SHOWCASE CINEMA

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW TALENT SPOTTING AND CO-PRODUCTION

SHOWCASE CINEMA

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW TALENT SPOTTING AND CO-PRODUCTION CONTENTS

3 SCREENING SCHEDULE

4 SHOZO ICHIYAMA

6 SHOZO ICHIYAMA’S JOURNEY

14 FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI (OPENING FILM)

16 CHASUKE’S JOURNEY

18 THEY SAY NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

20 THE CALMING

22 THE HORSE THIEVES: ROADS OF TIME

24 A TOUCH OF SIN (CLOSING FILM)

26 THE COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY OF SHOZO ICHIYAMA

32 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

2 SHOWCASE CINEMA SCREENING SCHEDULE

MONDAY APRIL 12 5pm Flowers of Shanghai (Hai Shang Hua) 1998

TUESDAY APRIL 13 3pm Chasuke’s Journey (Ten No Chasuke) 2015

WEDNESDAY APRIL 14 3pm The Horse Thieves: Roads of Time 2019

THURSDAY APRIL 15 3pm The Calming (Ping Jing) 2020 5pm They Say Nothing Stays the Same (Aru Sendo No Hanashi) 2019

FRIDAY APRIL 16 3pm Shozo Ichiyama interviewed by Professor Herman Van Eyken. Followed by drinks 5pm A Touch of Sin (Thian Zhu Ding) 2013

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 3 SHOZO ICHIYAMA

ICHIYAMA -SENSEI would have been He often found this emerging talent oversees, one of the titles for this new Cinema and properly assessed the possibility to help Showcase, entirely dedicated to the these talents by (co)-producing and promoting amazing talent of this Japanese the great work he made possible for them. master, who leads us the way to so many endeavours, dear to us at GFS, such as incubating emerging talent, exploring cross border collaboration, transnational storytelling, curating exquisite filmmaking from our vibrant Pacific region, all built on his passion for good cinema.

I had the pleasure to meet him as the go between person for me, the Asia Europe Foundation, and one of Japanese finest masters, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, back in 2006. Kurosawa Having produced over 26 long feature films, was one of the artists we had chosen to be often directorial debuts, he has won countless part of a European and Asia-Pacific pilot prestigious awards in all major film festivals – series of masterclasses I was curating for one of these very close here in Brisbane at the CILECT, the world association of film and media 2018 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, where he schools. He was the humblest in his efforts, was able to collect the Best Performance by an but meticulously perfect in the delivery of his Actress Award for Zhao Tao in Jia Zhangke’s free services, all for the sake of promoting Ash is the Purest White. Indeed, he was then our good cinema. I only found out later, what he very own guest to come and discuss an initiative carefully hided from me: he was a producer at to seek and develop a joint venture to provide Office Kitano, where he was able to combine his professional training with the Asia Pacific film work as a producer and a prolific talent scout. schools in countries from our region where such a training was not available. This initiative is soon running a pilot version in Dhaka, Bangladesh. At the same time, we were able to tap into his formidable talent as a producer to mentor, as an Asia Pacific Screen Academy member, one of our Japanese recipients of our very own Asia Pacific Screen Lab.

4 SHOWCASE CINEMA It is therefore not surprising Ichiyama- sensei was awarded the prestigious 2019 Kawakita Award from the Kawakita Memorial Institute for his significant contribution to the development of Japanese Cinema, and the diffusion of Japanese Culture through film. The impact and influence of this great master is indeed not to be underestimated and this year – only a few weeks ago – he was given the new role of Head Programmer of the International Film Festival (TIFF), after he had left this very Festival many years ago to found its rival Tokyo Filmex. In this intervening period, Ichiyama-sensei indeed has become a renown independent producer, closely aligned with some who have become giants of the Asian Cinema scene including Jia Zhangke, Hou Hisao-hsien and Kitano Takeshi. We may expect TIFF will be re-examining its approach to programming. One thing we know already, and again this a great achievement in itself, on March 8th, International Women’s day, TIFF has signed the Gender Parity Pledge as part of a major shakeup. By doing What an extraordinary personality; and it so, it commits to transparency on matters is with great pride, we present, here at the including film selection, committee members, Griffith Film School, what we think is a first film directors, cast and crew. has an ever ‘retrospective’ of his work in Japan and enduring legacy of male power and privilege; beyond. Indeed, he finds it ‘very interesting that therefore, we can only applaud this move. film crew and cast from different countries Prolific film producer, powerful film work together…sometimes it will change their curator, he is also a visiting professor of career… As long as everyone stays honest.’ the excellent Tokyo University of Arts film So, do we, sensei! school, and is turning full circle. In his own words, he is guided by a ‘kind of intuition’ Enjoy the work of this master and do not as you can read in the excellent interview miss his masterclass on the closing day. in this booklet by our celebrated curator I definitely won’t. Philip Cheah. Be it as producer or curator, he is always on the lookout for ‘something Professor Herman Van Eyken new’. And then, he is there to help… Director, Griffith Film School

