Filmmaker and choreographer Nao Yoshigai is one of the most fascinating rising artists from Japan, here we present the UK premiere of a selection of her short films.
From the rooms of a traditional Japanese house to vast natural landscapes, female bodies dance together. Eschewing conventional narrative, Yoshigai’s shorts explore movement and touch becomes the gateway to a primordial connection between women and nature.
In her shorts, Yoshigai “choreographs image and sound” to depict women confronted by societal limitations. Yet, she mostly concentrates on their dancing bodies seeking out women’s liberation into nature. Combining surreal settings with an experimental approach, Yoshigai is an observer of the female body as much as a preacher of a gentle ecology.
The shorts are preceded by the filmmaker’s video introduction and followed by a video conversation between the curator Ren Scateni and Dr Irene González-López from Kingston University, on gender issues and women in Japanese cinema.
Event running time approximately 120 min
We’ve brought in measures to keep you safe, in line with government guidelines.
We’re keeping to the 2m rule and have fewer available seats in Cinema 1. We’ve also reduced the number of screenings, so that we can clean regularly, and make sure that entering and exiting is safer and simpler. It’s essential for you to wear a mask and book your tickets before you come.
In line with government advice for seated venues, you can only sit in the same seating cluster as someone from your own household/bubble. We ask you to not swap seats when you arrive so we can maintain a safe distance between you and other groups.
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
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Programme
I want to go out
Two women. A vast natural expanse. A tatami room. A dying bug. Without uttering a single word, they communicate dancing.
Japan 2014 7min
Hottamaru Days
In a wooden, one-storey house Satoko doesn’t know she is living with four dancing nymphs. The nymphs enjoy the human’s music until another nymph steps in.
Japan 2015 37min
The Pear and the Fang
Ayano is a shut-in who collects pears. Satoko is a farmer living in the countryside. A pear and a fang will bring them together.
Japan 2018 30min
Grand Bouquet
A mysterious black object shoots questions towards a woman. She tries to answer back but she can only throw up flowers.
Japan 2019 15min
