Book-Paper-Scissors: dir Nanako Hirose (2019)

The book designer’s job is not only to come up with the outstanding jacket of a book, but also to carefully choose the papers and the fonts, and layout them to create the unique physical book. This documentary on 75-year-old Japanese book designer Nobuyoshi Kikuchi presents a fascinating portrait of a man who has devoted his life to his craft – he has designed more than 15,000 books, and he still works with a ruler, scissors, and pencils, creating unique fonts, and making meticulous use of the particular properties of the chosen paper. He enjoys the personal exchange with authors, a good cup of coffee, and a stroll through the flea market …

This is a Cinema Akil presentation in collaboration with House of Artisans at Qasr Al Husn, one of a series of screenings that narrate diverse stories of artisans from various backgrounds and cultures.