[For this week's edition of the Twitch Video Salute we welcome special guest saluter Norihiro Koizumi, director of the stellar Gachi Boy, for a look at directors from his native Japan.]
Okay, most of you may have noticed by now that there is sometimes a considerable gap between how filmmakers are respected in their homeland or overseas. Some are renowned only in their own country while others are except for in their own country. So as a Japanese film director myself, I'll write about five promising Japanese film directors who I think deserves salute internationally or domestically or perhaps both.
First director is Shunji Iwai, a particular person who instantly inspired me to become a prospective filmmaker by his first feature. LOVE LETTER(1995) wasn't necessarily a big hit in terms of box office though it was revolutionary as a film itself.
His works are always praised in terms of their amazingly beautiful cinematography by Noboru Shinoda while I personally think his interest is rather focused on editing and the structure of the script. He is well known in Japan and now starting his career in U.S. by his latest work NEW YORK I LOVE YOU(2009).
Shinobu Yaguchi made a departure from his normal style with his new film HAPPY FLIGHT(2008). Yes sir, you can still find his unique taste throughout but nevertheless I find it extremely sophisticating compared to his breakthrough movie WATER BOYS(2001) and SWING GIRLS(2004), proving his directing ability is extraordinary after all.
He writes his original scripts himself, always based on elaborate research. For almost two years he researched the airline industry and have did more than 100 interviews for HAPPY FLIGHT. He spends as much time as his projects need and people who work in the film industry know how difficult it is to do that.
"Movies are entertainment" he remarks. Now isn't he manly.
He is one of the most renowned movie director in Japan and will stack up with Hayao Miyazaki or Takeshi Kitano sooner or later. I wonder how he's gonna be approached abroad.
Because I use to live outside Japan, I have this solid notion of how each culture has its own distinctive sense of humor. Satoshi Miki is one and only director who depicts this particular Japanese-like comedy. His films makes people chuckle instead of burst. Before he started directing feature films he was already an institution in the TV industry. I personally think his splendor is rather reflected in his TV shows (such as this) but still you can definitely see his sense in his feature so check it out.
Latest work you can see is ADRIFT IN TOKYO(2007) and he is working on a new project right now.
Nobuhiro Yamashita is a prolific film director born in 1976. He's only 32 but has directed eight features already. Though this doesn't necessary mean that his work is sloppy, it is rather polished and sensitive. TENNEN KOKEKKO(2007) is a very touching love story starting by a local girl falling in love with a boy from out of town portrayed in a beautiful country backdrop.
Nobuhiro Yamashita's works used to be mostly masculine, even in LINDA LINDA LINDA(2005) where all four main characters were girls. In this film however I feel feminine taste and it could be a sign of him embarking for the next stage.
Satoshi Kon is different compared to the above-mentioned because his field is animation. Characters in his works however are by far human-like than some other typical live action movies.
In TOKYO GODFATHERS(2003) I can see his keen observation of people. In Tokyo you can actually see some people somehow checking their mobile in unbelievably crowded train, just like how it's shown in this film. His eyes seem to be sometimes favorable but usually sarcastic. Perhaps he's one of the director who's rather respected internationally but not as much as he deserves in Japan.
I am sort of proud I recognized more names in there than I expected at first.
(And I love Satoshi Kon's work!)
Adrift in Tokyo was a great movie.
adrift in tokyo, tennen kekokko, linda linda linda, ... I simply LOVED them all!