RISING TIDES—THE DOCUMENTARY FILMS OF TSUCHIMOTO NORIAKI
Screening and talk
The great Japanese documentarian Tsuchimoto Noriaki dedicated much of his career to making films about the small fishing communities affected by mercury industrial pollution in the Minamata area. Throughout the years, his approach to filmmaking changed in response to the struggle and needs of the people whose lives were affected by this disaster and by the neglect from the authorities. Tsuchimoto's practice has been called "symbiotic" in the way it related closely to the people and their environment. This illustrated talk will complement the screening of The Shiranui Sea (1975) and provide an introductory overview of his filmography. It will focus on how environmental concerns have shaped his work from his very early films onwards, and how these have evolved throughout the years, embodying a form of caring, activism and political critique that is as relevant today as it was then.
Ricardo Matos Cabo is an independent film programmer. Recent projects include retrospectives of the work of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub (London, 2019), Tsuchimoto Noriaki (Courtisane. Ghent, 2019), Ogawa Shinsuke and Ogawa Pro (Cinéma du réel, Galerie du Jeu de Paume, Paris, 2018), several co-curated programmes for The Essay film festival in London (Esfir Shub, Babette Mangolte, Kidlat Tahimik, Mani Kaul, Günter Peter Straschek), and contributions to the documentary strand of the London Korean Film Festival. He has edited a monograph on the films of Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa ("Cem Mil Cigarros", 2009).
