Kotodama connects the Camino and Japan

Kotodama connects the Camino and Japan

The Camino de Santiago meets cinema again through a story that connects Galicia with Japan. The documentary Kotodama, the path of the mirror, directed by Eugenio Tardón and Carla Cañellas, has been selected to be screened at the Gijón International Film Festival, which will be held between November 13 and 21.

The film already had its premiere last September at the San Sebastián Film Festival and now continues a journey that aims to take it to different Spanish festivals and theaters. His proposal is based on an idea that is especially attractive for those who know the world of pilgrimages: establishing a bridge between Camino de Santiago and the Shikoku Henro, one of the great spiritual routes of Japan.

Two paths separated by thousands of kilometers

Kotodama, the path of the mirror uses these two itineraries to approach experiences that, although born in very different cultures, share numerous elements.

On the one hand is the Camino de Santiago, which has become one of the great pilgrimage routes in Europe for centuries. On the other hand, the Japanese Shikoku Henro, a route deeply linked to the spiritual tradition of the Asian country.

The documentary builds this dialogue between Spain and Japan through testimonies and experiences linked to both paths, focusing on the journey, the pilgrimage and the personal transformation that can occur when someone decides to set out.

Sarria's presence in the documentary

Among the people who participated in the film is Jorge López, a figure closely linked to the Camino de Santiago in Sarria.

López, who died in 2024, was for many years president of the Association of Friends of the Camiño of Santiago in the Sarria Region. His testimony was recorded in the documentary and the directors themselves decided to dedicate the film to his memory in the credits.

His wife, Elvira, and his daughters, Alba and Raquel, were invited to the premiere held in September at the San Sebastián Film Festival, where they were able to share that moment with the directors of the work.

During production, recordings were also made in the Pallares bakery museum, whose managers later received thanks from the filmmakers for having facilitated the filming.

From San Sebastian to Gijón

After its premiere in San Sebastián, Kotodama's next big stop will be the Gijón International Film Festival.

The Asturian event will take place between November 13 and 21 and will allow new spectators to learn about this particular connection between the Jacobean world and the Japanese pilgrim tradition.

The presence of the film in Gijón will also be accompanied by an exhibition associated with the documentary itself.

It will not, foreseeably, be the end of his journey. Those responsible for the project have announced that Kotodama will arrive in theaters in Madrid and other Spanish cities starting in November and will continue to participate in different festivals.

The desire to bring Kotodama to Sarria

There is also a particularly symbolic possibility: that the documentary could be screened in Sarria.

Both the directors and Jorge López's family have expressed their wish that the film can be presented in this town, one of the great reference points of the French Way.

Sarria's relationship with the Jacobean phenomenon is especially intense. Thousands of pilgrims begin their journey to Santiago there every year, and the town has become one of the best-known gateways to the final stretch of the Camino.

A screening of Kotodama in Sarria would, therefore, have a double meaning: to bring to the public a film dedicated to the meeting between two great pilgrimage routes and to remember the figure of Jorge López in the place where he carried out a good part of his work in defense and promotion of the Camino for years.

Kotodama thus demonstrates that the Camino de Santiago continues to generate stories capable of crossing borders. On this occasion, the Jacobean route looks towards Japan and finds, thousands of kilometers away, another path in which walking can also become a way of looking towards oneself.