In Asian culture, the question ‘did you eat rice?’ means ‘have you eaten?’ (usually referring to a specific meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner). Moreover, this question could also function as a greeting and an expression of concern for someone; for example, a substitute for ‘how have you been?’, ‘are you okay?’ or ‘is everything all right?’.
The experimental documentary film Did You Eat Rice? explores the sensitive relationships which exist between local farmers and their natural environments during the rice harvest in Omachi, Japan. In this production, various subjects, as well as the audience, are asked the question ‘did you eat rice?’.
Special participants: Kazuhiro Kasag (Maruta), Kouji Yamamoto, Naho Yamamoto, Hiroko Nakazawa and 11 students at Miasa School
Directed, filmed and edited by Ellie Kyungran Heo
Supported by Omachi City Council, Nagano, Japan
Developed during Asahi Artist in Residence, 2016
Translated by Youngseop Yoo & Suyeon Heo (into Korean), Domin Chong (into English)
Supported by Omachi City Council, Nagano, Japan
Developed during Asahi Artist in Residence, 2016
Translated by Youngseop Yoo & Suyeon Heo (into Korean), Domin Chong (into English)
Sounds That Grow Rice, 2016, work in progress, installation views at Isshi Art Space, Omachi, Nagano, Japan
Exhibitions and Screenings:
Food Art Film Festival: Reclaiming Taste, Jan Van Eyck Academie, Maastricht, Netherlands, 2022
Indi-Visual: Ellie Kyungran Heo, EXiS: Experimental Film & Video Festival Seoul, Seoul, Korea, 2021
Musanghan Muhyuil @ Parker's piece, SPACE ONSU, Seoul, Korea, 2019
Dear Cinema, MMCA Film & Video, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea, 2018
Public Art New Artist, JCC Art Center, Seoul, Korea, 2017
New Work: Plantarians, LUX Moving Image, London, UK, 2017
Solo-screening: Did You Eat Rice? represented by Mount Florida Screenings, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, UK, 2017
Gödöllő International Nature Film Festival, Gödöllő, Hungary, 2017
Curious Games curated by aCinema, Woodland Pattern, Wisconsin, USA, 2017
Sounds that grow rice, work in progress, Solo Screening, Isshi Art Space, Omachi, Nagano, Japan, 2016
Indi-Visual: Ellie Kyungran Heo, EXiS: Experimental Film & Video Festival Seoul, Seoul, Korea, 2021
Musanghan Muhyuil @ Parker's piece, SPACE ONSU, Seoul, Korea, 2019
Dear Cinema, MMCA Film & Video, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea, 2018
Public Art New Artist, JCC Art Center, Seoul, Korea, 2017
New Work: Plantarians, LUX Moving Image, London, UK, 2017
Solo-screening: Did You Eat Rice? represented by Mount Florida Screenings, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, UK, 2017
Gödöllő International Nature Film Festival, Gödöllő, Hungary, 2017
Curious Games curated by aCinema, Woodland Pattern, Wisconsin, USA, 2017
Sounds that grow rice, work in progress, Solo Screening, Isshi Art Space, Omachi, Nagano, Japan, 2016