CELEBRATIONS
An intimate portrayal of unexplored locations, tribes and their rituals.
(October 3rd, 2000)

From 1966 to 1990, Junichi Ushiyama sent film crews throughout Africa, Asia, South America and Europe to capture the ways of life and rituals of isolated peoples. Many had never been filmed before; too many will never be seen again.

Re-mastered, re-edited and re-scored by DOCSTAR in 65 half-hour episodes, these ethnographic masterpieces, launched this week at MIPCOM, are released for the first time for a world television audience.

Highlights of the first 26 CELEBRATIONS include:

Slamet, the Javan who has 4,000 snakes in his home; the Korean children, married after death; tribal war in New Guinea; the mystique and practice of ancient Japanese tattooing; the Trobriand Islanders - love, skirts and yams; ways of the head-hunters of Borneo; bee-keepers of the Himalayan cliffs; the trance-mediums of Bali.
Catherine Lamour, Director of DOCSTAR and CANAL+'s Head of Documentaries, said: 'We are proud to bring to the market the work of Junichi Ushiyama. By gaining the trust of communities in the most distant locations he created intimate and direct portraits of cultures which have so often been the subject of cold observation'. 'We feel sure that these delightful films, with their strong narratives, will find a ready audience among viewers newly interested in the fate of the world's peoples in the 21st Century', added Sophie Chalou, DOCSTAR's General Manager.
Yasuko Ichioka, Producer/Director for the production company, Nippon A-V Productions, added: 'Junichi Ushiyama's original series, 'Our Wonderful World', has long been a legend in his native Japan. Nippon A-V Productions has been thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate closely with DOCSTAR in re-formatting these films for world-wide audiences. Our ambition has been to give viewers an insight into an astonishing diversity of ways of life and we look forward to sharing this experience with new audiences.
Adaptation from French to English by ARMELLE MENARD and DAVID SEYMOUR.

Celebrations 01: The Tattoo Master

Celebrations 02: Fishing with Cormorants

Celebrations 03: Hidden Japan

Celebrations 04: A Marriage Made in Heaven

Celebrations 05: The Akhas, Jungle Farmers

Celebrations 06: Living with Snakes in Java

Celebrations 07: Headhunters of Borneo - Lost Souls of the Jungle

Celebrations 08: Headhunters of Borneo - The Final Journey

Celebrations 09: Spirits of the Rice Fields

Celebrations 10: Festival of Water & Fire

Celebrations 11: A Year with the Axi - Everyday Life

Celebrations 12: A Year with the Axi - The Full Moon Dance

Celebrations 13: A Year with the Axi - Love Duets on the Mountain

Celebrations 14: Warriors of the Trees - Daily Life

Celebrations 15: Warriors of the Trees - Feast of the Sago Grub

Celebrations 16: Warriors of the Trees - Bisj, Ceremony of Revenge

Celebrations 17: Warriors of the Trees - Headhunters

Celebrations 18: Tribal Wars in New Guinea

Celebrations 19: The Wigmen of New Guinea

Celebrations 20: A Bride and 26 Pigs

Celebrations 21: Crocodile Men of the Sepik

Celebrations 22: White Magic ... Black Magic

Celebrations 23: The Trobriand Islands, a Skirt and a Yam

Celebrations 24: Mustang, Kingdom in the Sky

Celebrations 25: Bali, Island of the Gods

Celebrations 26: Beekeepers of the Himalayas

Celebrations 27: Tree Dwellers of New Guinea

Celebrations 28: The Black Brides of Mendi

Celebrations 29: Irian Jaya - Burial in the Trees

Celebrations 30: Solomon Islanders - The Child & the Ocean

Celebrations 31: Solomon Islanders - The Living & the Dead

Celebrations 33: The Nuers - Shepherds of the Blue Nile

Celebrations 36: Pgymies - Dancers of the Forest

Celebrations 37: Pgymies: The Elephant Hunt

Celebrations Series 1

Celebrations Series 2

Celebrations Series 3