Path of Dreams
PATH OF DREAMS re-imagines the legend of Japanese poetess Ono no Komachi, who challenges the pompous Shosho to write poetry with her for 99 nights. Vowing to take him as her lover on the 99th night, our mystical beauty reveals the passion behind Komachi’s most seductive and heartbreaking poetry.
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Tamara RuppartDirector
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Velina Hasu HoustonWriterColumbia Pictures, PBS, Sidney Poitier, and Lancit Media
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Ko MoriProducerMan From Reno, Uzumasa Limelight, Lords of Chaos, Downrange
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Airi KidoKey CastSnowchild, Otome no reshipi
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TJ KayamaKey CastBlue Ride, Blue Gardens, The 8th Samurai
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Yoshihisa TodaDirector of PhotographyOur Homeland, Life, Nobody Knows
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Project Title (Original Language):夢 の 通 い 路
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Romance, History, Foreign
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Runtime:24 minutes
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Completion Date:September 1, 2017
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Japan
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Language:Japanese
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Cinema on the Bayou
United States
January 27, 2018
Director's Choice, WINNER -
Los Angeles Women's International Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States -
Winter Film Awards International Film FestivalNew York City
United States -
California Women's Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
Nominated for Best Director and Best Actor
Tamara Ruppart has worked as a director, producer and actor in theater. This is her first film. On stage, she has directed Komachi, A Thousand Cranes, The Fantasticks, Strike-Slip, Velina Hasu Houston’s Kokoro (True Heart), and the world premiere of Extinction.
Ms. Ruppart studied Digital Filmmaking at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles as well as Script Supervision and Continuity under Shari Carpenter in New York City. After receiving a scholarship, Ms. Ruppart attended The New School for Drama. Having studied directing with Elinor Renfield, Casey Biggs, Austin Pendleton and Olympia Dukakis, Ms. Ruppart graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Directing in 2009. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Davidson College in 2000.
PATH OF DREAMS is the first step in my mission to share the stories of Velina Hasu Houston with the world. Dr. Houston is one of the great American playwrights of our time, and I passionately believe in the importance of using film to magnify her very important voice.
The legend of Ono no Komachi is one of beauty, feminine strength, social defiance, passion and love. Even though the story takes place in ancient Japan, the themes and emotions are relevant today, both in the United States and in Japan. Komachi’s inner fire, controversial passion and lack of conformity to the structural rules of ancient society demonstrate the strength and will inherent in women of all cultures and societies, both ancient and modern.