Join us for this free documentary screening at Ann Arbor District Library: Downtown Library 4th Floor Meeting Room!

Carving the Divine is a documentary film that offers a rare look into a 1400-year-old Buddhist woodcarving tradition and the practitioners struggling to preserve its legacy in a rapidly changing Japan. Produced, written, and directed by Yujiro Seki, this documentary tells the authentic story of Busshi, Japan's Buddhist sculptors. For more than a millennium, Japanese people have confronted the suffering and meaning of life through this magnificent art.

Carving the Divine has become the official selection for 33 film festivals, showing in a total of 22 countries, and has won awards at 13 festivals worldwide, including winning Best Director for a Foreign Language Documentary at World Cinema Milan and premiering at the Raindance Film Festival in London.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with the writer, producer, and director Yujiro Seki.

This documentary is not rated.

This event is part of Japan Week 2025 in partnership with the Ann Arbor District Library: https://aadl.org/node/640445.

The 11th annual Ann Arbor Japan Week is from June 15 to 21. Join us all week for free Japan-themed events and activities for all ages! View the complete schedule at: https://myumi.ch/V7nxn.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at cjsevents@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.