UMUI – From Screen to Stage
Imagine an award-winning documentary coming to an end. The audience remains spellbound in the dim light of the auditorium—when suddenly, one of the film’s own protagonists steps out from the screen and onto the stage. That is UMUI: first a film, then a live performance, seamlessly woven together into a single experience.
In a new collaboration, House of Possibilitas and Gothenburg Studios Development proudly present a guest performance unlike anything you have seen before.
The Other Japan
At the southernmost edge of the Japanese archipelago lies Okinawa, once the independent Ryukyu Kingdom. Its culture has been shaped by influences from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, creating a unique artistic heritage. While Noh and Kabuki are celebrated around the world, Okinawa’s own music and dance traditions remain largely undiscovered outside Japan. Few people also know that karate originated here. At the heart of Okinawan culture is the sanshin, a three-stringed lute whose melodies have accompanied traditional songs for generations.
The word umui, from the Okinawan language, carries several meanings depending on the context, including feeling, movement, spirit, and love.
The Film
Directed by Swiss-Spanish filmmaker Daniel López, who has lived in Okinawa since 2003, the documentary takes us to the village of Ginoza. There we meet people of all ages dedicated to preserving their cultural traditions—from elderly masters determined to pass on their knowledge to children taking their very first steps into the performing arts. Watching over them all is the Shishi, the sacred lion guardian believed to protect the village and ward off evil spirits.
UMUI received the Grand Prix for Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film at the Tokyo Documentary Film Festival 2022 and has since been screened at festivals from Frankfurt to Phnom Penh.
The Performance
When the film ends, the Shishi steps from the screen onto the stage to become the storyteller. Several of the dancers featured in the documentary perform live, presenting a selection of Okinawan dances—from the joyful classic Yotsutake, with its striking red lotus hats, to the powerful Eisa drum dances. The performance concludes with an improvised dance by the Shishi accompanied by the haunting sounds of the sanshin.
Minimalist stage design is enhanced by live video and visual textures filmed on location in Okinawa, allowing the worlds of film and live performance to merge into one immersive experience.
The combined film-and-stage version of UMUI received an award from the Japanese Society for Arts Management in 2024 and toured France in spring 2025, including performances at the Guimet Museum in Paris and venues across the Occitanie region.
Now, UMUI comes to Gothenburg.
Running time: Documentary (75 minutes) followed by a live performance (approximately 60 minutes).
