The 11th Saudi Film Festival (SFF) has explored the deep connections between culture and storytelling through a significant panel by Japanese filmmaker Kaneko Masakazu, according to Arab News.
Known for his cinematic passion for nature, memory, and myth, Masakazu highlighted how cultural identity shape cinematic storytelling.
The panel, moderated by cultural commentator Showg AlBarjas, delved into Masakazu’s approach to filmmaking, notably in his third feature film “River Returns” (2024).
“My work deals with the relationship between nature and humans as its central theme. It tells these stories in a poetic, almost mythical style,” he said.
It basically narrates the story of a young boy who starts a dangerous journey to a seemingly haunted body of water.
There, he hopes to alleviate the grief-stricken spirit that caused the devastating floods that hit the village.
In the light of this, the film represents an extraordinary blend between fantasy and drama.
“In the end, it becomes a transmission of culture, a passing down of folklore, all leading back to a shared emotional core. At the same time, I’m interested in how people respond — how a non-Japanese audience might engage with it,” he added.
Masakazu noted that the boy’s journey to the mountain pool is not just a physical journey, but a spiritual and emotional one, too.
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