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 5 SHOZO ICHIYAMA’S JOURNEY

Before I first met Shozo Ichiyama it was Kashiko who introduced the legendary over 20 years ago, the legend was filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinema to him. Today, this – he was a true film buff, someone the Institute is still a meeting point for foreign who lived and breathed cinema 25 festival programmers to preview the latest hours a day, more than any ordinary Japanese films. That aspect of Ichiyama’s own life is reflected in his career as a film fan. His passion was for film and he programmer when he was in charge of selecting lived daily for it till he went to sleep films for the Tokyo International Film Festival each night. That was what everyone from 1992 to 1999. In 2000, he launched the then said about him. Later when I Tokyo FILMeX film festival (intended as an met him, I found it to be true. During alternative film festival) and served as the conversations, at the mention of director. One core aspect of the festival’s cinema, his face would light up. programme is a dedicated retrospective to important Japanese directors in history. For There must be more than a morsel of truth example, in 2005, the FILMeX mounted a 12-film in this legend and Ichiyama’s career is clear retrospective of Nobuo Nakagawa on the 100th testimony and proof. He has produced over 26 anniversary of his birth, with 10 newly-struck feature films to date, won countless awards film prints. That kind of dedication mirrors including the Kawakita Award in 2019. This is and continues the efforts of the Kawakitas significant as the Kawakita Memorial Institute who made available again forgotten cinema. awards annually to an individual, who has significantly contributed to the development Born in 1963 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, of Japanese cinema, and to the diffusion of Ichiyama graduated from Tokyo University. Japanese culture over the years, through films. Ichiyama joined Shochiku in 1987 and started to work as the producer for films such as Violent That influence and impact can be clearly seen Cop (1989) by Takeshi Kitano, Nowhere Man in his films. For Hou Hsiao Hsien’s Flowers (1991) by Naoto Takenaka and three films by of Shanghai, Japanese actress Michiko Hou Hsiao-Hsien (Good Men, Good Women (1995), Hada took a leading role. For Kazakhstan Goodbye South, Goodbye (1996) and Flowers director Yerlan Nurmukhambetov, Ichiyama recommended Japanese actor Mirai Moriyama to play a leading Kazakh role and supported Japanese filmmaker, Lisa Takeba’s wish to work with Nurmukhambetov.

The Kawakitas as a family were instrumental in internationalising Japanese cinema. The mother, Kashiko Kawakita was both a film producer and film curator (as Ichiyama is today). In 1948, the Kawakita couple first met American film critic, Donald Richie, and

6 SHOWCASE CINEMA of Shanghai (1998). Ichiyama once said: “For myself, I was just a movie fan before I joined Shochiku Film Studio. I saw many films when I was a university student. I majored economics in Tokyo University – it had nothing to do with filmmaking. When I entered Tokyo University, I started to regret, I should have entered some cultural department! I lost interest in economics. I was more fascinated by cultural stuff - music, art and filmmaking. Actually, I was born and raised in the countryside. I didn’t have many opportunities to know this kind of cultural stuff his early movies. He couldn’t find money in until I entered Tokyo University in early 1980s. , so I tried in Japan and Europe. It was But later, after I went into the film industry, hard work for me, but the result was very many things I learned in the university helped nice, and all his films were accepted in Cannes, a lot, because I have many memories of the Venice and other film festivals. We received films I saw. Sometimes, it helped my work.” In good reviews from European critics. But at fact, this clue about Ichiyama’s balanced life first, it was hard for me to raise the money.” between economics and the arts could explain why he is such a highly-esteemed producer Since 2013, Ichiyama became a visiting today. He has insight into both worlds. professor at Tokyo University of Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media. His latest works In 1998, Ichiyama joined Office Kitano include SABU’s Mr. Long, which was selected and started to produce the films by Asian in competition in Berlin 2017, Joe Odagiri’s filmmakers, including Samira Makhmalbaf’s They Say Nothing Stays the Same, which Blackboards (, 2000), Abolfazl Jalili’s was selected in Venice Days 2019 and Yerlan Delbaran (Iran, 2001) and his longest career Nurmukhambetov and Lisa Takeba’s The Horse collaborator Jia Zhang-ke, with his films, Thieves: Roads of Time, which was shown as the Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), opening film in Busan International Film Festival The World (2004), 24 City (2008), A Touch of Sin 2019. This year, Ichiyama has just turned one (2013), Mountains May Depart (2015) and Ash is full circle and returns to the Tokyo International the Purest White (2018). That’s a total of seven Film Festival, but now as Programming Director. films in the nine features of Jia’s filmography. This relationship has even extended and spilled over to projects that they share, such as the production of Song Fang’s The Calming (2020). But it’s a lasting relationship that Ichiyama worked hard at. As he once said, “for Jia Zhangke, I started to work with him when he was very young, so I must do many things for

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 7 INTERVIEW:

Philip Cheah: Chasuke’s Journey seems not only a parable of life but a parable of cinema. “The Man”, who is attributed as a source of creation, could be the Producer while the Heavenly Scriptwriters, could be the entire filmmaking team. What did you think about when you first read SABU’s script?

Shozo Ichiyama: When I read the script, I was very much impressed by SABU’s idea that heavenly scriptwriters are writing scripts for each person. Actually, my career as a producer has been full of coincidences, and I’m convinced that somebody in heaven wrote my script. In my last year in the university, when I was on the train, I happened to see an article in the newspaper of another passenger that “Shochiku recruits new assistant directors for the first time in more than 10 years”. I never thought of working in the film industry before that moment.

P: My personal favourites us. Knowing I’m the producer of Flowers of Shanghai, he started to talk about his next S: This is a very difficult question. Personally, project, Platform. At that time, he was 27 years I like many kinds of the films, such as action, old, but looked much younger. Watching him horror, musical, film noir, etc. When I was speaking about his project in Chinese, I felt his asked “What is the criterion of selection honesty and thought that I might be able to for Tokyo FILMeX?”, I usually replied “I will work with him for a long time. It’s difficult to select films that show me something new”. explain why I felt it, but I think it’s necessary P: Talent spotting: Jia Zhang-ke for producers to have a kind of intuition.

S: I met Jia Zhang-ke when his first film Xiao P: A Touch of Sin Wu premiered in Berlin 1998. First, I watched S: In 2012, Jia Zhang-ke had been preparing his film, and thought this filmmaker is very to shoot a big budget epic drama, but the much talented. Then I happened to meet him project was postponed because of various in the restaurant where I went for dinner reasons. In June, I met him during the Shanghai with my Japanese friends. At that time, he Film Festival, and he told me he would like to could not speak English at all, but Yu Lik-wai, shoot another film that is less expensive and his cinematographer translated between asked me to be the producer. He wanted to

8 SHOWCASE CINEMA make a film based on the real incidents that to produce his first directorial debut film, happened in China recently. His idea was very he already wrote the script which is almost clear, and I of course agreed to work for the same as the completed film. Odagiri told film. Later he sent me the script, which was me that he had this idea for 10 years, and already very well written, and I started to find I’m somewhat surprised that he has been the investment from Japan and Europe. I gave interested in such a subject. This is the story him some advice during the editing, but I don’t of the lower-class people who are forgotten think I contributed a lot. All of the high quality in the development and progress of society. of the film came from Jia’s personal talent. I think this serious subject can be universally understood, but of course I never thought P: The film is also a very powerful about the present Covid-19 situation. statement of bureaucratic corruption. Did this in any way tie in with China’s campaign P: You once said: “it’s not easy to distribute against corruption that began in 2012? Asian art films. If it’s a genre film, maybe the DVD companies will quickly buy it. This S: I don’t think that the subject of corruption is how some of the Hong Kong action in the film is related to the government’s films get distributed... For genre films it’s campaign. Jia Zhang-ke just showed what really possible, but for artistic films it’s more happened. The film was actually banned by the difficult.” Has online streaming changed the government and was not released in China. market? Has it made it easier to sell and P: Joe Odagiri’s They Say Nothing Stays the distribute Asian art films? For example, it’s Same could be a powerful reflection of this now possible to see the cinema of Youssef Covid-era. Just as bridges have rendered the Chahine or classic Lebanese film on Netflix. boatman redundant, online streaming has S: Online streaming expanded the opportunity deeply affected the habit of cinema-going. for people to watch various films. But the S: I know Joe Odagiri since I worked with number of people who watch online art house him for the film Big River (2004), for which films is very poor. For art house films, we still he played the main role. When he asked me rely on the revenue from cinemas. It’s possible to release art house films in online platforms, but we cannot get the minimum guarantee, and the result is very poor. By now, all of the online platforms in Japan are for commercial films and TV series, but several companies are now trying to open the online platforms, like MUBI, that concentrate on art house films. I hope these new platforms will work well.

P: You could have remained a Japanese producer producing only Japanese films. What attracted you to co-productions?

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 9 S: There are many good filmmakers in Japan, stopped, because it needed to be shot in and especially in the 1990s, most of them Iran. After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became managed to find the investment thanks to the the president in Iran in 2005, the censorship large VHS market in Japan. On the other hand, in Iran got worse. I’m not sure if this is the I met many talented foreign filmmakers who reason, but since 2005, I didn’t get offers had many problems finding the investment in from Iranian filmmakers to co-produce. their countries and needed to look for foreign P: Much of your work now is in the Chinese producers. I was interested to work with them, diaspora and you have effectively aided the one of the reasons being that I could also learn crossover of many regional talents, for example, many things, not only filmmaking, but also Japanese actress in Taiwan film (Michiko about their culture. I also enjoyed visiting the Hada in Flowers of Shanghai), Japanese shooting locations, where ordinary tourists actor in a Kazakh film (Mirai Moriyama in The might not or could not visit. Another reason is Horse Thieves). What excites/interests you that I always like to try something that others in working in this diaspora? Or is it the idea haven’t done yet. As you know, there were not of trans-national cinema where different so many Japanese producers who had been national influences keep film interesting? working for international co-productions. S: I think it’s very interesting that the film crew P: What were your experiences producing and cast from different countries work together. Iranian films such as Blackboards and Such experiences will surely give something Delbaran and what were the reasons why to each crew or cast, and sometimes change you didn’t produce more in this region? their career. In Japan, there are many good S: I don’t think there is any reason why I didn’t actors or talented cinematographers or music work for Iranian films after Delbaran. I once composers, and I think working with foreign decided to work with Bahman Ghobadi and talented filmmakers may have a good effect developed one project with him. But since on them. When I produced Flowers of Shanghai, he went into exile after he made No One Shochiku asked Hou Hsiao-hsien to use a Knows About Persian Cats (2009), this project Japanese music composer mainly because it will be effective for Japanese release. Among the several candidates, Hou selected Yoshihiro Hanno, who was a hip-hop musician, who never worked for films. This totally changed his career, and he has been working with many filmmakers in China and Taiwan since then.

