Sleeping Fires - Kurō Tanino - Vienna Festival 2026

It is the year 1840. Iku is a blind woman living on an isolated farmyard a hundred kilometres north of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) together with her husband. The villagers visit Iku for therapeutic massages because her touch relieves the ailments of the heart as well as those of the body. As winter arrives in the mountains, a young blind woman, Sayo, comes to learn the art of massage – and the tale takes an unexpected turn… In Sleeping Fires, Japanese theatre maker Kurō Tanino narrates the encounter between Sayo, a woman injured by violence, and Iku, a woman who feels the pain of others more deeply than anyone else. Together with blind performers and in a realistic stage set of a rural, deeply spiritual world, Tanino – a master of everyday lyricism – tells a story that is as intimate as it is universal. It is a story of pain and of the hope that emerges when people ‘touch’ each other.

Recommended for ages 14+

Language: Japanese with German and English surtitles
Duration: approx. 110 min