In The Darkness Of The Space

A film diary shot in 8mm and 16mm over 10 years, from 1997 to 2007. A man with a camera runs from Sapporo and Ishikari in the north, to the Amami Islands such in the south, and as far as Jordan and Iraq in the west. Encounters with poets, anthropologists, Russian literature scholars, Ainu ethnic activists, nationalists, folk dancers, musicians, Amami singers, dark dancers, cameramen, shamisen players, and more are captured in dazzling images and sound. The title comes from Atsushi Nakajima's poem "In the darkness of Nubatama's universe, there is something bright about human culture."