P: The Horse Thieves

S: I like Kazakh New Wave Cinema, such as Darezhan Omirbaev, and am interested in the country itself. The project of Horse Thieves started in Cannes 2017. Japanese

10 SHOWCASE CINEMA S: Unfortunately, a co-production with Japan doesn’t mean the success of box office in Japan. It will surely raise the box office, but since most of such films are art house films, the result is limited. For example, the box office of Horse Thieves was very limited even though Mirai Moriyama acted the main role. But if the film was made without him, there would be no chance that the film is released in Japan.

P: You once said: “I think it is necessary to have many experiences. Not in filmmaking, but in ordinary life. If he (a filmmaker) has experienced many things, sometimes he can find a good idea from his experiences. But if he just studied filmmaking and he is not interested in any other thing, it probably will be difficult for him to find new ideas and to solve problems.” But what are the other things that inspire you. For example, what kind of music or art do you collect?

S: I think all cultural knowledge, such as director Lisa Takeba happened to meet Yerlan music, art, literature, etc. will be helpful Nurmukhambetov, who came to Cannes to for filmmakers. As for the music, I have look for possible co-producers. Lisa, who has a been a big fan of classical music for a long dream to shoot a film in Central Asia, decided to time. But unfortunately, none of my past co-direct the film. The next day, she introduced films are related with classical music. I hope Yerlan to me, and asked me to be the producer of I can work for some films for which my their film. I happened to watch Yerlan’s first film knowledge of classical music can be helpful. in the Eurasia Film Festival, and after meeting with him, I thought he was a reliable person. One P: You have effectively built an eco-system. thing which crossed my mind at that time was Not only do you run a film festival that has that I might visit the steppes in Kazakhstan. In a Tokyo Talents component that helps to fact, I visited the location when the shooting identify emerging talent, but as a producer, started. But I could only stay one day as I had this is also a talent pool for you to observe. to rush back to prepare for Tokyo FILMeX. Then after production, your familiarity with film festivals is a bonus when it comes to P: What is the result of Japan co-productions? launching the films. How did you manage Do they help in terms of box office when to bring all these elements together? they are released in Japan? Do audiences appreciate and look forward to the Japanese S: I never intended to create “Eco-system” for content in such co-productions? my career as a producer. In fact, film festivals

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 11 gave me the opportunity to know foreign filmmakers, but I didn’t create Tokyo FILMeX to find the filmmakers for my productions. We started Talents Tokyo in 2010, but it’s simply because I thought Tokyo FILMeX should contribute something for the future of cinema, and it’s not for my productions. Nevertheless, as a result, I’m now working with two young filmmakers who attended Talents Tokyo.

P: Please tell us more about your choice of Hou Hsiao Hsien’s Flowers of Shanghai in this programme. In many ways, Hou and yourself both share a common idealism in developing a sustainable filmmaking eco-system. Like you, Hou started his own Taiwan Film and Culture Association in 2001 to train young filmmakers.

S: The reason I chose Flowers of Shanghai is simply because I think working with Hou Hsiao- hsien was very important in my career, and this is the only film we can show a DCP. Shochiku is now considering making digital remastered version of other two films, but these are not P: You mentioned that when “there are many available yet. Anyway, I think Flowers of Shanghai problems in shooting, the production process is one of the best films I produced, and I’m happy will be a nightmare for the producer.” Can you to show it. As you said, Hou Hsiao-hsien started share with us one such experience with us? various educational activities after 2000, but I think it’s just coincidence. Probably Taiwanese S: When we shot Chasuke’s Journey, a big government or film industry needed some typhoon attacked Okinawa where the film was symbolic filmmaker to represent Taiwanese shot. On that day, we expected to shoot the cinema at that time, and it would be naturally him. beginning of the film, the scene of heavenly scriptwriters. We discussed if we should P: Stages of Producing postpone the shooting, but it was very difficult S: When the shooting is going well, the to do this because we must pay additional production stage is very enjoyable for the budget if the shooting is postponed. Finally, producer. Basically, there’s nothing I should I decided to shoot this scene as scheduled, do on the set, and I can watch the shooting because the whole scene would be shot in the like a movie fan. But when there are many studio. It was not easy to decide it, because if problems in shooting, the production process any crew or cast was injured by the typhoon, it will be a nightmare for the producer. would be a big scandal and I would be blamed.

