In Northern Yucatan, Mexico, natural sinkholes called 'cenotes' constituted the sole water source for Mayans not living near a river or lake. Some cenotes were used for ritual sacrifices, and the Mayans believed that these holy springs connected this world to the afterlife.

The past and present of those living around the cenotes coalesce in this mysterious place. Long-lost memories echo in hallucinatory turquoise underwater footage, an entrancing game of light and dark. Swimming in these sinkholes, director Oda Kaori encounters intriguing shapes and beams of light, the water heaves, drops fall like razor blades.

Oda, who studied under Béla Tarr in Sarajevo, previously made Aragane, which was shot in a Bosnian coal mine. For Cenote, she used Super-8 film and a bubbling water soundscape. A captivating form for her impressions of a place where, as a ghostly voiceover explains, nothing is forgotten.

Director
Oda Kaori
Premiere
International premiere
Countries of production
Japan, Mexico
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
75'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Ts'onot
Language
Spanish
Producers
Oda Kaori, Echigoya Takashi, Jorge Bolado, Marta Hernaiz
Production Companies
FieldRain, Aichi Arts Center, cinevendaval
Sales
Article Films
Screenplay
Oda Kaori
Cinematography
Oda Kaori
Editor
Oda Kaori, Takeshi Hata
Production Design
Marta Hernaiz
Sound Design
Oda Kaori
Cast
voices of: Araceli del Rosario Chulim Tun, Juan de la Rosa Mibmay
Website
https://fieldrain.net
Director
Oda Kaori
Premiere
International premiere
Countries of production
Japan, Mexico
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
75'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Ts'onot
Language
Spanish
Producers
Oda Kaori, Echigoya Takashi, Jorge Bolado, Marta Hernaiz
Production Companies
FieldRain, Aichi Arts Center, cinevendaval
Sales
Article Films
Screenplay
Oda Kaori
Cinematography
Oda Kaori
Editor
Oda Kaori, Takeshi Hata
Production Design
Marta Hernaiz
Sound Design
Oda Kaori
Cast
voices of: Araceli del Rosario Chulim Tun, Juan de la Rosa Mibmay
Website
https://fieldrain.net