Coming to theatres and to VOD today, Friday, March 18: THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ
Erik Shirai’s inside look at a small Japanese saké brewery premiered at Tribeca last year. It has since screened at Seattle, Provincetown, Dokufest Kosovo, San Sebastian, Milan, ZagrebDox, Philadelphia, Chicago, Antenna, Bend, Mar del Plata, Sidewalk, Palm Springs, Tallinn Black Nights, and Goteborg, among several others.
The Tedorigawa Brewery in northern Japan has been in operation for over 140 years, but is one of a relative few artisanal breweries still in operation in an industry that has turned to mechanization. Shirai documents the painstaking six-month process by which the beverage is made, immersing the viewer in the microcosm of the workers and their learned brewmaster. Living together at the brewery during this period, they forego time with their families in order to uphold the tradition of handcrafted saké, while also attempting to adapt their product to modern tastes. Bolstered by picturesque cinematography, Shirai offers an intimate perspective that pays respect to their diligence and sacrifice while quietly marking its potential impending disappearance.
what (not) to doc 