WELCOME TO OUR NEXT SCREENING
Kazuhiro Soda's
THE CATS OF GOKOGU SHRINE
(五香宮の猫たち – Goko-miya no neko-tachi)
(Japan | 2024 | 119 mins | Exempt)
Wednesday 15 April at 7.30pm
University of Otago’s Colquhoun Lecture Theatre**
A community of cats has set up home around a Shinto shrine in Okayama. Local residents take care of them…
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| | "In the picturesque small coastal town of Ushimado in Japan’s Okayama Prefecture, a Shinto shrine has become home to an ever-growing colony of cats. Enter Japanese documentarian Kazuhiro Soda, renowned for his self-imposed ‘10 Commandments of Observational Documentary,’ which include doing no prior research, having no pre-set themes or goals, and shooting long takes without scripts, narration, or superimposed titles—all while filming everything himself. In his tenth documentary, Soda casts a calm and meditative eye over the |
| shrine, its feline inhabitants, and their human neighbours. Set over the course of a year, he captures the lives of the cats as they adapt to the seasons, steal fish from local fishermen and interact with local residents, some of whom see the cats as a nuisance, while others view them as a potential tourist attraction for the town. The result is a charming and thoughtful portrait of the delicate balance between cats and humans in an ever-evolving world set over the backdrop of an area in regional Japan” – Hannah Strong, Little White Lies. |
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FURTHER REVIEW
"There's an inescapable symbolism embedded in the film's central location: initially constructed as a dwelling for kami (the deities of the Shinto religion), this ancient shrine by the ocean's edge has since become a site of worship for the stray cats who lounge in its garden and perch atop its stone monuments... [T]here's a generosity to the film's vision that avoids simple binary distinctions between cats (pure of heart, innocent) and humans (evil, ungrateful). Soda acknowledges the |
complexity of this coexistence, where animals can function simultaneously as companions, idols, vagrants and pests. Even the barrier between documentarian and subject is flimsier than it may seem. One of the cats, Chata-Kun, makes a surprise visit to the director's lodging halfway through the film and refuses to leave. Later, as a typhoon roars through the village, he begs for shelter outside the glass door. Neither Soda, nor the viewer, is able to resist his calls". |
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DUNEDIN CATS: Members of Cat Rescue Dunedin will be present at the screening of The Cats of Gokogu Shrine. Dunedin Film Society members who wish to support their very commendable activities will be able to donate cat food or money to them on the night. There is more information about this very worthwhile charity here: https://www.catrescuedunedin.org.nz/––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––A REMINDER: For Your Diary - The screening of Boat People will now take place at 7.30pm on Thursday 30 April. The University requires the Colquhoun lecture theatre for a Medical School terms test which has been scheduled on the Wednesday evening that week. We apologise for the disruption which this may cause for some members but it is a matter entirely outside our control. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
ABOUT THE DUNEDIN FILM SOCIETY
ADMISSION
Free to members.
TO JOIN
To purchase a Full/Half Season membership:- complete a membership form from our website and pay by online bank transfer (06-0942-0696013-00);
- or join at the door before any screening (cash only).
- you can also join at the OUSA office reception at the University of Otago (cash only).
Alternatively, you can purchase a Three-Film sampler ($25), which can be also be shared to bring two friends to one screening. The sampler does not expire and can be used over multiple years.
Membership includes generous discounts at Rialto Cinemas (from Monday to Friday) and the 2026 Dunedin Whānau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival; and FREE entry to the 2026 screenings of all other affiliated New Zealand Film Societies. Each member is entitled to ONE FREE GUEST ADMISSION to a single screening.
**To get to the Colquhoun Theatre: The Colquhoun is located on the first floor of the current Dunedin Public Hospital, above the chapel and squash courts. Stairs and lift access are from the main Hospital entrance on Great King Street.
WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK!... on this screening, or any other Dunedin Film Society showing, on dunedinfi...@gmail.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– |
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| | Dunedin Film Society
C/- 1 Crewe Street Maryhill Dunedin, Otago 9011New Zealand |
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