(Finalist)
Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets
Original Film Title: IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa
Director’s Name: Kazuo OKADA, Yuki SUZUKI
Writer’s Name: Kazuo OKADA, Yuki SUZUKI
Producer: Kazuo OKADA
Country of Origin: Japan
Country of Filming : Japan
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
Film Description:
Kudaka Island in Okinawa is home to just over 200 people and holds a sacred cultural legacy centered on the grand IZAIHŌ festival, celebrated once every 12 years for more than six centuries. The island is renowned for its traditional production of IRABŪ, smoked Erabu sea kraits, revered as a divine gift from the gods and once presented at banquets for distinguished guests of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
In the late 1980s, following the passing of key highest priestesses, both the festival and IRABŪ making were halted. This documentary seeks to revive that legacy by digitizing unreleased high-definition footage from the last 1978 IZAIHŌ and capturing new 4K testimonies from surviving practitioners.
By exploring traditional craftsmanship, culinary heritage, and enduring faith, the film emphasizes the importance of passing on traditions across generations, making it essential viewing for those interested in Okinawan cultural history. This extraordinary profound journey into revered heritage.