Message vol. 5: Dir. Yoshiro Osaka – “The Bride Who Rides A Sleigh” (Day 1)

The Bride Who Rides A Sleigh
Dir. Yoshiro Osaka | 2024 | 28:50 | Drama | Japan
Ten years after the war, in the snowy regions of northern Japan, the bride was taken from her home to the groom’s by horse-drawn sleigh.

Message from Dir. OSAKA Yoshiro

I learned about the tradition of the “The Bride Who Rides A Sleigh” through a photo I came across in my hometown, and I felt that this ceremony encapsulated the way of life of farmers at that time, which inspired me to turn it into a film.

In the post-war rural areas, there was a gradual liberation from strict traditions, a time shaped by the transformation of Japanese agriculture. Yet, those who lived through that era often say, “Those days were better.”

I wanted to recreate the original beautiful landscapes of rural life, where people coexisted with horses, weaving together the memories and photographs left by our predecessors.

逢坂芳郎監督からのメッセージ
地元で偶然見かけた写真で「馬橇の花嫁」の風習を知り、この儀式に当時の農家の生き様が凝縮されていると感じ映画化した。

厳格なしきたりから徐々に解放されていく戦後の農村、日本の農業転換の渦の中で揉まれていった時代だが、この時代を生きた人たちは「あの頃は良かった」と言う。

私は先人が残した記憶と写真を紡ぐように、馬と共生した本来の美しい農村の風景を再現したかった。

NYJCF 2024: Day 1
November 1, 2024 at 6:30pm
Asia Society at 725 Park Ave, NYC
Tickets: https://asiasociety.org/…/new-york-japan-cinefest-2024