Main Programme  

In an isolated corner of Japan a community of fishermen preserves their ancient, now disappearing profession – free diving (without using oxygen equipment) in search of seaweed and shellfish that they use for food or trade. Camera traces daily rituals of these mysterious women – their preparation for work, their diving, their wet costumes afterwards hanging, their heads covered with towels, their dinners, their merry relations, their singing. This slowly swelling rhythm leaves an impression of an extraordinary harmonious life, which seems exotic and anachronistic. Or a dream, you would like to dive into.

Awards

Karlovy Vary Film Festival – Best documentary Special mention, 2016

Cláudia Varejão

Portuguese director and photographer. Studied film at Berlin Film and Television Academy and São Paulo’s International Film Academy, and photography at the Art and Visual Communication Centre (Ar.Co) in Lisbon. She made a few documentaries and debuted with a feature-length film about Ballet theatre dancers and employees daily routines. “Ama-San” is her second feature-lenght film.

Selected filmography

In the Darkness of the Movie Theater I Take off My Shoes /
No escuro do cinema descalco os sapatos, 2016
Morning Light/Luz da manhã, 2012
Cold Day /Um dia frio, 2010
Weekend /Fim-de-semana, 2007