Water once flowed in the desert of Payahuunadu valley. Ashima Shiraishi, a former child prodigy climber, alongside their butoh dancer father, offer a ceremony of climbing and dance to invite healing to both their fractured relationship and the land of Paiute.
About the Director
Ashima Shiraishi： New York City native Ashima Shiraishi (b. 2001) was born to Japanese immigrants. Their father, a former butoh dancer, coached and mentored her early career as a child prodigy rock climber. In the full-length documentary ASHIMA (2023) (DOC NYC, Visions Du Réel), Ashima’s world record breaking first female ascent of a V15 at the age of 14 is captured on screen. Now, Ashima is focused on storytelling, and exploring the intersection of climbing, art, culture, ecology, and social justice. They recently wrote and co-directed the short documentary “MUGA” (2024) where they climb and listen to the ancient gneiss of the Ticino Valley, exploring the liminal space where the boundaries between the self and the stone dissolve. Their most recent short documentary, “TAMASHI” premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam. Jess X. Snow： Jess X. Snow is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker, multi-disciplinary artist committed to bringing the healing journeys of queer diasporic people to the big screen. Named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film, their genre-bending short films are currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. Previously they screened at festivals including BFI London Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, BlackStar and Durban (Special Mention of the Jury). They are a Film Independent fellow for WHEN THE RIVER SPLIT OPEN; their debut narrative feature, a surreal ecological road movie shot in their ancestral homeland of JiangXi, China. They served as producer and cinematographer on the Academy Award-shortlisted documentary, WE WERE THE SCENERY (2025 Sundance Short Film Jury Award for Non-Fiction) currently available on Vimeo Staff Picks and Short of the Week.
Details
| Film Category: | International |
| Runtime: | 13 Mins |
| Director: | Ashima Shiraishi, Jess X. Snow |
| Country: | China, France, Japan, United States |
| Producer: | Ashima Shiraishi, Cyrena Lee |
| Key Cast: | Ashima Shiraishi, Poppo Shiraishi |
| Language: | English, Japanese |
Related Events
Shorts for the Planet (18)
A collection of shorts celebrating the beauty of the outdoors and exploring our connection to the natural world, while reflecting on the ways we shape, experience, and protect the environments around us.
Read More