12 SHOWCASE CINEMA On the day before the shooting, I asked all crew P: For young directors looking for a and extras to stay at the hotel near the studio. producer, what would you say to them? Some of the extras cancelled work, because S: I think most important thing is “to be honest”. they worried about their home. Because of this, some crew members, including myself, P: In his film, Split Wide Open, Dev Benegal must act as the heavenly script writers. In shows a character in the opening scene the morning, we started shooting. After lunch receiving a call from Shozo Ichiyama. It time, the typhoon hit Okinawa. Although we was the director’s tribute to you as a heard fearful sounds from outside, the inside famous producer. Does this make you think of the studio was safe. The big problem was about some of the dream countries you electric power. It stopped a few times, and would like to co-produce in and why? we had to wait until it resumed. Every time S: I showed Dev Benegal’s film English August the shooting was interrupted, I had to make a in Tokyo International Film Festival, and invited speech to the crew and cast to inform them of Dev to Tokyo. Probably that’s why he used the present situation and assured them that we my name in his next film. I never worked for were completely safe. I think it was quite funny, Indian films, but of course I’m open to work for because I was in the costume of the heavenly Indian-Japanese co-production in the future. script writer when I made those speeches. P: The Calming

S: I met Song Fang in Tokyo Filmex 2012, when her Memories Look at Me was shown. After Filmex finished, she continued to stay in Japan, and travelled to several places including Echigo Yuzawa, where the first part of the film was shot. After her travels, I met her again in Tokyo and she talked about her trip. Next year, she wrote the first draft of the script, and asked me to be the producer. Since I was somewhat involved from the very beginning, this film is memorable for me. But I didn’t intend to act in the film. The actor who was attached to this role cancelled because of his health problem, and we couldn’t find the middle-aged actor who could speak English. It was an improvised solution.

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 13 OPENING FILM

FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI (HAI SHANG HUA)

1998 | TAIWAN/JAPAN | 113 MINS

DIRECTOR CAST Hou Hsiao Hsien Michiko Hada - Crimson Michelle Reis - Emerald WRITER Rebecca Pan - Huang Chu Tien Wen Tony Leung - Wang Shuan Fang - Jade MUSIC Jack Kao - Luo Yoshihiro Hanno Vicky Wei - Jasmin Tu Duu-Chih Carina Lau - Pearl

CINEMATOGRAPHER PRINT SOURCE Mark Lee Ping Bin SHOCHIKU Co. Hitomi Hosoda at EDITOR [email protected] Liao Ching-Sung

PRODUCER Min Lwin

14 SHOWCASE CINEMA SYNOPSIS DIRECTOR’S BIO

An intoxicating, time-bending experience bathed Hou Hsiao-hsien (born 8 April 1947) is a in the golden glow of oil lamps and wreathed Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, producer in an opium haze, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s gorgeous and actor. He is a leading figure in world cinema period reverie traces the romantic intrigue, and in Taiwan’s New Wave cinema movement. He jealousies, and tensions swirling around a won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in late 19th century Shanghai brothel, where 1989 for his film A City of Sadness (1989), and the the courtesans live confined to a gilded cage, Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival ensconced in opulent splendour yet forced to in 2015 for The Assassin (2015). Other highly work to buy back their freedom. Among the regarded works of his include The Puppetmaster regular clients is the taciturn Master Wang (Tony (1993) and Flowers of Shanghai (1998). Leung Chiu-wai), whose relationship with his long-time mistress, Crimson (Michiko Hada) is Hou was voted “Director of the Decade” for the roiled by a perceived act of betrayal. Composed in 1990s in a poll of American and international a procession of entrancing long takes, Flowers of critics by The Village Voice and Film Comment. Shanghai evokes a vanished world of decadence In a 1998 New York Film Festival worldwide and cruelty, an insular universe where much critics’ poll, Hou was named “one of the three of the dramatic action remains tantalizingly directors most crucial to the future of cinema.” offscreen—even as its emotional fallout . registers with quiet devastation. – Janus Films

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SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 15 CHASUKE’S JOURNEY (TEN NO CHASUKE)

2015 | JAPAN / FRANCE | 106 MIN

DIRECTOR/WRITER CAST SABU Ken’ichi Matsuyama Ito Ohno PRODUCER Ren Ohsugi Shozo Ichiyama Yusuke Iseya Hiromasa Taguchi CINEMATOGRAPHER Tina Tamashiro Daisuke Soma Hiroki Konno

PRINT SOURCE Mio Suzuki Bandai Namco Arts at [email protected]

