FARAWAY MY SHADOW WANDERED
Directors: Liao Jiekai/Sudhee Liao
Cast: Junya Kobayashi, Sara Tan, Kurose Roki, Ishida Tomohiro
Cinematography: Shaun Neo
Producers: Elysa Wendi, Jeremy Chua
Composer: Jo Keita
Editor: Chen Zhang Yun
Sound designer: Lin Hsin Ru
Design: Alfonse Chiu
Documentary Film
70mins
Screenings:
Singapore Red Dot August, 2022
Cinéma du Réel Paris, 2021
International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2021
Asian Film Festival Barcelona, 2021
Jumping Frames Dance Video Festival Hong Kong, 2021
30_70 Doc Fest, 2021
Singapore International Film Festival, 2020
Synopsis:
When he was a child, Junya promised his maternal grandfather that as the eldest grandson, he would take over the family Shinto shrine. However, this did not come to pass as Junya did not share the same family name and he grew estranged from his relatives over time. To escape this tension, Junya ventured overseas to pursue other dreams and distanced himself from the hometown where he grew up.
One day, while working in an Izakaya, he meets a foreigner with the same birthday researching a new dance piece for a film. His fateful encounter leads him to confront a family history that he has left behind and gives the dancer inspiration for her work. Together in the midst of winter, they revisit Junya’s hometown to reconnect with his childhood and let go of a promise he cannot fulfil.