Program 11
Snow as Flowers: Niino’s Snow Festival
(Yuki wa hana dearu: Niino no yukimatsuri)- 1980 / Color / 16mm / 129 min
Director, Editor, Producer: Noda Shinkichi
Photography: Watari Masayuki
Sound Design: Inoue Yosuke
Titles: Kidokoro Masao
Narrator: Takashima Akira
Production Support: Ono Koji, Otsuka Masayuki, Ogawa Katsumi, Iwasa Toshie, Watari Tomoya
Source: National Film Archive of Japan
This film documents a snow festival with a history dating to the 13th century held at Izu Shrine in the Niino community of Anan-cho, a small town located in the Shimoina District of Nagano Prefecture. The winter snow that falls during the festival is thought to herald the abundant life force of spring. Noda completed this film over a five-year period beginning in 1974, visiting the festival each year with a small staff and editing the footage as he shot.