Many Japanese traditions are passed along for several generations.

One of the most notable is the food tradition of Mochitsuki.

Director Sky Bergman captured the tradition in the short documentary Mochitsuki: Celebrating the Japanese New Year.

The short film tells the tale of tradition, love, and celebration at one family’s annual gathering. The process of mochitsuki involves pounding cooked rice to create warm Mochi cakes. Generations share the custom tradition and enjoy the results.

Bergman is a California-based art and design professor and filmmaker. Her first feature-length documentary is Lives Well Lived, which premiered at SBIFF in 2017.

LRM Online spoke with her on the phone earlier this month.

The film will make its world premiere tomorrow at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre at 5 p.m.

Please listen to the audio interview below. The article will be updated in print format at a later date.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive