Cherry Blossoms

Shot on 16mm film, this experimental piece is inspired by a short story by Ango Sakaguchi about a doomed romance set against the backdrop of blooming cherry trees. Michishita dispenses with the lovers and retains only the cherry blossoms. Caught from every angle, they bloom and fall, communicating a sense of enrapturement with this local and eternal cycle. The music is by Toshi Ichiyanagi, a major figure in postwar Japanese music.

Cherry Blossoms is presented alongside Video Portraits – Men: Shuntarō Tanikawa and Being Women in Japan Series: Liberation Within My Family as part of the April 2026 edition of e-flux Film’s series Staff Picks featuring Kyoko Michishita. This edition of Staff Picks is organized in collaboration with Vtape.

For more information, contact program@e-flux.com.