the woodmen, led by a solitary boorish lumberjack, Tatsuo, who engages in bizarre rituals to appease the mountain goddess that he worships. When the waters become polluted with oil, the villagers consider it an act of sabotage on the planned urban development and Tatsuo takes the blame for the incident. He is only able to redeem himself through a shocking act which is revealed at the “fire festival.” Based on a real-life incident, Fire Festival is a spare, disturbing reflection on the loss of humanity amidst the drive to modernization.
