shorts

[Chuck McMahon]

>I'm looking for some Japanese short films and documentary for a 
>festival that would take place in September in Paris.
>I'm especially interested about modern (late 80's/90's) shorts.
>Would you have any suggestion ? 

I am curious what is considered appropriate to this category because I
have worked with several Japanese film-makers in New York recently who
have been making short films in the English language. They frequently use
US actors with English sounding character names, however, the scripts,
the attitudes, the use of image and the d.p. are noticibly Japanese.  I'm
not suggesting that these might be appropriate (I'm not suggesting
they're not) -- however, I am intrigued by the question of what
constitutes "Japanese" film.  For example, would one claim that
Kurosawa's "Derzu Uzala" is not a "Japanese" film because it was filmed
in Russian with Russian actors?

My personal opinion seems to come from the same place that calls an
artist working in Spain "El Greco."  Or Joyce working in Paris "Irish." 
There seems to be a cultural perspective that is frequently strengthened
more than weakened by travel.  The artists in exile who write love paens
to home, though perhaps, it may be as Whitman suggests, the lover who
requites you kills the poem.  But I am curious as to what is academically
considered "Japanese," or even what festival guidelines hold "Japanese"
film to mean.

chuck
(on location this weekend
with another "Japanese" short
in New York)

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