Eureka awards at Cannes

[Mark Schilling]

As one who has slogged through the trenches of movie journalism here for
more than a decade, I totally agree with Greg's comments on the difficulty
of reporting on the Japanese industry. I used to think it was just me --
until I made reporting trips to Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines and
noticed how attitudes toward the foreign media were 180 degrees different
from those in dear old Dai-Nippon. I didn't exactly transform from pariah
to prince, but I did find myself getting the real dope, often only a day or
two after deboarding the plane -- while here I wage a constant battle with
indifference or the kind of manipulation that Greg mentioned (i.e., the
attitude that the reporter is an unpaid subcontractor for the PR
department). There are more than a few beams of light amidst the darkness,
but extracting info, even of the blandest variety, is a neverending
stuggle.

Why put up with it? Just stubborn or stupid, I guess.  

In my reviews, I pretty much say what I please and damn the consquences --
which is usually safe in the Japan Times because only a handful in the
industry read it, but has gotten me into trouble on occasion in Premiere.
One producer reacted to a mildly negative review by cursing me in English
for ten minutes on the phone -- though he couldn't quite handle the "f"
sound in "fucking."

If I were really flying above the radar -- writing about films only for the
Japanese media -- I'm sure I would soon get shot down. That's I admire the
stand Greg is taking at Premiere -- and I ain't just saying that because
he's my editor! 

Ganbare yo,

Mark Schilling
schill at gol.com