by Marei Annis There are so many stories about life in LA that it seems hard to imagine that all of them could be true at the same time. And yet there is so much to see, experience and discover in the “city of stars” that you may find yourself surprised after all to find […]
Many years ago at the Cannes Film Festival I was discussing the story of my next film with a producer. “So, feature?”, he asked. “No, short”, I responded. “Why? Shorts are a waste of time, you can’t make money with them”. “But, that’s the length of the story” was all I could counter with, and […]
This will be an on-going series where I hope to introduce newcomers to the amazing, eclectic world of Japanese cinema. Obviously to those who have been watching Japanese films for a while many names will be well known, but I hope there will be some new treats to investigate for everyone. I came late to […]
Following on from the success of Kore-eda’s ‘Shoplifters’ at last years Cannes Film Festival, we might have hoped for further Japanese films in the 2019 edition, which started on the 14th May. Sadly there are no Japanese entries in any of the official selections. Miike Takashi’s UK-Japan co-production ‘First Love’ screens in the Director’s Fortnight, […]
In United States, where I grew up, October is the month for Halloween, which also means it’s the month where people choose to spook themselves with horror films. I wonder if that is catching on in Japan, where summer is the traditional season for scary movies. In case you’re in the mood for some award […]
“A short film can be anything. Just like a poem. But that doesn’t mean it is easier. Sometimes it’s much harder to write one great poem than to write a whole novel.” – Director Sara Broos I recently came across this quote by a Swedish filmmaker Sara Broos in an interview. It got me thinking […]
There is a decrepit apartment complex around the corner from our new office building called “Tsukumo Sou (つくも荘)”, and according to our landlord it is a somewhat famous location where several Japanese scary movies were filmed. Despite my best research efforts, I was not able to identify any of the scary movies that were filmed […]
So you’re in Tokyo and want to see the sights? Fantastic! But you’ve already gone up the Skytree, you’ve already taken the obligatory scramble crossing photo, and you’ve eaten as much ramen and sushi as you can handle. Now you find yourself with a cinephilic itch that demands to be scratched! So where do you […]
Anyone who has ever stepped onto a film set can tell you that there is no shortage of drama to be found. So it is no surprise that there are plenty of movies that tackle the subject. But whilst every aspect of Hollywood filmmaking has been exhaustively explored, we rarely get to see what filmmaking […]
The Japanese Filmmakers of Sundance 1998 – Where Are They Now? Whilst browsing the shelves of Book Off in Akihabara, I came across a fantastic time capsule: the original catalogue from the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. At ¥500, I grabbed it immediately, and was further delighted when the checkout staff informed me all foreign books […]