Writer Tsutomu lives alone at a mountain cabin in Nagano. He collects fruits and mushrooms from the mountain. He also raises vegetables in a field. Everyday, he cooks his meals with these natural ingredients. Doing that, he can feel the flow of the seasons and he writes his book. Sometimes, his editor/girlfriend Machiko visits him. They cook with seasonal ingredients and eat together. They have a good time together. Tsutomu seems to be enjoying an easygoing life, but he is still unable to bury his dead wife's ashes in a grave. His wife died 13 years ago.
Aki Takabatake from Momo Films in attendance!
Momo Films is a Canadian boutique distribution company that represents quality Japanese films for Canadian distribution and the international marketplace.
PLUS! https://azumatei.ca/ Will be on hand to sell frozen Japanese Cuisine treats on each day of screening.
Special Thank you to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada for their support of these screenings.
"Fans of these offerings will probably appreciate Yuji Nakae’s “The Zen Diary,” a serene and nourishing adaptation of a 1978 nonfiction book by the late author Tsutomu Mizukami. In spirit and sensibility, it’s hard to imagine a more Japanese film, rooted in an unsentimental — and yes, very Zen — outlook." - The Japan Times
"Yuji Nakae directs a distinctly Japanese film, which follows the trademark style of local indies, while including elements that are inherent to the people of the island country. The meticulousness in the preparation of even the simplest thing is one of the elements both these aspects meet, with the explanation from the rooting of fruits and vegetables till the actual cooking and serving being the most appealing factor of the movie, also due to the exquisite way the whole procedure is captured on camera." - Asian Movie Pulse
Shopping bags will be provided by the film's sponsor Azuma-tei (https://azumatei.ca/). 60 bags each day as a giveaway for the audiences of 'The Zen Diary'!
ITO EN is also providing free Oi Ocha Unsweetened Green Tea for 60 people at each screening!
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