SYNOPSIS

'The Turtle and the Monk' is a magical realist eco-fable about a true story. Using photography, film, illustration and traditional Japanese printing methods (Gyotaku), this multimedia project links grief and greed to show how our efforts to control nature can lead to disastrous consequences. Photographer Anaïs López was six months pregnant and had just lost her sister when she left for Japan, convinced the other side of the world was exactly where she needed to be. On a hike along the Kamogawa river, just outside Kyoto, she encountered something magical: a golden turtle, glimmering in the clear river water, right before her eyes and camera lens. But as the shutter clicked, the turtle disappeared. Locals told her she had met Kami, goddess of the river. As Anaïs flew back home the following day, Kami occupied her mind. She had to meet her again. On numerous subsequent trips to Japan, Anaïs searches for Kami, meeting all sorts of people, all with their own connection to the Kamogawa river and its golden turtle Kami. A saxophonist explains the history of the river, a mythical place where the realms of humans and spirits meet. A fisherman laments the fish in the Kamogawa, which are dying out due to human action. As Anaïs’ search turns into an obsession, she is forced to face the fact that she can’t control everything, however much she wants to. In that moment, she realizes that Kami is in everything around her.

GÉNÉRIQUE

• Director

  Anaïs López

• Production

  Natascha Erfanipour

• Referent

  Jesse Kuiper

• Sales

  Natascha Erfanipour