Ōgata-mura (Big Lagoon Village) was a huge land reclamation project in post-war Japan, planned as a ‘model rice village’ (with help from Dutch engineers). After it was built, people were sent to live there. This minimalistic, intimate and formally stunning documentary traces how the planned project and reality diverged from each other. Inspired by Joris Ivens’ New Earth.
Ogata-mura (Big Lagoon Village) was een enorm polderproject in Japan na de Tweede Wereldoorlog, met behulp van Nederlandse ingenieurs. Het was de bedoeling dat het een ‘model rijstdorp’ zou worden. Nadat het gebouwd was, werden er mensen naar toegestuurd om het te bevolken. Deze minimalistische, intieme en stilistisch adembenemende documentaire volgt hoe het geplande project en de uiteindelijke realiteit van elkaar afwijken. Geïnspireerd door Nieuwe Gronden van Joris Ivens.
Stefanie GAUS is a filmmaker, lecturer & curator based in Berlin. She started her studies at Film Academy FAMU in Prague and graduated from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. Her interest in political and socio-cultural impacts – also seen as a matter of representation – and her distinctive view on spatial and architectural dimensions are the base for her artistic practice and films. Her short films have been shown all over the world at festivals and exhibitions. Japan Big Lagoon Village is her first feature length work.
2021 – Japan Big Lagoon Village 日本国大潟村