Do Japanese films really stink??

[Stephen Cremin]

In response to the Kawakita Film Institute programme of preselected 
films (and Tsukamoto).

I believe that system has now gone with Hayashi-san.  I think it's true 
that in the past the list of around ten films presented to festival 
directors had a certain direction (which possibly excluded Tsukamoto).  
My understanding is that there is no longer a list as such and Hayashi's 
replacements, Sakano and Okada, don't direct festival programmers toward 
particular films.   Unijapan has always operated along these lines, 
trying to be completely independent.

Of course, festival programmers going in with little knowledge of 
Japanese film probably benefited greatly from Hayashi's advice so I 
don't think one can say so clearly whether the new system is better or 
not.  But certainly, knowledge of contemporary film is so much greater 
now anyway - with the internet, New Cinema from Japan stand at Berlin, 
etc - that perhaps such a role is less necessary now.

Anyway, Sakano is very knowledgeable about contemporary Japanese film 
and I suspect she likes Tsukamoto very much.  I don't know Hayashi's 
view.

Stephen Cremin
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