New Wakamatsu Censorship

[Alex Zahlten]

Hi Mathieu,

not to defend the French government, but just to give some more details on why Adachi Masao couldn't come to Nippon Connection this year: I don't believe the French authorities were even consulted. Adachi was told that he couldn't be issued a passport because it was "possible" that the French authorities might have an issue with him entering the country; since France is part of the EU, they couldn't allow him to travel to any EU country on these grounds. They told him this just a few days prior to the festival, presumably so there wouldn't be enough time to actually check with the French foreign ministry if they would actually object (my assumption).

Best,

Alex




-------- Original-Nachricht --------
> Datum: Fri, 5 Oct 2007 09:36:38 +0200
> Von: "Mathieu Capel" <mathieucapel at gmail.com>
> An: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> Betreff: Re: New Wakamatsu Censorship

> For those of you who can read french, here are three articles from 3
> major newspapers (hope my links will work).
>  As you shall see, right wing's newspaper Le Figaro talks very
> slightly about it, when the two others (liberation, left wing, le
> monde, traditionally left wing but that's not that simple) seems to be
> a little bit more prolific. Please note that the Liberation page
> contains an interview from KW.
> 
> http://www.liberation.fr/culture/cinema/282183.FR.php
> 
> http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0 at 2-3476,36-962980 at 51-963069,0.html
> 
> http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/20071003.FIG000000179_un_film_japonais_de_interdit_aux_moins_de_dix_huit_ans.html
> 
> I assume that KineJapan is not the right place for politics, but this
> case does fit with the global moral tendancies that has been
> reinforceing these last years, and the new french president and his
> staff won't do anything good for it.
> 
> Anyway, Wakamatsu's film was not rated X, i. e., was not considered as
> pornographic : the "not before 18" censorship is that case is very
> rare (few weeks ago, horror movie Saw III got the same fate).
> 
> Let's remember as well that Adachi Masao, in a short video introducing
> his last film in Frankfurt Nippon Connection last april, told that
> France was responsible for the fact he could not get any passport to
> come to Europe. No link with the Wakamatsu case, censors this time
> don't even know who Adachi is. But...
> 
> We're going back to the best years of the 70's (at least) right here
> in France, and I shall say that it's not that exciting....
> 
> Mathieu Capel
> Paris

-- 
alex at nipponconnection.de

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