KanZeOn (2011)

• 79%
• 2011
• Documentary
• Neil Cantwell
• Tim Grabham

KanZeOn is less a documentary and more a spiritual experience. Its title coming from an alternative reading of the Japanese name for the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kannon, (which literally translates 'as 'she who hears the cries of the world'), the film is an exploration of sound and its links with and role in Japanese Buddhism and shintoism. Directed by Neil Cantwell and Tim Grabham, the British production is indeed hard to pin down or categorise, though in the best possible way, and has enjoyed a successful run at a variety of international festivals. Shot in and around Kyushu, the 87 minute film is structured as a series of chapters or incantations, and revolves mainly around three fascinating figures and musicians - Akinobu Tatsumi, a young Buddhist priest who takes care of a temple near Kumamoto City and spends his spare time as a hip-hop DJ, Eri Fujii, a woman who has spent her life mastering an ancient Chinese bamboo wind instrument called a sho, and Noh theatre and kotsuzumi drummer Akihiro Iitomi, who also happens to be a huge fan of jazz.