Karakui

The 2023 fall Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) will screen two films from Okinawa. The first one is “This Land is Your Land (Shima ni Kaeru)” directed by Mitake Naoto and stars the most famous male actor from Okinawa, Shogen. Two actors I’m interested in seeing from this film are Miyara Shinobu (one of the original members of DA PUMP; he’s from Yaeyama and his family operates a guesthouse) and Mion (a recording artist of modern and classical Ryukyuan music). A little side story about Miyara Shinobu is that after leaving DA PUMP he stayed in the music scene for a while as a solo musician playing sanshin and I went to see him perform at an Okinawan izakaya in Tokyo. It was bittersweet seeing him go from being a big J-pop star to living the life of a struggling musician. I’m sure he’s at a happier place now that he’s back in Okinawa with a family. Tickets for the film can be purchased on HIFF.org. I’m looking forward to watching this film and I’m sure I’ll be visiting this page for the songs.

The second film is “Happy Sandwich” directed by the most prolific director from Okinawa, Kishimoto Tsukasa (Nago, Okinawa).

The setting is the northern part of Okinawa Island (known as “Yanbaru”).
One day, Shogo Manna, who operates a restaurant there, is ordered by Kaminchu (Shinto priest) to “create a sandwich worthy of being offered to the gods.”
In the quest for a sandwich of such fine quality, Shogo travels around to meet with numerous people involved in the food business. 
He learns about the ideas and lifestyles of producers and chefs and begins to think more deeply about the theme of “Food and Lifestyle.”
Commentary
Modern life has become increasingly removed from nature. While attaining greater convenience, there are various aspects of living that have faded from view. This film addresses the theme of “Food and Lifestyles.” The idea is to more strongly convey the values treasured over the years for the sake of the future. The hope is that the theme will inspire greater bonds between people and communities, along with efforts to use the preservation of nature to help build a more productive society.

https://oimf.jp/en/movie/detail/46/

Tickets can be purchased on HIFF.org. Hope to see some of you there!