16 SHOWCASE CINEMA SYNOPSIS DIRECTOR’S BIO

Things are hectic in heaven. Dozens of scribes Hiroyuki Tanaka, better known as SABU, was born sit before a long scroll incessantly scribbling in Prefecture in 1964. His directing away. They are composing the biographies of debut, D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner (1996), was shown at earth-dwellers. What is invented by the men in various international film festivals. Many awards heaven is lived out below. And their employer, and regular invitations to the Berlin International “The Man” aka God, is increasingly vehement in Film Festival followed, where he won the demanding avant-garde ideas. Take, for example, FIPRESCI Award in 2000 for Monday. Apart from the beautiful Yuri, a girl who dies in a car crash. working as a director, SABU is also active as an Some of the heavenly scribes find this very dull actor. Among his films as director are Postman and send former gangster Chas, who has become Blues (1997), Unlucky Monkey (1998), Drive (2002), a heavenly tea-boy, back down to earth with Blessing Bell (2002), Hard Luck Hero (2003), Dead instructions to save Yuri no matter what. And Run (2005), Miss Zombie (2013), Happiness (2016), so Chas ends up in Okinawa, gets to know the Mr Long (2017), Jam (2018), Dancing Mary (2020), earth-dwellers, interferes in their fates, becomes and My Blood and Bones in a Flowing Galaxy (2021). celebrated as ‘Mr Angel’ and is hounded by brutal enemies. His falling in love with Yuri is of course a foregone conclusion. But no one could anticipate what happens next. Not even “The Man” himself.

Oscillating between philosophy and buffoonery, Sabu’s film plays with famous motifs from film history, uniting melodrama, the gangster movie, romance and slapstick. His underlying idea, that every life has a value of its own, is special and in no way predictable and is presented with great pace and flamboyance. – Berlin Int’l Film Festival 2015

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 17 THEY SAY NOTHING STAYS THE SAME (ARU SENDO NO HANASHI)

2019 | JAPAN | 137MINS

DIRECTOR/WRITER CAST Joe Odagiri Akira Emoto Ririka Kawashima PRODUCER Nijiro Murakami Shozo Ichiyama Masatoshi Nagase Haroumi Hosono CINEMATOGRAPER PRINT SOURCE Chris Doyle Kinoshita Group Co. Ltd EDITORS Kino Films Co. Ltd Masaya Okazaki Maki Shimizu Joe Odagiri Acquisition and Sales/ International Group MUSIC Maki-shimizu@kino- international.jp Tigran Hamasyan

COSTUMES Emi Wada

18 SHOWCASE CINEMA SYNOPSIS DIRECTOR’S BIO

For years, Toichi has ferried people between Emerging director Odagiri Joe is best known a mountain village and a nearby town, but as an internationally acclaimed actor since his times are changing. A bridge is being built and starring role in Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s Bright Future soon the aged boatman’s services will not be in 2003. Odagiri has amassed an extraordinary needed. More unexpected changes occur after filmography, working primarily with indie he rescues a mysterious girl. Odagiri, who also auteurs rather than big-studio directors such as wrote the film’s script, gathers top names – Seijun Suzuki’s Princess Raccoon (2005), Miwa cinematographer Christopher Doyle, costume Nishikawa’s Sway (2006), Katsuhiro Otomo’s designer Wada Emi, composer Tigran Hamasyan Bugmaster (2006), Kim Ki-duk’s Dream (2007), – to create a rich and languorous portrait of a Yu Lik-wai’s Plastic City (2007), Tian Zhuang- bygone way of life that is about to be lost to the zhuang’s The Warrior and the Wolf (2009), tides of time. – Hongkong Asian Film Festival. Kang Je-gyu’s My Way (2011), Kohei Oguri’s FOUJITA (2015), Jenny Suen & Christopher Doyle’s The White Girl (2017) and Lou Ye’s . Saturday Fiction (2019). In 2009, he directed a middle-length film Looking for the Cherry Blossoms, which was selected in Rotterdam Film Festival. They Say Nothing Stays the Same is his directorial debut feature-length film.

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 19 THE CALMING (PING JING)

2020 | CHINA | 93MINS

DIRECTOR/WRITER CAST Song Fang QI Xi Ye Yuzhu PRODUCER Song Dijin Jia Zhangke Makiko Watanabe

CO-PRODUCER PRINT SOURCE Shozo Ichiyama Huanxi Media Group Ltd Ivy Yao at CINEMATOGRAPHER [email protected] Lü Songye

EDITOR Song Fang

20 SHOWCASE CINEMA SYNOPSIS DIRECTOR’S BIO

Lin is a documentary director in her early thirties. Song Fang (born in Nanjing, China, 1978) One winter, she breaks up with her long-term studied film directing at Belgium’s Institut boyfriend and suffers an emotional crisis. During National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle et des a festival visit to Tokyo, she makes a side-trip Techniques de Diffusion and completed a master’s to Niigata, in central Japan. Strolling in the degree in the same subject at the Beijing Film snow-covered town, she tries to confront her Academy. In 2009 her short film Gao Bie (Good- inner agony. After returning to Beijing, she moves bye) won second prize in the Cinéfondation at to a new place and starts to live alone. During the Festival de Cannes. In 2012 she directed her the Chinese New Year, she visits her parents in first feature film, Memories Look at Me (Jiyi wang Nanjing and learns that her father is ill. She takes zhe wo), winner of the Best First Feature Film time to stay with them and doesn’t tell them award at Locarno Film Festival, amongst others. about the break-up. In spring, Lin travels to Hong The Calming carried off the CICAE Art Award in Kong for the film festival and pays a visit to an the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival. old friend who has moved there. She takes long walks on Hong Kong’s outlying islands, hoping to ease her doubts and inner pain. Back home after the trip, she is struck down by an illness. In the days that she spends alone on her sickbed, she begins to recover her physical and mental energy.

