ACF
Asian Cinema Fund
Asian Network of Documentary(AND) Fund
2018 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund
LIST Odoriko
| Category | BIFF Mecenat Fund |
|---|---|
| Project | Odoriko |
| Director | OKUTANI Yoichiro |
| Country | Japan |
| Director's Profile | Born in 1978 in Japan, Okutani Yoichiro studied under documentary filmmaker Sato Makoto and film editor Tsutsui Takefumi in the documentary course at the Film School of Tokyo. His first feature film, Nippon no Misemonoyasan (2012), was born out of communication with a sideshow troupe in Japan over a period of ten years. His second feature, Children of Soleil, was invited to Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2011 (Special Mention in the New Asian Currents competition) and Cinema du Reel 2012 (First Films Competition). He is now editing his third feature documentary film about striptease dancers and their theaters across Japan. |
- Synopsis
- Dancers of the strip theater are called “Odoriko” in Japan. Whether she belongs to a certain theater or not, every Odoriko travels all over the country alone with her suitcase, from one theater to another every 10 days. They appear on stage and strip off their clothes, not only to show their bare skin but also to perform various kinds of dances. After 10 days, they leave the theater discretely to their next destination, in the same way their bodies fade into darkness as the stage spotlight dims with the show coming to an end. Some theaters have closed down in the last several years. A woman, who has been working since she came of age, feels that her physical strength has gradually faded in her thirties. It is by no means easy for a woman to work as Odoriko for a long time.
- Director's Note
- All things are constantly changing in the cycle of birth and death, and nothing stays in one place even for a moment. In this consumer society today, the city landscape has also been changing rapidly. There are only around 20 strip theaters left in Japan. Consumerism is rapidly absorbing not only the objects but also services. The adult entertainment business has changed, and striptease is no longer popular in this country. Nevertheless, there are still many young women who enter the strip theater to work as an Odoriko. I am attracted by the contrast between the old and the new, the young naked women in the old strip theaters of the previous generation. The strip theater is a place where women come and go with their passion in short spurts of time. I feel that even their naked bodies are one of the consumption articles in this consumer society.
- Festivals
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2020 IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary
2021 Busan International Film Festival Wide Angle - Documentary Showcase
2021 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
2021 Cinema du reel - SCAM Award, Heritage Award
2022 Taiwan International Documentary Festival - Asian Vision Competition
- Still Cut
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