Himiko

35mm print imported from Japan (courtesy National Film Archive of Japan)

Drawing again from the forms of Japanese theater and visual arts, this singular film retells the story of Himiko: a shaman queen in ancient Japan who is central to Shinto and national origin stories. Using the past to comment on the present, Shinoda presents Himiko navigating the patriarchal military powers of the surrounding kingdoms as well as her own physical desire for her recently returned half-brother. With a brilliant performance by Shima Iwashita—an actress in the work of Ozu, Kinoshita, and Kobayashi, as well as Shinoda’s wife and long time collaborator—Himiko was made in collaboration with the legendary avant garde Japanese film production company Art Theater Guild.