Ikitoshi ikerumono

Directorial debut from Hokkaido-based photographer Imazu Hidekuni, the long-time photographer for the posters at Asahiyama Zoo. This documentary offers an intimate look at animals in Hokkaido, including a flock of 80,000 white-fronted geese, ezonaki rabbits getting ready for winter, white salmon swimming upstream to spawn and the black grizzly bears awaiting their arrival, and ezo red foxes caring for their young. Five years in the making, the documentary uses just two lines of narration and foregoes commentary to convey the drama of these creatures living life to its fullest.