DHAHRAN: Japanese filmmaker Kaneko Masakazu — known for his cinematic exploration of nature, memory, and myth — captivated audiences at the 11th Saudi Film Festival (SFF) with an intimate and insightful conversation about the deep connections between culture and storytelling.
Masakazu was joined on stage by Abdulrahman Al-Qarzaee, a fluent Japanese speaker from Saudi Arabia who served as translator with cultural commentator Showg AlBarjas acting as moderator.
The conversation delved into how landscapes, folklore and cultural identity shape cinematic storytelling, facilitating a thoughtful exchange of ideas that spanned cultural boundaries.
During this session, Masakazu shared his approach to filmmaking, particularly in “River Returns” (2024), his third feature film. It was shown just days earlier at the SFF, which is set to wrap up on April 23.
The film, a stunning blend of fantasy and drama, takes place in a rural Japanese village and tells the story of a young boy’s perilous journey to a seemingly haunted body of water. There, he hopes to calm the grief-stricken spirit responsible for devastating floods that have plagued the village. The story is set during the 1958 typhoon, which serves as a backdrop to the boy’s journey.
Masakazu revealed how his work has always been centered on the relationship between humans and nature.
“My work deals with the relationship between nature and humans as its central theme. It tells these stories in a poetic, almost mythical style,” he said.
In “River Returns,” the boy’s journey to the mountain pool is not just a physical one, but a spiritual and emotional quest, too.
The film captures how natural disasters can be viewed as manifestations of spiritual unrest, a concept in Japanese folklore that seemed to resonate with Saudi audiences.
The film’s breathtaking cinematography beautifully contrasts the serene landscapes with the looming, furiously violent storm, underscoring the dynamic between the gentle and the destructive forces of nature.
“The meaning of the narrative is ultimately left to the viewer — whether they experience sadness, love or the echo of an ancient tale,” Masakazu shared. “In the end, it becomes a transmission of culture, a passing down of folklore, all leading back to a shared emotional core. At the same time, I’m interested in how people respond — how a non-Japanese audience might engage with it.”
