This beautifully observed account of life and work within a legendary dynasty of Japanese ceramicists is the latest documentary from Dutch filmmaker and former NZIFF guest Suzanne Raes.
How does one take over a legendary ceramics business that has been handed from father to son for four centuries?
Screened as part of NZIFF 2013
The Successor of Kakiemon 2012
This beautifully observed account of life and work within a legendary dynasty of Japanese ceramicists is the latest documentary from Dutch filmmaker and former NZIFF guest Suzanne Raes (The Rainbow Warriors of Waiheke Island).
“Kakiemon is a type of 17th-century Japanese porcelain, known for its extremely sophisticated painting and the almost translucent quality of the ceramics… Sakaida Kakiemon XIV, descendant of the eponymous original inventor, has been honoured with the title ‘Living National Treasure.’ The craft has been passed on from father to son for 14 generations. In the film, connoisseurs and collectors reflect on the specialist techniques and the images on the vases and plates, while family members talk about what it’s like to be part of a trade that has been in existence for 400 years, with little room for experiment… Even though the demand for traditional ceramics isn’t exactly on the rise in Japan, the Kakiemons keep believing in their fragile life’s work, which has already survived many wars and earthquakes.” — IDFA