A young man from Tokyo, in need of a major change, moves to the Iya Valley, one of the last traditional rural communities in Japan. He quickly realizes that he’s underestimated the difficulty of living off the land, but two locals – an old man and his granddaughter – help him adjust. Just as he’s settling in to the rhythms of life in Iya, a massive development comes tunneling through the mountain, threatening to shatter the valley’s bucolic world. Sumptuously shot on 35mm, Tale of Iya combines elegiac filmmaking with an urgent call for conservation.

Directed by Tetsuichiro Tsuta and produced by Tetsuichiro Tsuta and Masayuki Ueda. Introduced by the Director of the Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan.