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¡ã During filming. Photo by Natasha Mistry |
Having lived on Jeju for seven years, Giuseppe Rositano decided to make a film recording Jeju’s folk tales and traditions. This decision led him down the path of discovery and the product is this unique insight into the vanishing shamanistic traditions of the island. The film will be screened at the Jeju Arts Center on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Press Release
At Search for Spirits on the Island of Rocks, Wind and Women is a discovery documentary filmed over a period of a year and a half on Jeju Island, South Korea. The filmmaker, Giuseppe Rositano, chose five shrines to investigate. The film focuses on themes such as the Jeju musok tradition, the shamans (½É¹æ) related to the shrines and particularly instances where shrine tradition is kept by villagers despite the fact that the spiritual leader of the village, the shimbang, is deceased. Giuseppe and his team went out to the villages to collect the stories from the villagers themselves. The stories are told in their words. The locations include Samyang, Hwabuk, Pyoseon, Sanggwiri, Naedodong and Tosan villages. The theme of prejudice against the village of Tosan and its snake totem tradition is also explored. Jeju musok is a religion which is decreasing in practice as new cultural ways have moved onto the island. The documentary seeks to preserve the spirit of these beliefs through the voices of its followers and practitioners. The documentary is an adventure story, filmed by an individual who is both "out of place" and "in place". Giuseppe has lived in Jeju for 7 years. |