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 21 THE HORSE THIEVES: ROADS OF TIME

2019 | KAZAKHSTAN/JAPAN | 83MINS

A kazakhfilm studios, tokyo new cinema production

PRODUCERS CAST Julia Kim, Samal Yeslyamova Hikaru Kinouchi Madi Minaidarov Serik Zhubandykov, Moriyama Mirai Shozo Ichiyama Dulyga Akmolda

DIRECTORS PRINT SOURCE Yerlan Nurmukhambetov Gaga Corporation Lisa Takeba International Sales Division Keiko Yoshida at SCREENPLAY [email protected] Nurmukhambetov

CINEMATOGRAPHER Aziz Zhambakiev

EDITOR Nursultan Nuskabekov

MUSIC Akmaral Zykaeva

22 SHOWCASE CINEMA SYNOPSIS DIRECTOR’S BIO

One morning, a man goes to a town market Yerlan Nurmukhambetov was born in Kazakhstan to sell his horses with the other villagers. on July 23, 1974. His film career began in 2008. After exchanging affectionate glances with his Today he is also a professor in the country’s wife and leaving his children, the man goes National Academy of Arts. Among his films are to the market and is killed by horse thieves. Little Hunter (co-director, 2011), Walnut Tree The wife holds the man’s funeral and decides (2015), winner of Busan IFF’s Grand Prix New to return to her family with her kids. Then, Currents, Special Jury Prize at Vesoul IFF and another man who left her 8 years ago without Best Film at Fajr IFF. The Horse Thieves: Roads leaving any notes appears and helps the of Time was Opening Film at Busan IFF 2019. woman move. Somehow, the son of the wife resembles the man. They go out on horseback Lisa Takeba was born in Japan in 1983. She has together and bump into the horse thieves. worked in several media, writing a screenplay for a Nintendo game, writing novels for mobile Shot by Aziz Zhambakiev who previously won devices, and beginning in 2009 she also wrote the Berlin Silver Bear (for Harmony Lessons, and directed a number of short films. Her first 2013), the film perfectly embodies the aesthetics feature was the quirky romantic comedy The of the widescreen and also features genre fun in Pinkie (2014), winner of the Grand Prize at the addition to the beauty of the margins unique to Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. the Central Asian films. Whereas the duel with Next came Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory the horse thieves driving dozens of horses over (2015), before The Horse Thieves: Roads of Time the grassland provides the sense of urgency (2019). Her latest film is Signal 100 (2020). and the exciting spectacles. In that sense, it’s worthy of being called a Kazakh version of a ‘Western.’ – Busan Int’l Film Festival 2019

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 23 CLOSING FILM

A TOUCH OF SIN (THIAN ZHU DING)

2013 | CHINA, JAPAN | 129MINS | CANTONESE, MANDARIN

DIRECTOR/WRITER CAST Jia Zhangke Luo Lanshan Wang Baoqiang PRODUCER Jiang Wu Shozo Ichiyama Zhao Tao

CINEMATOGRAPHER PRINT SOURCE Yu Lik Wai MK2 55, rue Traversière, EDITORS 75012, Paris Matthieu Laclau France Lin Xudong Tel: +33 144 673 256 E-mail: [email protected] MUSIC www: www.mk2films.com Lim Giong

24 SHOWCASE CINEMA SYNOPSIS DIRECTOR’S BIO Once every attempt to curb corruption in town Jia Zhang-Ke (b. 1970, Fenyang, China) grew and at the local mine has failed, and people’s up in a resettled family in a small town in the anger and frustration have reached a boiling northern province of Shanxi. At age 18, he began point, one of the miners, Dahai, decides to studying painting but was also interested in take action: he shoots all the culprits. Another literature, writing his first novel in 1991. He worker, Santer, who travels the countryside on attended the Beijing Film Academy and in 1995 his motorcycle in search of work, discovers that founded China’s first independent production his most powerful bargaining tool is a gun. A company, the Youth Experimental Film Group. young spa receptionist spends endless hours He is a leading representative of the “Sixth fending off a rich client until – to her amazement Generation” of Chinese filmmakers. His film – she discovers the ability to kill. Elsewhere, a debut was The Pickpocket (Xiao wu, 1997), and village boy, humiliated wherever he finds work, his writer-director films have won awards at cannot take it anymore and opts for an extreme numerous festivals. Among his film are Unknown solution. Four characters, four stories based on Pleasures (Ren xiao yao, 2002), The World (Shijie, real events in a film that shocked Cannes with 2004) and Still Life (Sanxia haoren, 2006), 24 City its scenes of violence – but it also earned the (Er shi si cheung ji, 2008), Mountains May Depart admiration of critics. According to its director, (2015) and Ash is the Purest White (2018). A Touch of Sin depicts social inequalities in contemporary China and looks at the growing FOOTNOTE tensions arising from the utter failure to stamp When A Touch of Sin was censored in China, Jia Zhangke said in a 2019 interview that he learned to make peace out corruption. At the same time, however, the with the outcome. “I made the film the way I wanted, it author of the award-winning script believes that was banned, I couldn’t release it in China,” he said. “What the increasingly frequent expressions of violent do you do? I did my best to negotiate, to communicate, revenge are related not just to politics, but also to really somehow find a way to have this film seen to human nature, and they should be addressed by a Chinese audience. But it was not meant to be, so as such. – Karlovy Vary Int’l Film Festival. Winner I just put it aside and then I made my next film.” of Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay 2013

