Ishibashi / GIFT / Hamaguchi

Born out of friendship, the Ishibashi / GIFT / Hamaguchi project is a unique collaboration between Eiko Ishibashi, the composer of the music for the Oscar-winning Drive My Car, and director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. In this venture, the filmmaker was to break away from literature (his previous film was an adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s prose) and allow Ishibashi’s music to guide him. The result is GIFT, a “contemporary silent film” that serves as a testament to the evocative power of sound, capable of exploring new layers of sensations and emotions. Following the completion of GIFT, Hamaguchi expanded its themes in a feature-length cinema film titled Evil Does Not Exist, also featuring Ishibashi’s music, showcasing the interaction between humanity and nature. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023, where it received the Grand Jury Prize.

The uniqueness of the GIFT project is highlighted by the fact that it is presented exclusively with live music, performed by its creator, Eiko Ishibashi. And this is exactly how you will be able to see (and hear!) GIFT on April 11 at the POLIN Museum during Timeless Film Festival Warsaw.

Patrycja Mucha

Eiko Ishibashi, a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist (vocals, piano, percussion), composed film music for notable works like Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, earning her the Discovery of the Year award at the 2023 Ghent Film Festival. Her auditory creations are phenomena that fuse various styles and genres, ranging from chamber pop to musique concrète utilizing sounds from the world, to jazz and progressive music. Ishibashi has collaborated with renowned artists such as Jim O’Rourke, Keiji Haino, Charlemagne Palestine, Merzbow, Giovanni Di Domenico, and Phew.