10 Jun CROWS ARE WHITE

CROWS ARE WHITE

USA, Japan, Ireland / 2022 / 98′

DIRECTED BY: Ahsen Nadeem
SCREENPLAY BY: Ahsen Nadeem, Matt H. Mayes, Dawn Light Blackman
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Matthew Nauser
EDITED BY: Kimberley Hassett, Weston Currie
MUSIC: Logan Nelson
PRODUCERS: Riel Roch Decter, Sebastian Pardo, Ahsen Nadeem, Ben Renzo, Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens
PRODUCED BY: Memory, Argent, Normal Content
FESTIVALS & AWARDS: Bergen International Film Festival: Documentaire Extraordinaire (2022), Savannah Film Festival: Excellence in Cinematography (2022), Hot Docs (2022), SXSW (2022), BFI London FF (2022), FIPADOC: Grand Prix (2023), DocPoint (2023)

For over a thousand years, a secretive Buddhist sect has lived in an isolated monastery on the top of Mount Hiei near Kyoto, Japan, performing acts of extreme physical endurance in their pursuit of enlightenment. A filmmaker, struggling to reconcile his desires with his faith, sets off to the strict monastery in search of answers. Upon his arrival, his presence is not welcomed and the only monk who will speak with him is an outcast who prefers ice cream and Slayer to meditation. Together they forge an unlikely friendship that leads them to higher truths and occasionally, a little trouble. Shot over five years on three continents, Crows are White is an exploration of truth, faith, and love, from the top of a mountain to the bottom of a sundae.

Ahsen Nadeem, writer, and director, was born in Saudi Arabia and immigrated first to Ireland and eventually the United States. He’s collaborated on a wide range of projects including producing projects with Ari Aster (dir. Hereditary) and John Patton Ford (dir. Emily the Criminal). His non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times and his commercial work includes brands such as Mercedes, Opening Ceremony, and Kenzo. Crows are White is his first feature film.