Fe – HAGANE – (1994)
1994/16mm/67min./color/JAPAN
A smell of blood from the old rusting iron…
Note
“Fe” – the first long feature film directed by Kanji NAKAJIMA – was completed in 1994 and highly regarded among a lot of International Film Festivals.
Poetically representing a new relationship between human beings and things buried in oblivion after doing their duties, this work approaches the essence of ‘science’ and ‘civilization.’
“Fe” is nothing but a requiem for the past civilization, without any superabundant dialogues but with overwhelming beautiful images.
Story
The place is an industrial area, where rusting steels flood under the cloudy sky. In front of a factory that stands groaning louder, “an old painter” sits quietly waiting for something, with his white canvas leaning on the easel.
He meets “a girl” trying to bury her broken toy. The memory of the factory, which has been disused for a long time, brings back to life, through the girl’s mother telling a picture book story. And there comes a time for the soul to repose…
Official Invitation from
Germany: 43th.Mannheim International Film Festival-Official Competition
Japan: Pia Film Festival ’94 -Best Cinematography Prize-
Belgium: 21th.Flanders International Film Festival Gent-FilmSpectrum
Belgium: Prix de L’Age D’OR 1994-Official Competition
Portugal: 24th.Figueira da Foz International Film Festival-First Film+Silver Plate Prize
France: UNESCO International Film Fest. Art and Pedagogic-GrandPrix
Cast
Eiji Maruyama/Reina Oshibe/Humiko Kawahara
Staff
Director / Screenwriter / Composer : Kanji Nakajima
Director of Photography : Kanji Nakajima / Kazuma Yamaoka
Producer : Yoshikazu Kobayashi
Art Director : Akira Katsuta
Sound Engineer : Hideki Koga
