Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, this yr’s Asian Filmmaker of the 12 months at Busan Worldwide Movie Pageant, talked in regards to the two movies he has enjoying right here, in addition to the latest wave of younger expertise rising in Japan, throughout a press occasion on the second day of the pageant.
Mentioning that he turns 69 years outdated this yr, Kurosawa stated he determined to churn out two movies in a brief area of time – Cloud, starring Masaki Suda as a manufacturing facility employee with a doubtful on-line aspect hustle, and Serpent’s Path 2024, a French-language remake of his 1998 Japanese movie of the identical title. Each movies are screening as Galas in Busan after Cloud premiered at Venice movie pageant and Serpent’s Path in San Sebastian.
“It wasn’t my intention, however after I obtained an invite from a French producer to remake one in every of my movies in France, I selected Serpent’s Path with out hesitation,” Kurosawa defined.
“The unique was written by Hiroshi Takahashi, and it was very well-written and distinctive. After I made the movie, I felt it had lots of affect from the scriptwriter and in some methods didn’t really feel like my movie. So, my want was to remake it with my very own model.”
Within the Japanese model, Serpent’s Path tells the story of a person who enlists a buddy to assist him determine and actual revenge upon his daughter’s assassin. Kurosawa stated that he loved taking the story out of its authentic yakuza (Japanese gangster) setting and giving it a contemporary spin within the French model during which the dangerous guys are a part of a cult.
“I didn’t wish to repeat the standard ‘yakuza’ character, with the model of their costumes and the best way they speak,” Kurosawa stated. Mathieu Amalric, Aoki Munetaka and Damien Bonnard head the forged of the French model.
As for Cloud, he stated he needed to make a sensible style movie, however it was troublesome to get financing for the undertaking in the course of the pandemic. He solely managed to get the movie made after casting Suda, who is understood for movies together with Wilderness: Half One and We Made A Lovely Bouquet.
“Many Japanese style movies don’t mirror actuality – they’ve stereotypical serial killers or yakuza as protagonists – however I needed to create a personality who was anyone you may meet in actual life,” Kurosawa defined. “I wanted a younger actor who can play timid and odd, but additionally a bit soiled. Masaki Suda was excellent for the position.”
Kurosawa’s previous credit additionally embody Tokyo Sonata (2008), which received the Un Sure Regard Jury Prize in Cannes; Journey To The Shore (2014), which received Un Sure Regard Finest Director; and Spouse Of A Spy (2020), which received the Silver Lion for Finest Director at Venice movie pageant. For a number of years, he was one in every of a quartet of Japanese filmmakers referred to as the “4 Ks” (additionally together with Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takeshi Kitano and Naomi Kawase) who dominated the worldwide pageant circuit.
In recent times, nonetheless, a brand new wave of Japanese expertise has began showing at worldwide movie festivals. Kurosawa stated he admires the work of Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada, though he’s undecided they nonetheless qualify as younger.
“Many gifted younger administrators are showing now – one purpose is that the digitalization of filmmaking has made it simpler for younger filmmakers to attain a sure high quality,” Kurosawa noticed. “I began out making movies in 8mm and the dialogue needed to be easy as a result of it was troublesome to catch the precise sound.”
However he additionally noticed that Japan lacks a brand new wave of style filmmakers: “Japan has lots of nice younger administrators, however they’re not making style motion pictures, whereas Korea has lots of style filmmakers, and I actually envy them. Filmmakers like Hamaguchi and Fukada are making lots of good movies, however it might be attention-grabbing to see what would occur in the event that they tried style.”
Kurosawa obtained Busan’s Asian Filmmaker Of The 12 months award on the pageant’s opening ceremony final night time. The pageant is working till October 10, with the Asian Contents and Movie Market happening October 5-8.
