exclusive program : YIDFF
Cenote
(Kaori Oda / 2019 / 75 min / Japan, Mexico)
In the northern Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, there is an abundance of cenotes – underground springs that flow into caves. In the ancient Mayan empire, these were the only source of water, and they were also where ceremonies were held to pray for rain. This film tells the story of the people, past and present, whose lives intersect with the cenotes, which are believed to be the connection between this world and the next. Swimming fish, children, elders, festivals, bull fights, faces . . . In this bewitching film of light and darkness, flowing together with the water we hear the echoes of ancient memories, the voices of spirits, and lines from ancient Mayan plays.
- 2019 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
- 2020 International Film Festival Rotterdam
- 2020 Montreal International Documentary Film Festival
Kaori Oda
Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1987, Oda Kaori is a filmmaker and artist. Through images and sounds, her works explore memories of human beings. She completed the Doctor of Liberal Arts in Filmmaking under the supervision of Béla Tarr in 2016. Her first feature, Aragane (2015) shot in a Bosnian coal mine, had its world premiere at Yamagata International Film Festival and received Special Mention. The film has been screened at festivals such as Doclisboa, Mar del Plata IFF, Sarajevo FF, TIDF, and more. Her second feature, Toward A Common Tenderness (2017), a poetic film research, had its world premiere at DOK Leipzig. Her latest film, Cenote (2019), shot in underwater caves in Yucatan Mexico, premiered in the Bright Future section at IFFR 2020. She received the Inaugural Nagisa Oshima Prize in 2020 and the New Face Award of the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts in 2021.
