Japanese Summers of a Filipino Fundoshi

The documentary was produced for a cultural festival in Aichi Prefecture in Japan, to which an invitation was extended to the artist and his family, as well as other artistic collaborators. Via the wearing of the traditional Japanese loincloth, the fundoshi, Kidlat Tahimik establishes a link between Japan and the Philippines. While he avails of the opportunity to formulate a critique of the “Mickey Mousification” of his native culture, he yet uses the occasion to open up a trans-Asian link between two nations who historically have had an extremely problematic relationship with one another (a subject, however, the documentary does not broach).