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An exploration of the Japanese forest where the spirits of suicides linger, silence reigns and compasses fail.

The Sea of Trees

An exploration of the Japanese forest where the spirits of suicides linger, silence reigns and compasses fail.
Created by
Joshua Zucker-Pluda
Joshua Zucker-Pluda
62 backers pledged $2,858 to help bring this project to life.
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Narusawa, Japan Film & Video

$2,858

pledged of $2,000 goal

62

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"The kinds of landscape I try to find in my films...exist only in our dreams. For me a true landscape is not just a representation of a desert or a forest. It shows an inner state of mind, literally inner landscapes, and it is the human soul that is visible through the landscapes presented in my films."  Werner Herzog

Can a landscape have a soul? Can past events leave a psychic impression on a terrain, scarring it so deeply that all who pass through feel its pull? The Sea of Trees is an experimental documentary film about Aokigahara Jukai, a forest in Japan where people go to commit suicide.

The Sea of Trees is an officially sponsored project of the New York Foundation of the Arts (NYFA), The New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) and the Jerome Foundation.

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The Sea of Trees is currently in post-production. Pre-production and production was made possible through grants provided by the New York Foundation of the Arts (NYFA), The New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) and the Jerome Foundation.

I'm currently in the process of trying to secure post-production funding, and I'm humbly asking you for help. There is an immediate need to have some of the interviews conducted for the film translated from Japanese to English. Starting the translation process will enable me to move forward with editing. In turn, having a rough edit will help me to raise the necessary funds to complete post-production.

Any help or assistance you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Even if you can’t donate – blogging, tweeting or posting about the film and this kickstarter would be a great help.

Full HD trailer for The Sea of Trees here:

http://vimeo.com/17304934

Follow us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/theseaoftrees

Directed by Joshua Zucker-Pluda

http://www.joshuazuckerpluda.com

http://www.roadsidepicnic.com

Edited by Jon Leone

http://www.jonleone.com/

Sound design and Original Score by Koen Holtkamp

http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=11964

Additional music by Troum

http://www.troum.com/

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    Pledge $1 or more About $1.00

    The satisfaction of knowing you've helped a struggling artist.

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    Pledge $10 or more About $10

    An unreleased episode of Roadside Picnic. In 2006 a friend was working on a feature film and needed some inspirational music - something he could watch with raw footage and production stills. His film is about a satellite mapper - so I decided to focus on movement, both on earth, and in space. If your familiar with the podcast, you'll hear a bunch of things you've heard before, but in a new way - but also a lot of stuff I never had the chance to use before. Four years later and the film, "Here" by Braden King, made its debut in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Maybe the mix will inspire *your* project as well...

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    Pledge $25 or more About $25

    1. The special mix
    2. A "Thank You" on the website

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    Pledge $50 or more About $50

    All of the above, plus
    3. A "Thank You" in the film
    4. A copy of the film on DVD when it's released

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  5. Select this reward

    Pledge $100 or more About $100

    All of the above PLUS
    5. A copy of one of the unique, limited edition 12" vinyl lp A ROOM FOREVER records - your choice of either Koen Holtkamp, Svarte Greiner or Machinefabriek (While supplies last - there aren't a lot of these).

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    Pledge $250 or more About $250

    All of the above, but instead of one LP - you get the full set of ALL THREE A Room Forever records!

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    Pledge $1,000 or more About $1,000

    You get one LP from the A Room Forever series PLUS
    A limited edition, signed c-print made from data and research I gathered on the forest and made specifically for this fundraiser!

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Funding period

- (35 days)