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 25 THE COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY OF SHOZO ICHIYAMA

Born in 1963 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Apart from his activity as the producer, he founded After graduating Tokyo University, Ichiyama joined the film festival,Tokyo Filmex, and has been acting Shochiku in 1987 and started to work as the as the director. Since 2013, Ichiyama serves as producer for films such as Violent Cop by Takeshi the visiting professor at Tokyo University of Arts. Kitano, Nowhere Man by Naoto Takenaka and three His latest works include Mr. Long by SABU, which films by Hou Hsiao-sien (Good Men, Good Women, was selected in competition in Berlin 2017, Ash is Goodbye South, Goodbye and Flowers of Shanghai). Purest White by Jia Zhang-ke, which was selected In 1998, Ichiyama joined Office Kitano and started to in competition in Cannes 2018, They Say Nothing produce the films by Asian filmmakers, including Jia Stays the Same by Joe Odagiri, which was selected Zhang-ke (Platform, Unknown Pleasures, The World, in Venice Days 2019 and The Horse Thieves, Roads 24 City, A Touch of Sin, Mountains May Depart), Samira of Time by Yerlan Nurmkhambetov & Lisa Takeba, Makhmalbaf (Blackboards), Abolfazl Jalili (Delbaran). which was shown as the opening film in Busan 2019.

2020 Tracing Her Shadow by Peng Fei Song 2020 The Calming by Song Fang (Berlin, Forum)

26 SHOWCASE CINEMA 2019 The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time by Yerlan 2019 They Say Nothing Stays the Same by Joe Odagiri Nurmukhambetov & Lisa Takeba (Opening, Busan) (Venice Days)

2019 Li Qiu by Qi Wang 2019 Spring Tide by Lina Yang

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 27 2018 Lovers on Borders by Atsushi Funahashi 2018 Ash Is Purest White by Jia Zhangke (Competition, Cannes)

2017 Mr. Long by SABU (Competition, Berlin) 2015 Chasuke’s Journey by SABU (Competition, Berlin)

28 SHOWCASE CINEMA 2015 Mountains May Depart by Jia 2014 Sharing by Makoto Shinozaki 2013 A Touch of Sin by Jia Zhangke Zhangke (Competition, Cannes) (Best Screenplay, Cannes)

2012 Cold Bloom by Atsushi Funahashi (Forum, Berlin)

2008 24 City by Jia Zhangke 2005 Big River by Atsushi Funahashi (Forum, Berlin) (Competition, Cannes)

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 29 2004 The World by Jia Zhangke (Competition, Venice) 2002 Unknown Pleasures by Jia Zhangke (Competition, Cannes)

2001 Delbaran by Abolfazi Jalili (Special Jury Prize, Locarno) 2000 Platform by Jia Zhangke (Competition, Venice)

30 SHOWCASE CINEMA 2000 Blackboards by Samira 1998 Flowers of Shanghai by Hou 1996 Goodbye, South, Goodbye by Hou Makhmalbaf (Special Jury Prize, Cannes) Hsiao Hsien (Competition, Cannes) Hsiao Hsien (Competition, Cannes)

1995 Good Men, Good Women by Hou Hsiao Hsien (Competition, Cannes)

1991 Nowhere Man by Naoto Takenaka 1989 Violent Cop by Takeshi Kitano (FIPRESCI Prize, Venice)

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 31 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW Talent Spotting and Co-Production 12–16 APRIL 2021

The Griffith Film School acknowledges and thanks Shozo Ichiyama for his wisdom, participation, and contribution to this Showcase. We also acknowledge and thank Philip Cheah for curating the program.

We greatly appreciate the generosity of the Shozo-san in sharing these films with our students and staff.

PRESENTED BY Griffith Film School

CURATOR Philip Cheah

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE (ONLINE) Shozo Ichiyama

ACADEMIC ADVISOR Anne Demy-Geroe

PROJECT LINE PRODUCER Donna Hamilton

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Professor Herman Van Eyken

CONTACT Donna Hamilton [email protected]

ISBN 9781922361110

Philip Cheah would like to express his sincere thanks to: Shozo Ichiyama, Herman Van Eyken, Park KiYong, Anne Demy Geroe, Donna Hamilton, Mio Suzuki (Bandai Namco Arts), Hitomi Hosoda (Shochiku Co Ltd), Jimmy Zhang (MK2), Keiko Yoshida (Gaga Co.), Ivy Yao (Huanxi) and Maki Shimizu (Kinoshita Group Co.) SHOZO ICHIYAMA: BOTH SIDES NOW 33 griffith.edu.au/filmschool

34 SHOWCASE CINEMA