PRESS RELEASE:
Sweetgrass Productions presents
SIGNATURES: Three Seasons in the Mountains of Japan.
From deep in the coastal mountains of Niseko, Hokkaido comes a backcountry documentary full of remote freeride lines, deep powder, and mountain culture. Amongst Japan's northern hardwoods, along a misty coastline, Signatures tells a story of seasonal shifts and the snowy brushstrokes of renowned alpine athletes. On the heels of their break-out film Hand Cut, a rugged, hand-hewn homage to frontier life released to great acclaim in 2008, the Sweetgrass Productions family brings you a soulful look at life in the Japanese mountains.
After a chaotic fall in the wilds of the American West, spreading the gospel of Hand Cut in their 1987 Dodge Colt, Sweetgrass founders Nick Waggoner and Ben Sturgulewski settled in the town of Niseko, Hokkaido for the winter. Through conversations with local athletes and artists, and in the visual exploration of fall, winter, and spring in the mountains, Signatures delves into the cultural connection to seasonal rhythms, exploring the influence of the physical and cyclical world on artistic and physical expression. Signatures documents the relationships of local snowsurfers, photographers, and riders to mountain, sea, and season. Shot in vibrant HD, with breathtaking cinematography, Signatures is human-powered riding in all snow-sliding styles: board, noboard, ski, and drop-knee.
Signatures premieres September 19th, 2009 at IF3 in Montreal and in Aspen, CO. Catch the film on tour in the United States, Canada, and Japan in Fall 2009 and pre-order your DVD now at www.sweetgrass-productions.com.
A Taste of What's To Come:
• Atrociously deep, mind-numbing snow from the Niseko backcountry in January and February.
• Hand-carved "yukita" bindingless, ropeless noboarding from Atsushi Gomyo.
• Deep winter freestyle and night shots in the Niseko backcountry with Matt Philippi and folks.
• The art of the snowsurf turn with Taro Tamai and the Gentemstick crew.
• Cold water surfing off the the Hokkaido shores.
• Pillow lines in Tokachidake with Jess McMillan, Sonja Lercher, and MC Larivee.
• 50 degree spines and massive sloughs in early spring with telemark specialists Nick DeVore, Will Cardamone, Jacqui Edgerly, and Lorenzo Worster.
• Golden corn snow-skiing as the sun sets over the Japan sea.
• Snowsurfboard shaping by Taro Tamai as he carves solid wood into Gentemstick boards.
• Fall and winter Hokkaido fly fishing.
• Director: Nick Waggoner. Producer: Ben Sturgulewski.
• Featuring: Taro Tamai, Lorenzo Worster, Nick DeVore, Will Cardamone, Jacqui Edgerly, Matt Philippi, Jamie Laidlaw, Jess McMillan, Yutaka Takanashi, Charlie Cannon, MC Larivee, JT Robinson, Jake Sakson, Adam Moszynski, Caroline Gleich, Forrest Coots, Jake Sakson, Orry Grant, Mike Coletti, Shunichiro Kikuchi, Osamu Ommu Okada, Tomomi Sheesa Kuwahara, Nobu Ohe, Kenichi Miyashita, Hayato "Bubbles" Maruyama, and Atsushi Gomyo.
