[KineJapan] Kawase Watch

Sun Jun 6 23:30:18 EDT 2021

 Thank you Bryan for the insightful comment.I ended up watching the segment myself and was rather shocked.Kawase has become quite the businesswoman and when she is not in Nara or shooting her documentary, she is posing with TV celebrities, giving interviews to corporate magazines (Dentsu included), appearing in commercials, etc.She has certainly made the most of the government connections she built when appealing for official support to the Japanese cinema industry and some of her comments so fitted the Abe national discourse (and the current Suga administration) that even Abe's wife, Abe Akie, praised her in one AERA magazine interview asking to be introduced to her. This is around the time when all the Abe scandals were being played out, let's just remember Moritomo Gakuen and Abe Akie's role in it. It was only natural that a few (sadly, just a few) eyebrows were raised when, shortly after, Kawase was appointed to direct the documentary.The lack of transparency in the Japanese Olympic Committee and their decisions is certainly an issue.Likewise, her recent appointment as chairperson of the basketball women's league is somewhat surprising.In the Sukkiri programme, she said that as former athlete she could understand what some Olympians were going through.I thought this comment to be very rich as she was putting her high school league basketball playing - at which she was apparently very good, granted - on a par with professional medal-winning Olympians.To make her point about athletes excellence in the programe, she excitedly showed some footage of gymnast Kohei Uchimura she had filmed, which frankly looked like any television news report, insisting on how 美しい it was.Although she has become a sort of (establishment) spokesperson for the professional working mother, the core of her filming crew, called the "Kawase Team", doesn't feature any woman.After former chairman Mori resigned due to his sexist comments about women talking too much in public, it became known that Kawase had actually filmed this meeting. When asked about Mori, if I recall correctly, she just said he was actually very kind and considerate. Some people asked to have this footage disclosed but for all the information opacity she mentioned in the Sukkiri programme, she has closely followed official guidelines and done exactly the same.I wonder how different it would have been if she had kept a public diary or channel about the making of the documentary, something simple, other than her occasional tweet or Instagramm, without disclosing too much.It was possible and would have been a great opportunity to connect with the public and promote that Olympic spirit she seemed to obsess about, something that in Japan has been labelled as 五輪カルト, because it feels like a religious sect and is what the current government promotes.In the programme, she stated that the film would also include opinions against holding the Games this summer.I wonder how she can objectively portray these opinions whilst expressing such strong- albeit rambling- comments in the programme.Incidentally, she has been blocking Tweeter users for simple questions/ respectful negative comments in the past few days while retweeting good positive comments about her work on the documentary and the opinions expressed in the programme.I wasn't sure whether to post these comments but I think it is important we consider the current background of her documentary work.

María-José

    On Monday, 7 June 2021, 07:45:06 AM GMT+9, Bryan Hartzheim via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:  

 I watched that Sukkiri segment. Aaron and Markus aren't misrepresenting what she said; they are in fact much more succinct in getting to her point. It's actually instructive to watch it, because it gives a stronger indication as to how she wants the discourse to be framed: her segment begins with her talking about how she's shot over 400 hours of footage for her doc, of the supreme mental discipline exhibited by the athletes, of how the Olympics are an "athlete's first" event. She continues on with entreaties for "debate," suggesting that the public does not understand the situation. The implication is that bureaucrats, with the assistance of the media, must do a better job of telling the public how safe the Olympics will be and, importantly, to feature more stories from athletes who want to compete in order to appeal to emotion and shift public opinion. Finally, despite stating she is not taking a side, she is asked point blank by the host whether she thinks the Olympics should go forward with crowds in attendance, and she says that as a former athlete, crowds are essential. Her stance is unequivocally for the games to be hosted and for the government to create the appropriate backdrop for a post-pandemic Japan to be shown to the world (this last point was reiterated several times, this global image of Japan being of central importance). All in all, I thought she was quite cynical and condescending towards the Japanese public, who she assumes to be lost, low-info sheep in need of direction and propaganda. Judging from comments on social media, however, her TV appearance might have done her cause more harm than good, as viewers seemed to be confused and frustrated by her often rambling appeals.
Bryan
On Mon, Jun 7, 2021 at 12:40 AM Linda Ehrlich via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

In 2011 (March 10, the day before the earthquake), I had a very cordial meeting with Kawase Naomi in her office in Nara. We discussed her videocartas with Catalan filmmaker Isaki Lacuesta. Just want to add this comment

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 6, 2021, at 11:09 AM, Naguib Razak via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

