Private Project

Prayer

A sceptic man finds difficulty dealing with reality and feels defeated and
exhausted by life. One day, a Bodhisattva--Kanzeon Bosatsu--appears in the
figure of a woman and preaches the absolute truth of this world by quoting a part
of the Heart Sutra. This story is based on a mixture of philosophy, Buddhism and
Santería.

  • Tokujiro Hamano
    Director
  • Nana Cantarina
    Key Cast
  • Tokujiro Hamano
    Key Cast
  • Tokujiro Hamano
    Writer
  • Tokujiro Hamano
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Rezo
  • Project Type:
    Music Video, Short
  • Genres:
    World music, Latin music
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 25, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    45,000 JPY
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Japanese, Other, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival Online 2019
    Tokyo
    Japan
    May 27, 2019
  • The Buddha International Film Festival 2019
    Pune, Maharashtra
    India
    June 9, 2019
    Best Music Video Award
  • Great Message Internacional Film Festival
    Pune, Maharashtra
    India
    August 25, 2019
    Best Music Award
Director Biography - Tokujiro Hamano

Percussionist, singer, songwriter, and arranger of the group ‘7sonora’ (“Nana
Sonora”), Tokujiro Hamano is also the director, cameraman, and editor of this
music video. Born in 1973 in Hyogo prefecture, Japan, Hamano began
photography by himself while studying Spanish at university. After a one-year
stay in Mexico he started his career as a Latin percussionist and songwriter. To
date, he has composed nearly one hundred songs in Spanish, and there is no
doubt that he is one of the few songwriters in Japan who writes lyrics in Spanish.
As a percussionist he played for several years with the Shiki Theatre Company in
Osaka in Disney's ‘The Lion King’ production. He also regularly performs live
music, especially Latin music, mostly in the Kansai area but also throughout
Japan.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Composing a story using two different religious themes--the Heart Sutra of Buddhism and the Oduduwá* god of Santería--in four different languages was both a great challenge and an interesting experiment for my group ‘7sonora’ and me. Moreover, due to the general lack of understanding of these themes, much care was needed in order to make the song accessible.
Given that the Heart Sutra is written in Japanese script, it may seem odd to non- Japanese that most Japanese people are not well informed about it and even find it difficult to understand. However, it is not entirely unfamiliar for us since occasional references to it are experienced at various stages of life, depending on the context. With this work I wanted to express the indifference, uneasiness, or fear that Japanese people can have about our wonderful culture.
At the same time, filming with a smartphone and with minimal equipment was a kind of experiment to show that it is possible to create an appealing work on a limited budget if you have a good idea.
When I write the lyrics of a song I always imagine the world or the landscape where the protagonist of the lyrics lives, so the images of most of the music are already in my head when I finish writing. That is why I believe I am the best choice of director to make the world of my lyrics come true.
There are some people whose imagination cannot easily be invoked by words, and there is also a limit to what can be expressed by words. Thus, I hope that this music video will help people understand the world of my lyrics and that it will be able to complement the aforementioned points.
*Note: Oduduwá, one of the most important gods in the Santería religion, lives in the deep darkness of the night. The name comes from the Yoruba ‘Odùdúwá’ meaning ‘Lord of the other world’, or ‘destiny’, and represents the mysteries and secrets of death.