Experiencing Interruptions?

Blank Canvas

When Tsuki, a tattoo artist and filmmaker living under the burden of her secrets, focuses her camera on James, a man in denial over his own grief, she has no idea that the documentary lens would cut both ways. They meet in a Butoh dance class, where Tsuki sees the “pretty pain” in James’ moves and is compelled to approach him. James, similarly intrigued by Tsuki, finds out in their conversation that she “only does first ink” and convinces her to tattoo his virgin skin. Tsuki has a process in which she makes a documentary film of her subjects before she drops a needle on them. As they delve into their pasts during interview sessions for the doc, Tsuki and James find solace and acceptance with one another, finally finding the courage to try to live comfortably in their skins.

  • Sango Tajima
    Director
  • Marc Arricale
    Director
  • Sango Tajima
    Writer
  • Marc Arricale
    Writer
  • Lindsay Fabes
    Producer
  • Sango Tajima
    Key Cast
    "Tsuki"
  • Marc Arricale
    Key Cast
    "James"
  • Michele Cadei
    Director of Photography
  • Leif Phelps
    Editor
  • George Lowe
    Sound Designer & Mixer
  • Adrian Freedman
    Composer
  • Marie-Gabrielle Rotie
    Choreographer
  • Anirudh Mohan
    On-Set Director
  • Berta Manevich
    First Assistant Director
  • Scott Rydelski
    Second Assistant Director
  • Lauren Wheeler
    Hair Makeup & Wardrobe Supervisor
  • Sarah Anne Kauffman
    Art Supervisor
  • Elina Cerrone
    Script Supervisor
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 30, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,452 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Goldsmiths, University of London
Director Biography - Sango Tajima, Marc Arricale

Sango Tajima (she/hers) is a Japanese-American performer, writer, theatre & film maker based in London. Born in Michigan and raised in Hawaii, Thailand, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, and Japan, she returned to the U.S. to get her BFA at the University of Michigan. Since then she’s acted in, written for, and directed numerous stage productions throughout the U.S., and has performed on stages in Japan, China, Korea, and Israel. Her previous short films, which she wrote and acted in, include “Where Are You From?” and “Burning”. Sango currently resides in London, pursuing an MA in Screen Acting at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her goal is to return to her nomadic roots and create work internationally, building a network of international artists who are instrumental in shaping the stories and faces reflected on stage & screen, in writer’s rooms, and in leadership.

Marc Arricale is an actor born and raised in Queens, NY. He received his BA in Theatre from SUNY Oswego and is a graduate of the Conservatory Program at The Atlantic Acting School in New York City. While Marc has primarily focused his attention on an acting career, it wasn’t until he enrolled in the MFA Screen Acting programme at Oklahoma City University that his proper filmmaking education began. During his time in Los Angeles and London, he had the opportunity to act in projects and actively participate in the filmmaking process, including writing two short films, the poignant family drama The Look Back, and co-writing the comedy Party Foul. Blank Canvas is Marc’s first movie, which he co-starred, co-wrote, and co-directed, and it is his proudest achievement to date.

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Director Statement

What if an American man comes to London to learn Butoh?
What does the body transform into?
What if the body is nothing but a vessel, stripped of ego and individuality, and simply a channel, a lightning rod for something outside of yourself?
What if even in our daily lives, we start from a place of “mu”?

Like the film, the idea for “Blank Canvas" started when Sango Tajima and Marc Arricale partnered for an exercise in a Butoh dance class. The strange experience of an American man and Japanese woman in modern-day London, embodying an art form that arose from the Japanese post-war counterculture, inspired the question of how our bodies are constantly evolving and continuously negotiating identity within shifting cultural environments. Projecting the body towards “nothingness” or “mu”, a key concept in Butoh, is a transformative process that accepts change. But how can we find change when we are still saddled with the body’s memories of the past and cultural histories?

James is an American man in denial over his own grief, and Tsuki is a Japanese tattoo artist and filmmaker living under the burden of her secrets. They find themselves in an unfamiliar place, unmoored yet clinging to the pain of their pasts, unwilling to heal from their emotional wounds. Tsuki sets out on the task of stripping away James’ layers of artifice in order to mark him with his identity. But when she focuses her camera on him, she has no idea that the documentary lens will cut both ways. They both spark self-discoveries within each other to move past their traumas and truly connect, accepting transformation, no matter how small or cosmic.

“The body becomes truly human when the distinction between spirit, mind, and body disappear.” - Tatsumi Hijikata