“But then foreign critics right away made sweeping comparisons to haiku, noh theater, and directors like Ozu, as if the movie were somehow representative of Japan - which was, well, not what I was after. Similarly, with After Life, I deliberately set out to make a movie that was unlike what I imagined the foreign conception of Japan to be, and I figured non-Japanese wouldn't find it interesting at all.” IfsWellsMadeInterestingDirectorsTheaterCriticsJapanComparisonConceptionRepresentativesHaikuSweepingNoh Author:Hirokazu Koreeda
“If a movie is nominated for, say, an Academy award, that movie will instantly become popular in Japan. There's always been a bit of a complex the Japanese have about being taken seriously in the West.” IfsBitsTakenWestComplexesJapanAwardsAcademyAcademy Awards Author:Hirokazu Koreeda
“One of the more problematic aspects of the current state of cinema in Japan is that the movies playing in the theaters are by and large made not by film studios but by broadcasting companies. They're either extensions of popular television dramas or adaptations of manga or anime. Younger Japanese are simply not being exposed to good films. That situation needs to change.” NeedsMadeStatesFilmCompanySituationTelevisionDramaAspectTheaterCurrentsStudiosCinemaJapanExposedExtensionsAdaptationNeed A ChangeBroadcastingGood FilmsAnimeTelevision Drama Author:Hirokazu Koreeda
