Art Department Film Screening: Masayume

dir. Nao Yoshigai (吉開菜央), 2026, 110 minutes
Followed by Q&A with filmmaker Nao Yoshigai via Zoom

After losing mental and physical balance at 34, the filmmaker trains at a Zen temple. Through Zen, she reconsiders eating, sleeping, and breathing, seeing body and mind as a "bag of flesh". Inspired by Noguchi Taiso, she imagines the body as fluid — organs and bones floating, expanding and contracting freely.

When describing the title, filmmaker Nao Yoshigai says: "Masayume is a Japanese word meaning that what we see in a dream happens in real life. In Zen, there is no narrative promising salvation through belief; instead, true power arises from the tangible reality felt by the mind and body through practice. One vital lesson I learned was to value direct experience rather than depending on stories."

Co-sponsored by Asian Studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures