01.12.2025
Akeji, the Breath of the Mountain | Free on ARTS.FILM
Image from the film Akeji, le souffle de la montagne by Corentin Leconte and Mélanie Schaan
FREE DURING THE MONTH OH DECEMBER ON ARTS.FILM
Deep in the mountains in the heart of Himuro Valley, Akeji and his companion Asako live sheltered from the world, in a retreat with a thatched roof, among the animals and the spirits of nature. Life flows without limits of space or time. Master Akeji, a renowned artist, is descended from a line of samurais and well versed in the sacred arts of the tea ceremony, the sabre, and calligraphy. This contemplative film reaches out to the senses, following the rhythm of the elements — water, fire, earth, and wind — and the cycle of seasons and time, fundamental themes of Japanese thought. This magnificent immersion in the world of an artist in total harmony with nature poetically portrays the cycle of life.
Akeji, the Breath of the Mountain -- Bande-annonce (Le FIFA 39)
AWARDS and NOMINATIONS:
Best Film Essay Award at the 2021 FIFA (International Festival of Films on Art, Montreal)
Télérama Favorite
Brittany Region Favorite (Mois du Doc)
Selected by the Cinémathèque du Documentaire (Beaubourg, Centre Georges Pompidou)
Selected at Lussas, Douarnenez, Tel Aviv, Étonnants Voyageurs, the Louvre Museum…
A documentary film that breathes the forest
Akeji, Breath of the Mountain is a rare document. For the first time, Akeji Sumiyoshi allowed filmmakers to capture his daily life, his creative process, and the world he shares with Asako, in the mountains north of Kyoto. Longtime admirers Mélanie Schaan and Corentin Leconte were granted access to this disciplined existence, shaped by knowledge passed down outside official channels.They had been told repeatedly that Akeji would never agree: Japan’s public television had already attempted to film him, but he stopped the production with a single gesture, deeming the crew too intrusive. Even Asako has never seen him paint. With no children or disciples, Akeji seems to sense that this way of life is coming to an end and that the time has come to pass it on.
It is precisely this isolation and discipline that make the filming so demanding. Asako and Akeji have neither phone nor internet. After meeting in Paris in 2014, they set a specific date for the filmmakers to arrive at their retreat. The seasons then shape the work: spring for inspiration, summer for preparing pigments, autumn and winter devoted to creation. At first, Akeji shows nothing. The connection builds slowly. Only during the final visit, in the heart of winter, does he finally reveal the secrets of his craft.
The painter who inspired Miyazaki
Beyond his quiet daily life, Akeji has left a lasting mark on the Japanese imagination. As early as 1970, his first exhibition in Tokyo, titled Mono no ké “the spirit of things” revealed his ability to sense the soul of trees, stones, and wind, to perceive the subtle life present in every gesture. This animist sensitivity, deeply rooted in Japanese tradition and spirituality, inspired the work of Miyazaki, who adopted the term mono no ke in Princess Mononoke, the celebrated animated film where nature, material, and spirit intertwine with striking intensity.
Interview with the co-directors | FIPADOC
In this interview for the International Documentary Festival (FIPADOC), co-directors Corentin Leconte and Mélanie Schaan present their film Akeji, le souffle de la montagne, which was selected for the national competition at FIPADOC in 2021.
