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Video Exhibition of Rie Sano / Kana Sun / Kohei Hirota I hope it reaches you: 3 films

Dates
Friday, February 3 - Thursday, February 16, 202311:00～18:00
Please read prior to your visit.
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In the third video exhibition at Sony Imaging Gallery, you will see three stories with the theme of people's thoughts.

In Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, Rie Sano looked at the people who lived through hell. Some people live while still asking themselves if there was anything more that they could have done then. Some people have left Kamaishi for a while, but are willing to do something for their hometown, even if only a little. Some people lost sight of themselves in the hustle and bustle of the city areas and returned to Kamaishi, where they were healed and found themselves again. Young people and children who were still small during the earthquake have grown up now. Although this is the story of each person who appears, or the story of Kamaishi, it may actually be the story of many people, many villages and many towns in the disaster area.

The second is the work of Kana Sun, who is studying photography and video from China that is here in Japan. In a town in Tokyo, she meets an elderly woman who has been making handmade tofu for over 80 years and is well-known among the townspeople. Sun remembers her grandmother in her hometown after seeing the back of the elderly woman who told her that tofu was brought to Japan from China long ago. Two countries, close geographically and distant politically, are connected by tofu and two grandmothers.

Kohei Hirota's work has been screened at many short film festivals. The stage is a long-established kimono store where a man tuning a piano comes into contact with a woman. Under this stage setting with a somewhat classic atmosphere and a romantic feeling, Mr. Hirota sums up a love story in 15 minutes. In encounters with people, unexpected things turn on a switch; sometimes a failure on the spot may unintentionally lead to the successful results that choose our fates.

What can be conveyed in a short video may be limited, but whether the people appearing are actors or ordinary people, the words, sounds, facial expressions and gestures are carefully woven to remind or makes us aware of important things, even if only a little.

May these three thoughts reach you.

Preview
Kohei Hirota

Rie Sano Profile

I grew up in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. Later, I spent time in some developing countries, poor neighborhoods in the U.S., and a tsunami-affected area in Japan, where I developed my zest for life. I even once ate piranha in the Amazon.

After returning to Japan, I became a public relations officer for the Kamaishi City Recovery Support Team of 2011 and began reporting on the tsunami disaster area while living in temporary housing. At the same time, I began working as an emcee and radio personality.

In 2020, the Tokyo Olympics, initially called the "Recovery Olympics," were to be held, and I began making videos to show the world the people in the disaster-stricken areas.

My dream is to visit Alaska and shoot videos of polar bears in the wild. My ultimate goal is to connect academia, politics, and civil society through creative means in order to realize a sustainable world.

Legacy of Resilience –The ocean made us stronger

Kamaishi City in Iwate Prefecture, one of the disaster areas in Tohoku, Japan, has the power to inspire hope in visitors. This is because there are many people who, despite the unbearable ordeal caused by the tsunami, have continued to do what they can do for others or for the future of their city. The expressions on their faces when they decided to look to the future were truly inspiringly beautiful and gave me a renewed strength of life.

I interviewed four people who are playing a major role in the reconstruction of Kamaishi for my video. The same three questions I asked all of them were what difficulties they experienced in the past 12 years, what they have done to overcome those difficulties, and what they have gained by doing so. I look forward to sharing with you the progress that has been made in each of the four people's lives in the 12 years since the earthquake and tsunami.

In the video, I have included many natural scenes of the ocean and mountains that Kamaishi prides itself on and asked the interviewees to talk to us while riding in a car or on a boat. Even if you have never visited Kamaishi, I hope you will enjoy this film as if you were actually with the people of Kamaishi, while touring their city.

Archive
Rie Sano
Legacy of Resilience - The ocean made us stronger

Gallery Talk with Citizens of Kamaishi City
(In Japanese)

Gallery Talk with Herbie Yamaguchi,
Hiroki Inoue Part1
(In Japanese)

Gallery Talk with Herbie Yamaguchi,
Hiroki Inoue Part2
(In Japanese)

Sun Kana Profile

Born in Zhejiang, China
Studying in the General Photography Research Seminar at Nippon Photography Institute and will graduate in 2023. After that, plans to study at Tokyo Zokei University and create works using cyanotypes and photographic works from documentaries

Photography Achievements
  • 2019
    Silver Award, WPPI (First Half) International Photo Contest
  • 2022
    “Omuroyama” selected for single photo category, Vogue Web
  • “Home Town” selected for single photo category, Vogue Web
  • Participated in Japan Photographic Art College Comprehensive Photography Research Seminar Exhibition To Someday You (Meguro Citizens Gallery)
  • Received the Japan Professional Photographers Society Chairman’s Award at the 47th Exhibition of JPS Young Eye (Exhibited at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in May and at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art Annex in June.)
  • Held the Konata Photo Exhibition in Gallery Yokuto (Tokyo)
  • Her work “Slough” selected for the Gakkoten 2022 review by Masako Imaoka in the 38th Higashikawa International Photo Festival Open Air Exhibition
  • “Slough” exhibited in T3 Photo Market, T3 Photo Festival Student Project
  • Exhibited “Sokaya” in a group photo exhibition at the Asakusa Shitamachi Cultural Festival
  • Exhibited cyanotype works at the 4KDO10 Sofvi Exhibition

This way

An old-fashioned tofu store stands along the road near the shopping street in Higashi Nagasaki, Toshima City. The trade name is Owariya. The tofu and deep-fried tofu made at 4:00 in the morning have a rich soybean taste; many people come to buy them every day. This long-established tofu store has been in business for over 80 years, and the owner of the shop is Toshiko Kayanuma, the fourth generation owner. When I saw Ms. Kayanuma's back as she was walking slowly in the store, she reminded me of my grandmother.

I felt a connection between us; so, I called out to Ms. Kayanuma the next day. She asked me if handmade tofu stores still remain in China today. I researched this and found that the handmade tofu stores were disappearing and had become mechanized.

She told me that tofu came to Japan from China. I felt that a certain culture was gradually disappearing due to the trend of mechanization. By photographing her, I want to protect the culture of my home country, as well as Owariya where Toshiko Kayanuma has many memories.

Kohei Hirota Profile

Graduated from the Department of Cinema, Nihon University College of Art. His independent film Saezuri, which he wrote and directed while in school, won the Excellence Award at the Fox Movie Premium Short Film Festival. After graduating, worked in directing and production departments at many sites such as for commercials, music videos, dramas and movies. Since 2018, has been a director at a video production company. Since 2020, has been a freelance director who also shoots and edits himself. He belongs to the Kushinsai video production team. His current short film Falling In Love with A# has been selected and won awards at 20 film festivals in Japan and overseas.

  • Finalist, Tokyo International Film Festival Amazon Prime Take One Award
  • Selected for Short Film Market Picks, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
  • Best Comedy Award, New York City Short Film Festival
  • Best Director Award, Canberra Short Film Festival
  • Selected at Vancouver Asian Film Festival
  • Selected at Foyle Film Festival

Falling in Love with A♯

There are moments when a person doesn't want others to see them.
But there are times when someone feels that person is very dear to them in such a moment.
Falling in love may be that kind of moment.

Synopsis

Akio, a piano tuner, visits the Nishimuro family, who runs a long-established kimono store. While he is tuning the piano in the living room, Teru, the eldest daughter of the Nishimuro family, comes to serve tea. However, Teru suddenly breaks wind in front of Akio. In this awkward atmosphere Teru hides her embarrassment and leaves. For some reason Akio falls in love with her...

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