BLACK OX

Details

©NIKO NIKO FILM / MOOLIN FILMS / CINEMA INUTILE / CINERIC CREATIVE / FOURIER FILMS

STORY

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BLACK OX is the story of a former hunter-gatherer who loses connection to his spirituality in the process of becoming a farmer and becoming “Japanese” during the nation’s period of westernization in the 19th century. The film stars Lee Kang-sheng, known for his work with director Tsai Ming-liang, and Min TANAKA as a Zen monk, with music by Ryuichi SAKAMOTO. Inspired by "The Oxherding Pictures," which depicts the path to enlightenment using ten poems and drawings of cows, this film directed by Tetsuichiro TSUTA is the first feature-length film in Japan to use in part 70mm film. Kyoko HEYA, a Festival Director of Hiroshima International Film Festival(HIFF), also participated as a Production Designer.

CAST

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Lee Kang-sheng
Fukuyo
Min TANAKA
Kei TAKEI
Ryubun SUMORI

STAFF

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Director/Screenplay/Editor:Tetsuichiro TSUTA
Producers: Shozo ICHIYAMA／Eric Nyari／Huang Yin-yu／Alex C. Lo
Cinematographer: Yutaka AOKI
Screenplay: Koichi KUBODERA
Production Designer: Kyoko HEYA
Costume: Mitsuru OTSUKA
Music: Ryuichi SAKAMOTO

Info

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Year of production: 2024
Country: Japan/Taiwan/America
Running time: 114min
Language: Japanese (some fictional languages ​​included)

Director

Tetsuichiro TSUTA
In 2013, he debuted with his first feature, Tale of Iya, which he shot on 35mm color film in the Iya region of Tokushima Prefecture. The film premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival and has won awards at festivals around the world. In 2020, BFI listed Tale of Iya as the Best Japanese Film of 2013 in their list, “The Best Japanese Film Every Year—from 1925 to Now.”