Synopsis

​ “Cancer is inside the tonsils, stage 3. It can spread to the lymph nodes, I have three.” Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, an internationally acclaimed artist known for his experimental music and winner of Academy, Golden Globe, and Grammy awards for his work on the original soundtrack to The Last Emperor, halts all work after being diagnosed with throat cancer. But when he was approached by Iñárritu, a director he had always admired, to work on The Revenant, he resumed his work. Ryuichi Sakamoto also begins to work on a new album, which he had put on hold due to his treatment. He throws away all his old sketches and goes back to the drawing board to figure out what he wants to hear.

Program Note

​ This documentary originated with the director's proposal to record Ryuichi Sakamoto's active participation in environmental activism following the Fukushima nuclear accident. However, shortly after filming began, Sakamoto received a diagnosis of throat cancer, and the film takes a different turn. In the face of societal violence, global crises, and personal crises that hit close to home, how does an artist's life and art react? Sakamoto discovers that the sounds existing in the world itself are the highest form of music. The film suggests that there lies the essence of music and the possibility of redemption, such as the sounds that can be heard in silence. (Maeng Soojin)

Director

• • Stephen Schible
  • Stephen grew-up in Tokyo and studied film at NYU. After serving as an AD to documentarian Kazuo Hara (Emperor's Naked Army Marches On), he worked as a producer's rep for Japanese films such as Shinji Aoyama's Eureka and Naomi Kawase's Firefly, and oversaw international co-productions such as H-Story by Nobuhiro Suwa. He was one of the producers for Sofia Coppola's Oscar-winning Lost in Translation. Stephen directed/produced the music documentary Eric Clapton: Sessions for Robert K, which aired on BBC and PBS. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda is his first feature film as a director.