Tokyo Film Festival Panel: Five Directors Detail Unconventional Production Paths

Five emerging directors presented their work at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival on Wednesday.

The screening program, Nippon Cinema Now, featured films with distinct visual styles and production histories.

The event took place at the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya venue.

Programming director Ichiyama Shozo moderated a discussion titled “How We Make Films.”

The panel included Ueda Shinichiro, Saito Kisin, Natori Satoshi, Matsumura Shingo, and Yaza Takenoshin.

Ueda discussed his vertical format film “Earthlings in Love.”

The project originated as a 30-episode microdrama series for social media.

Ueda stated the budget matched that of a standard independent theatrical release.

He noted the team treated the production as a traditional film from the start.

Saito Kisin presented his debut feature “Kefi.”

He credited a producer for securing a sponsor with the initial theme of maternal love.

The sponsor later granted the team full creative control over the final script and style. Saito said the finished film follows three sisters reacting to their father’s death, a shift from the original concept. He described the resulting movie as strange but cohesive. He added that he simply added his personal preferences to the project. Natori Satoshi spoke about his film “Chihiro | Akemi.” The story centers on the distance between a house and the surrounding woods in eastern Hokkaido. Natori, a former hunter and advertising director, used his outdoor experiences to shape the narrative. He described feeling a different personality emerge while in the wilderness. That sense of an uncanny internal shift became a central theme in the movie. Actor and producer Nawata Canon also contributed her own experience of giving birth to the film. Natori cited Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Nostalghia” as a foundational influence. He said the film taught him that plot is secondary to visual texture and color. The film won the Grand Prix at the Split Film Festival in Croatia. That victory led to a meeting with Mexican director Carlos Reygadas. Reygadas, who served on the jury, proposed a future collaboration between their two nations. Matsumura Shingo discussed “Between Us,” a film exploring the overlap between theater and reality. He emphasized the creative freedom he had regarding the film’s concepts. Yaza Takenoshin described the process behind “Hinotama: Ball of Fire.” As a first-time director, he contacted cinematographer Kitagawa Yoshio directly. Kitagawa is known for his work with director Hamaguchi Ryusuke. Yaza said he assumed there was a specific trick to making low-budget films. Kitagawa agreed to shoot the project and introduced Yaza to a producer. That producer began approaching financiers for the film. Yaza noted he was the youngest person on the set. He described the environment as generous and open-minded. The team enjoyed the process through the end of the production. Natori concluded the panel by emphasizing personal satisfaction in filmmaking. He advised directors to create a feature-length film that only they could make at that specific moment in their lives.