The filmmaker Joella Cabalu discusses the new film she’s directed, Koto: The Last Service, that debuts at DOXA: Documentary Film Festival (06-16 May 2021); the film documents the closing of a longtime Campbell River Japanese restaurant, its family at the heart of the film, and the community around it, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Koto: The Last Service is a new short film that is having its world premiere as part of DOXA: the Documentary Film Festival starting tomorrow, Thursday, 06 May 2021 (running until 16 May). It is a beautiful film that looks at the closing of a restaurant in Campbell River, British Columbia, Koto, after nearly forty years in operation. The restaurant closed nearly two years ago, so it’s nostalgic seeing people dine in restaurants with people who may not live with them, without masks on. It’s also quaint to see a restaurant closing on its own terms and not as a result of a pandemic. The Maeda family, with mother Kazue and late father Tony, have run the business, and as we see in the film have forged personal relationship with the community, indigenous and non-indigenous. This film is co-produced by one of the Maeda sons, Kenji, who we see in the film. His co-producer, and the film’s director, Joella Cabalu, joins me now. As we discuss, sushi forty years ago wasn’t as accessible or accepted as it is today. And we also note that the film, as lovely and charming as it might be, offers up something soothing, something we need at a time when there’s a rise in anti-Asian racism. Joella Cabalu is a Filipino-Canadian documentary filmmaker here in Vancouver. Her first film It Runs in the Family, which she was first on the program with in 2015 went on to win prizes at the Seattle Asian Film Festival, and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. She has since worked on numerous films including FIXED!, which screened at DOXA in 2017, as well as On Falling, which played Tribeca last year, and Biker Bob’s Posthumous Adventure, which had wide airplay on the CBC here in 2019. @joellacabalu is her Twitter handle. Visit www.doxafestival.ca for tickets for the film and more information. The films this year are available across Canada. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Joella Cabalu; Ms. Cabalu, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (17.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS