Ainu Mosir


Ainu Mosir is a 2020 Japanese drama film directed by Takeshi Fukunaga. The film follows a young Ainu boy grappling with the tensions between his traditional heritage, modern Japan, and his personal beliefs. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Plot

Kanto is a fourteen-year-old Ainu boy living in a small town in Hokkaido. His mother runs an Ainu gift shop after his father’s death. Kanto is disgruntled with life in the town and wishes to move away from it to a big modern city, away from the Ainu people. The town itself is a traditional Ainu community, essentially carrying on the traditions and surviving through the tourism industry.
After his father’s death, Kanto is mentored by Ainu elder Debo, who teaches him Ainu traditions. The community is reviving Iomante, a controversial bear-sacrifice ritual, sparking debate among the residents. Kanto discovers and befriends a bear in the forest, forcing him to confront his feelings about the ritual. A Japanese journalist visits to document the community and the Iomante rite. Ultimately, Kanto decides he opposes the bear killing.
Kanto finds videotapes of the Iomante rites and watches them. He begins to discover more about Ainu culture, including some of the more mystical elements, and eventually comes to appreciate some of the rites.

Cast

  • Kanto – Kanto Shimokura
  • Debo – Debo Akibe
  • Emi – Emi Shimokura
  • Japanese journalist – Lily Franky

Production

The movie was filmed on location in Hokkaido, Japan in 2020. The film runs for 84 minutes.

Awards and film festivals

Ainu Mosir received a number of nominations, and won two awards: