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GAMA
Directed by 小田香
On April 1, 1945, U.S. troops landed on Okinawa. Amid the fighting, Japanese civilians sought refuge in natural limestone caves. In one cave in Yomitan Village, 140 people hid underground. The following day, 83 took their own lives, believing they would be slaughtered or tortured if they surrendered. Mitsuo Matsunaga, a peace guide born after the war, has spent years searching for the remains of those who died. As he recounts these memories of war, a woman in blue listens and observes, moving through the caves like a shadow between past and present. Following Aragane, her debut feature, which received a Special Mention at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Kaori Oda continues to explore underground spaces and collective memory. Shot on 16mm film, GAMA uses image and sound to evoke the echoes of war within the caves. Her latest film, Underground, extends this exploration from Okinawa to Sapporo and across Japan, and was selected for Berlinale 2025.
Competition
Envision Competition
New Asian Current
Verite
Contemporary Scenes
Giloo presents a curated selection of finalists and award-winning works from the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF), capturing the trajectories of individual lives shaped by era shifts, social structures, and cultural traditions. The narrative scope expands from the frontlines of war and resistance to everyday anxieties, the complexities of tradition, and philosophical reflections on the soul. The lens shifts from macro-level upheavals to an intimate gaze. We witness individuals seeking exits from systemic oppression, debating existence through traditional rituals, and attempting to summon lost souls through song and imagination amidst the embers of trauma. This is a profound dialogue that delves into the subtle nuances of life, inviting you to experience the true weight of memory and action.
