Laura Liverani
Neo SORA
Ainu Neno An Ainu
アイヌネノアンアイヌ
Nippon Docs ¾
This documentary started as part of a photography project about the indigenous Ainu population in northern Japan, portraying people from tightly knit communities. They feel deeply connected by their culture and tradition. With gorgeous pictures, the directors explore how different generations of Ainu reflect on their identity after centuries of oppression.
About Laura Liverani
Laura Liverani is a documentary photographer living and working in Italy and Japan. Her sociological and anthropological work focuses on themes of community and identity. Her photography has been part of numerous exhibitions, festivals, and solo shows in many countries on three continents. The exhibition venues include the Tokyo G/P Gallery, the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo, and the Japan Foundation in Sydney. She is also a university lecturer and has worked for various art, fashion, and media clients. The long term photographic project „Ainu Neno An Ainu“, which developed into the eponymous documentary film, was awarded the Italian Premio Voglino Grant for best portfolio in 2015, and was exhibited and published internationally. She is a member of international photojournalism agency Prospekt.
About Neo SORA
Neo SORA, born in New York in 1991, is a filmmaker, translator, and artist who lives in New York and Tokyo. He has worked on numerous film, video, and commercial projects as a director, cameraman, and producer. He is a part of both the artist-filmmaker collective Zakkubalan and the artist collective Lunch Bee House, with whom he made the documentary AINU NENO AN AINU (2019 / NC ‘21). Both his concert film RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: OPUS (2023) and his feature film debut HAPPYEND (2024 / NC ‘25) had their world premieres at the Venice Film Festival.