AS Shogun was bathing in the glory of his record 18 wins at the Emmy Awards ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles in September, Japanese director Takeshi Fukunaga was caked in mud and sweat in a small Hokkaido village. He was there with a small crew to film a bear ritual of the indigenous Ainu of Japan's northernmost islands that was being performed for the first time in decades.
Fukunaga plans to use the footage for a short film as a follow-up to his documentary Ainu Puri (Ainu ways) screened at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival. Both the documentary and short film are a far cry from the huge budgets and large-scale productions he pioneered at FX Shogun and Max's Tokyo Vice as the only Japanese-born director to direct episodes of both acclaimed series. Fukunaga seems to move frictionlessly between the two worlds, appreciating each for what they bring.
'Ainu Puri'
Tokyo International Film Festival
“Independent cinema always makes me feel at home,” Fukunaga said The Hollywood journalist in an interview during the Tokyo Film Festival. “It's freer and I'm much closer to the cast and crew.”
But he acknowledges that his experience on sprawling projects “has kind of improved my skills as a filmmaker” and that the financial rewards allow him to pursue his passion projects and return to his roots. The new documentary is one such labor of love.
“I was born and raised in Hokkaido, but I never had the chance to meet the Ainu. Even when there were Ainu children in class, we didn't know how to talk about them,” Fukunaga explained.
While studying film in the United States, Fukunaga realized that almost everyone knew what happened to the Native Americans, while among the Japanese, awareness of the plight of the Ainu people, the indigenous ethnic group residing in northern Japan, was much lower . Feeling a “sense of shame”, Fukunaga decided to deal with it the best way he knew how, through cinema.
'Ainu Puri'
Tokyo International Film Festival
The history of the Ainu profoundly resembles that of Aboriginal people elsewhere: land, language, culture and rights lost. “Indigenous peoples around the world are probably the biggest victims of the capitalist system,” Fukunaga said.
Ainu Puri it doesn't shy away from these realities, but is full of humanity and humor, largely thanks to the engaging presence of Shigeki Amanai, his family and the local community. Amanai revived traditional Ainu salmon fishing more than a decade ago, a practice nearly lost to modernity, as part of his efforts to do what he can to preserve and pass down the customs of his people. But he and his friends aren't afraid to poke fun at themselves when they use plastic instead of handmade materials to fish. Amanai's standard offering to the sacred Ainu fire god is a lit cigarette.
There are inevitably more serious moments Ainu Puri. Amanai wonders why he has to get special permission from authorities to fish, a centuries-old practice on lands seized from his people by Japan when it annexed the island in 1869. He also points out that in a territorial dispute that has continued since World War II between Japan and Russia for the Kuril Islands north of Hokkaido, the Ainu, the original inhabitants, “aren't even part of the conversation.”
Fukunaga's cinematic journey with the Ainu began with his second feature film, Ainu Mosir (2020), for which he used local people rather than professional actors.
'Ainu Puri'
Tokyo International Film Festival
The Ainu cultural touchpoint for many Japanese is the popular manga and anime Golden Kamuy (a kamuy is an Ainu spirit, similar to a Japanese kami). A live-action version released this year featured Japanese actors playing the roles of the Ainu. “It is unacceptable by international standards,” Fukunaga said.
Determined not to romanticize or fetishize his subjects, Fukunaga confesses that he struggled during the editing process and didn't always understand his choices well.
After filming Amanai and his son performing a sword dance dressed in traditional Ainu clothing usually reserved for special rituals and ceremonies, he decided to cut the scene, worried that it would appear staged. But when Fukunaga showed them the cut, Amanai wanted to know what happened to the dance sequence, which he was particularly fond of.
Shigeki Amanai and his son with “Ainu Puri” director Takeshi Fukunaga at the 2024 Tokyo International Film Festival.
Tokyo International Film Festival
“It was a moment that reminded me that not everything is about stereotypes or authenticity,” Fukunaga reflects. “Sometimes it's just because it looks cool.”
Amanai and her son brought some of that glamor to the Tokyo Film Festival opening ceremony, where they walked the red carpet wearing Ainu kimonos, in what Fukunaga believes is a first for the festival.
“It was a really special moment,” he added with a proud smile.