From the birth of silkworms in the spring, through their voracious appetite for mulberry leaves as they grow, to their cocoon building in time for autumn, this film immerses viewers in nature, deep in the mountains of northern Japan. Made by Ogawa Productions, a collective founded by the documentarian Ogawa Shinsuke in 1968, the film’s depiction of land and agriculture established their preference for hands-on projects combining farming and filmmaking for over 15 years. As sericulture was largely overseen by women, the film focuses on Kimura Sato, who had spent half of her life raising silkworms. Ogawa’s wife, Shiraishi Yoko, documented every step of this nurturing process on 8mm film. This feature compiles Shiraishi’s footage, enlarged to 16mm film, in a patient portrait of animal and manual labour, seasonal time and land. 

Introduction by 2024 BBC New Generation Thinker Becca Voelcker who writes on art, film, and visual culture with a particular focus on politics and ecology.

Screened from 16mm. With special thanks to the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Athénée Français Cultural Center, Japan Foundation and Markus Nornes.