The Birth of Saké

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The Birth of Saké

2015

1h 30m

Documentary

Biography

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4 Reviews

83%

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100+ Ratings

During an unrelenting winter in northern Japan, a small group of workers must brave tough working conditions to brew the 2,000-year-old tradition known as sake.

Mike D'Angelo

AV Club

One needn't be a drinker, or particularly interested in Japanese culture, to be fascinated by this documentary portrait of the Tedorigawa Brewery, which was founded nearly 150 years ago and is one of the last remaining breweries that makes sak by hand.

Dec 1, 2016

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Daniel M. Gold

New York Times

"The Birth of Sake" is an engrossing introduction to the traditional cultivation of the rice-based alcohol that is part of Japan's cultural heritage. But the film's true focus is an endangered way of life.

Mar 17, 2016

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Simon Abrams

Village Voice

Shirai doesn't answer a major question that viewers of his impressionistic slice of work-life doc The Birth of Sak are bound to wonder: Why does the Tedorigawa Brewery's arduous, old-fashioned fermentation process make its sake superior?

Mar 15, 2016

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David Noh

Film Journal International

WARNING: if you love the very special beverage called sak, your mouth will be watering throughout this doc's mesmerizing 94-minute running time.

Mar 21, 2016

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Erik N

A very well crafted documentary about the process of traditional sake making told through the daily lives of workers at the Yoshida Brewery over the course of a year.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/01/24

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Audience Member

Besides a slow start, this film demonstrates the manufacturing of Sake through traditional means, but also highlights the struggles of the workers involved at the plant. This film is everything Sake and more.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

12/20/16 Amazon Video Like Jiro Dreams of Sushi this terrific documentary not only shows us a great product but more importantly the hard work, devotion and pursuit of excellence it takes to make it. You see the culture of striving for perfection, group over self, personal sacrifice and the commitment to traditional ways. Given what goes into producing a bottle of their product it is amazing that it is as affordable as it is.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

your calming, well shot, well edited, feel good about something you really have no real interest in documentary of the week.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

A very well photographed insight into the workers of this traditional sake brewery.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

A really gorgeously-made documentary about the production of sake at this traditional brewery in Japan but also about the lives of the workers who live there six months a year.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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Erik Shirai

Director

Erik Shirai

Writer

Makoto Sasa

Producer

Masako Tsumura

Producer

Mark Karpeles

Executive Producer

Erik Shirai

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

During an unrelenting winter in northern Japan, a small group of workers must brave tough working conditions to brew the 2,000-year-old tradition known as sake.

Director: Erik Shirai
Producer: Makoto Sasa, Masako Tsumura
Screenwriter: Erik Shirai
Production Co: Imakoko Media
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

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