Big River

Colour, 35 mm
USA, Japan, 2005, 105 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

Soon after he lands in America, Ali, a middle-aged Muslim man from Pakistan, begins his search for his wife, Nadia. On the road he picks up Teppei, a young Japanese traveller hitchhiking across America, and Sarah, a local trailer park girl, who both help him in his quest. There are a lot of misunderstandings along the way, given that three people are thrown together with quite different personalities, and from different cultural backgrounds. Nevertheless, the bizarre trio manages to find Nadia who, to Ali’s dismay, is living a new life in Phoenix with another man… A road movie from the American Southwest with three highly unusual characters and stunning cinematography.

About the director

Atsushi Funahashi (b. 1963, Osaka) studied film in Tokyo. He has directed several documentaries for NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, on social and cultural issues in New York City. Along with his work as a filmmaker, he writes for various Japanese film magazines. In 1999 Atsushi Funahashi started a production company in New York with Alyssa Jo Black and Eric van den Brulle. Following his debut Echoes (Karlovy Vary 2001), Big River (2005) is his second feature.