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Takeshi Kitano is Critical of the Japanese Film Industry and Miyazaki
posted on by Bamboo Dong
Director, comedian, and actor Takeshi Kitano, popularly known as Beat Takeshi, was recently honored at the Tokyo International Film Festival with the Samurai Award.
During his speech, Kitano criticized the Japanese film industry, saying, "the bad thing about the Japanese industry is that the production companies have relationships with cinemas... If you look at the Academy Awards in Japan, it's mostly TOHO, Toei, Shochiku, and maybe Nikkatsu."
He added, "I don't think any have been nominated [for the Academy Awards] that are not from these companies. And the newspapers don't mention this either, because they get ads, and that would be bad."
Kitano also talked about studios' reluctances to tackle original material, saying "the movie companies don't have the courage to pay some unknown screenwriter, so they just have a lack of original screenwriters, and we have a lack of those resources."
Incidentally, while Pixar and Disney chief creative officer John Lasseter delivered a heartfelt tribute to Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki just the day prior, Kitano expressed a dislike of Miyazaki, and of animation in general:
"I don't like animation... I really don't like Hayao Miyazaki, but it is important to recognize other opinions."
Source: Screen Daily, Variety; images: IMDb, Nihon Cine Art
