‘Killing’ tackles ‘modern issues’, says director Tsukamoto
Composer Sakamoto fulfils childhood dream with animation
LOS ANGELES, Oct 6, (Agencies): Cult Japanese actor/director Shinya Tsukamoto, known for “Tetsuo”, “Tokyo Fist”, “Bullet Ballet” and “A Snake of June” hit the Busan Festival for the Gala screening of his latest film, “Killing”, his first stab at the samurai historical genre.
Addressing a press conference as the sole representative of the film because Typhoon Kong-rey left his cast stranded in Tokyo, Tsukamoto, who also acts in the film, described the film as a “historical drama addressing modern issues.”
The filmmaker said that his intention behind the film was to make the current generation of Japanese people aware of the horrors of war, as Japan has now had more than 70 years of peace. “When you look at violence, the violence is within us, within every human heart,” said Tsukamoto. “We don’t use our violence, we only watch it on screen. Young people don’t know about the danger of war. The ones who have experienced have passed away. I thought I had to be cautious and prudent in depicting it.”
Festival director Jay Jeon, who moderated the discussion, compared “Killing” favorably to the classic American Westerns of director John Ford. “I have seen Spaghetti Westerns rather than the classic Hollywood Westerns. When you compare ‘Killing’ to those, it’s quite refreshing,” Tsukamoto said.
Despite being in the industry for decades, Tsukamoto is still dependent on the box office fate of his current film to decide his next project. “At my age I should have moved on to large-scale films, but because of the lack of commercial elements I stay small scale. At least I’m staying true to myself,” said Tsukamoto, who’s 58.
Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has spent a career steeped in high drama but on Saturday the Japanese star revealed he had now realised a childhood dream by working for the first time in animation.
“I grew up watching ‘Astro Boy’,” said Sakamoto, referring to the cartoon crime fighter. “So I have a great respect for this world.”
Widespread
The 66-year-old Sakamoto first won widespread acclaim for his seminal work on the score for the gritty David Bowie-starring drama “Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence” (1983) before he won an Oscar for the Bernardo Bertolucci-directed period epic “The Last Emperor” in 1987.
Sakamoto has arrived at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival to promote Japanese animation ace Kobun Shizuno’s fantastical “My Tyrano: Together, Forever”, with the film having its world premiere on Saturday night.
“My Tyrano” is lifted from the pages of Japanese picture-book author Miyanishi Tatsuya’s successful Tyrannosaurus series, and is set around an unlikely friendship that forms between two beasts.
Sakamoto picked up the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the festival’s opening on Friday night for his work on movie soundtracks.
He said he was attracted to the themes of tolerance and friendship in “My Tyrano”, and hoped Asian politics would follow a similar route.
The composer said Saturday he thought it was up to individuals to take away from the film what they will – but that he hoped they might see that its message was a positive one.
“The fact that this was a co-production I thought was quite meaningful,” said Sakamoto.
“Getting people together from different places is an interesting process and together the filmmakers showed great passion. But I think it is up to people themselves to find messages. When I work I just act and don’t waste much time wondering what other people think about the things that I believe in.”
The trip to Busan comes as Sakamoto continues to emerge from a hiatus from public appearances following a battle with throat cancer that was first diagnosed in 2014. The disease is now in remission.
“I have been asked to come to Busan many times before,” said Sakamoto. “But the timing was not right until now. It is great to be here and to see people from all over Asia coming together to enjoy our cinema.”