Faraway My Shadow Wandered

The wintry wind hits the shores of Anamizu, a Japanese town where Junya promised his grandfather he'd become the heir to the family’s centuries-old Shinto shrine. Years later, he hasn’t yet honoured his word, for in the interim he has drifted away from his family.

An encounter with Sara, a dancer born on the same day as he, leads him back to his place of origin. “Swallows always return to their nests”, he remarks on his return, photographing his hometown with his analogue camera and a pair of eyes that have seen all that he has experienced since leaving.

Dance, photography and film give voice to feelings that might otherwise be left repressed in this soul-stirring hybrid documentary co-directed by filmmaker Liao Jiekai and choreographer Sudhee Liao. As the film gradually places less emphasis on words in favour of gestures and dance, Sara becomes an apparition that accompanies Junya’s deeply felt melancholy.