Niko Kitsakis, filmmaker, editor, and graphic designer, brings to the screen his multiple talents and fascination for Japan through a film about Hideyuki Kamon, a 4th generation scroll mounter (Kakejiku 掛軸). Through the quiet and seamless presentation of the history of scrolls and scroll making in Japan, we see a tribute paid to culture and craftsmanship through the work of the fine filmmaker and that of a dedicated craftsman. Even the most learned person about this process will learn something new from the film.

Kitsakis, now in his 30’s and a resident of Switzerland, grew up in the 80’s when Nintendo was all the rage. Later, through his interest in art and typography, he rediscovered the culture which was always in the back of his head while growing up.

Eventually he saw his first Kurosawa and Ozu films, studied Japanese graphic design, and learned the Japanese language. In self-deprecating style, he writes that he is still at it, that it is only a matter of decades now.

An ongoing parallel series of films deals with life after the Tohoku earthquake, the third in the series is now in post-production.