Shigeki Uda

I used to come to Nara by bike from Hirakata in Osaka prefecture where I lived when I was junior high school student at least once a month.
I was not interested in ancient history nor temples, but just wondered around in Nara park, Nishinokyo, Ikaruga area.
I think I was after the air of Nara since I grew up in Osaka with the smell of dirty river.
I liked waking around on sandy entrance paths of the temples making sound as a boy at puberty thinking lots of things.
It's been already almost 50 years ago.
I came to Nara 30 years ago when I got married.
I settled down in a house near the old town of Nara for granted.
The fog coming up from the Kasuga mountain after the rain was beautiful as in ink paintings and it was still quiet enough so that you can hear birds and insects singing.

I watched "Hotaru" by director Naomi Kawase in 2001.
At the beginning and last scene of the film, fire sparks were flying down from the torch of Omizutori-the water drawing ritual of Todaiji Nigatsudo as if they were fragile lives of people.
I couldn't stop imagining that one of the sparks flying was me.

After that, I took a part in making of "Sarasoju" as one of the staff and performed an important role as the main character of "Mourning Forest", the grand prize award film of Cannes International Film Festival 2007.

［ Comment from the secretariat: Mr. Uda is also in "Mitsuo's chestnut", a film of NARAtive project.
Photo: Director Chao Ie on the left and Mr. Uda ］

Films have both an entertaining aspect to take people to a different world outside of daily lives, and an aspect to give contemplation and courage for life to people.
I've been living for 63 years.
I choose to watch more films to make me contemplate recently.
I would like to get involved in films more to explore unknown world.

I would like to put my shoulder to the wheel for creating "Nara International Film Festival" as a place to bring people in film arts field from the world to Nara with long history.

Shigeki Uda(Owner of Naramachi library old book café Chichiro/actor)