AIWFF

The film centers around the ancient folktale about a wounded crane. After she is saved by peasants, she tries to give a gift as a token of gratitude. Scenes from the old tale are featured alongside the remarkable real life footage of rescued animals and the people who rescue them. As the fable and the film unfold, we cannot but realize that the act of saving is actually mutual. The scene showing a group of Japanese cranes flying into the sweeping Hokkaido landscape is breathtaking. This documentary may not have been made but for director Linda Hoaglund's special connection with Japan where she spent her childhood days.