What connects a weakened ecosystem to a global food culture? Umi No Oya – Mother of the Sea tells the story of a discovery that revolutionized Japanese nori aquaculture and led to global sushi culture. With sensitive landscape images and a keen sense of Japanese cultural history, the film sheds light on international scientific interdependencies and the resilience of people in a world shaped by climate change and upheaval. It combines artistic and personal biographies to reflect on the balance between progress and sustainable action. How can science, art and culture meet the challenges of the future?
Art2M
presents
Umi No Oya
ウミノヲヤ
a film by Ewen Chardronnet and Maya Minder
GENRE: Feature Documentary
LENGTH: 60 min
LANGUAGES: english, japanese
SUBTITLES: english, japanese, french, german
SHOOTING FORMAT: HD
SCREENING FORMAT: DCP, Dolby Digital 5.1
Directed by Ewen Chardronnet
Voice: Maya Minder
Written by: Ewen Chardronnet, Cherise Fong, Maya Minder
Image: Quentin Aurat, Lisa Biedlingmaier, Ewen Chardronnet, Maya Minder, Ryu Oyama
Editing: Quentin Aurat, Ewen Chardronnet
Sound & music: Quentin Aurat, Kyoka
Sound editing & mixing: Quentin Aurat
Additional sound recordings: Ewen Chardronnet, Cherise Fong
Additional images: Elisa Chaveneau
Fixers, interpreters: Cherise Fong, Ryu Oyama
Color grading: Quentin Aurat
Production manager: Anne-Cécile Worms
Executive production: Ewen Chardronnet
Music
Intro & outro theme: Kyoka, “Umi No Oya, variation sonore”
UoC workshop soundtrack: Quentin Aurat, “Picnic”
End credits theme: Quentin Aurat, “Uto bay”
and additional sound creations by Quentin Aurat
Production: ART2M
Co-production: Antre Peaux, Ewen Chardronnet, Maya Minder
With the friendly support of the City of Uto, Ariake Nori Research Institute, Kumamoto Prefectural Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives, Kumamoto Prefectural Fisheries Research Center, Fuga nori shop in Kumamoto; metaPhorest / Waseda University, BioClub Tokyo, Yamamoto Noriten Company, Shibaura House, University of Creativity, Kyodo House in Tokyo; Swissnex in Japan; Heueberghaus artists’ residency in Braunwald (CH).
With the financial support of ART2M’s Roscosmoe.org platform, as part of More-Than-Planet, a cooperation co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union; Antre Peaux and the program ‘Transition écologique et résilience : Les acteurs culturels s’engagent !’ of the Région Centre Val-de-Loire (FR); Pro Helvetia – fondation suisse pour la culture (CH); PALM, magazine of the Jeu de Paume museum, Paris; DDA Contemporary Art (FR); Vitality.Swiss – on the road to World Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai and the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan.