Tokyo Weekender December 2016

THE PROBLEM
WITH JAPANESE CINEMA
HIROKAZU KOREEDA IS ONE OF THE FEW
LOCAL MOVIE DIRECTORS WHO’S PUSHING
FOR ORIGINAL SCRIPTS THAT MIGHT
APPEAL TO A FOREIGN MARKET. HE TELLS
US MORE ABOUT WHY THE INDUSTRY HERE
IS STAGNATING, AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE
DONE TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE
Words by Matthew Hernon
Predictable storylines, risk aversion, small budgets
and an over reliance on popular idols to bring in the
crowds: Japanese cinema has taken quite a bashing
in recent years. One of the most outspoken critics
has been Takeshi Kitano who in 2014 described the
film industry in this country as “going to ruins.”
Statistics from the Motion Picture Producers Association
of Japan would suggest he’s exaggerating. The annual
number of locally produced films being screened
here has more than doubled since 2000, and for the last
decade or so Japanese movies have enjoyed a leading
share of the domestic market.
While this all sounds positive, the problem is that
producers and distribution companies have even
less desire than before to export content globally.
After all, why gamble on a young filmmaker with
an original idea when you can invest in a liveaction
adaptation of a well-known manga story
or novel? The former might have the potential
to appeal to foreign audiences, but it’s the latter
that will put bums on seats in Japan, and that’s
ultimately what they care about.
Subsequently there are now hardly any
Japanese directors making a significant impression
outside these shores. One of the
few exceptions is Cannes regular Hirokazu
Koreeda. The Tokyo native, who’s
been compared to cinema masters like
Mikio Naruse, Yasujiro Ozu and Ken
Loach, started out in the early 90s as
a documentary filmmaker. His debut
feature-length movie, Maborosi, won
him a Golden Osella for Best Director
at the 1995 Venice Film Festival, and
since then he’s continued to enhance
his reputation as an auteur on the
international circuit despite not being
a household name in Japan. Six
of Koreeda’s movies have been
presented at Festival de Cannes,
including Like Father Like Son
(Soshite Chichi ni Naru), which
picked up the coveted jury
prize in 2013. Now he’s trying
30 | DECEMBER 2016 | TOKYO WEEKENDER