I feel I have to speak up and add my perspective. Let’s just discuss the statements she made within the context of the pandemic and the Olympics, and leave personal attacks out of it. 
However public some of the events Earl described (and I remember reading it) does not make that version of the story complete nor accurate, however earnestly/honestly intended. Until I hear her own version, I’m just gonna treat that as one collection of views about her. Perhaps accurate, perhaps not.
I too have directly received harsh accounts of her previously from friends and I too have had some unpleasant moments of disagreement with her over a project nearly 20 years ago.  
But all I can say now is that I’ve seen a lot of change in Kawase-san in the past 10 or so years compared to much of what’s been said of her over the years, especially early and middle of her career.
She has become a lot more gracious, humble, giving and committed to nurturing careers of others and retaining a space for creative, personal documentaries to flourish at a time when such documentaries and their filmmakers alike are losing a space to thrive and be seen or heard. 
She has also tried to engage important dialogue and discourse over the diminishing spaces for this art form within government policy and international cultural agencies. 
Personally I think it’s great that the role of documenting the Tokyo Olympics went to her and not another faceless Dentsu privileged set. Not just her, but filmmakers like her can bring so much more to our global dialogue and narrative.
I think she’s playing an important role. She’s stepping up and has matured really well into that role. 
Now unless this is a gossip room, please stop all this personal, judgmental, bitter attacks on her or anyone else for that matter unless they are factual and thoroughly analyzed with balanced consideration of both sides perspective. 
Naguib Razak

Sent from my iPhone

On 6 Jun 2021, at 1:31 PM, Maria Jose Gonzalez via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

Dear Earl,
It is your reply that is truly gracious, unlike some insulting others that I have received privately to a comment made in an honest jocular manner.The thing is, I don't believe she has "progressed" in any way, I have occassionally seen her on telly, and this last episode further proves it.As a long-term resident in Japan, I have been/ am very concerned about the situation here, which I am positive you are all also well aware of in other countries.To have a prominent cinema person like herself make statements of this sort feels like a slap on the face, a total disregard for all the issues the pandemic has created and continues to create.Faced with this kind of behaviour, it is only natural to reflect and express (negative) opinions on Kawase, especially when, in my case, it feels so close to home.One would think she is upset the pandemic has messed up her original documentary plans and is now campaigning to have public at the venues, very much following the government and the respective olympic committees, trampling on whatever might stand on the way to hold the event ...Best wishes,
María José GonzálezKwansei Gakuin UniversityNishinomiya, Japan

On Sunday, 6 June 2021, 01:05:52 PM GMT+9, Earl Jackson via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

Dear David,  I am glad that Kawase was gracious with you, David, and again - I don't detail what I observed in Seoul publicly. Moreover, I believe everyone can grow, mature, and change and perhaps Kawase has done that. The behavior I mention was not hearsay or an unfortunately encounter with one person or a small group. It was extensive and in front of a packed audience there to see her and a respected feminist film maker and  scholar on stage to engage in a conversation. In any event, I hope that she has progressed beyond what she did in Korea that time. I also never intended to bring this up in a forum like this, the reports of what she did now triggered me, but in retrospect I think I should have been more restrained here. I definitely also do not want to be piling up on anyone.Earl JacksonChair ProfessorForeign Languages and LiteraturesAsia UniversityProfessor EmeritusNational Chiao Tung UniversityAssociate Professor EmeritusUniversity of California, Santa Cruz

On Sun, Jun 6, 2021 at 11:46 AM Desser, David M via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

I interviewed her via GoToMeeting last summer for a small seminar.  She was gracious, charming, modest and sweet.  Don't know why she's gotten such a bad rap from y'all, including my good pal, Earl.
David
From: KineJapan <kinejapan-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Maria Jose Gonzalez via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu>
Sent: Saturday, June 5, 2021 8:07 PM
To: Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu>
Cc: Maria Jose Gonzalez <tkarsavina at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [KineJapan] Kawase Watch Finally the real Kawase reaches the general public...
When she started getting some attention with her work, I read some interviews/ watched her speak somewhere and that was the end of Kawase for me and thus have never seen any of her films, possibly to my detriment, I know, but considering how much there is to watch, I'd rather spend my time with directors less arrogant and full of themselves as her.I didn't watch the programme but read the various news reports and her total lack of consideration and empathy was truly shocking. In fact, she sort of blamed the people for the ongoing pandemic situation.Somebody should have reminded her that -sadly- all the people in Ginza and the like are the ones being forced to keep this Olympics nightmare afloat together with the capital's economy so that she can get her millions for the documentary, in the end, a paid job for the LDP government, let's not forget.A more conscientious director would have resigned months ago.
María José GonzálezKwansei Gakuin UniversityNishinomiya, JapanOn Sunday, 6 June 2021, 09:03:18 AM GMT+9, Earl Jackson via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

I won't go into detail here, but I've often spoken privately about Kawase's shocking behavior in Seoul when she had been hosted with lavish care and attention.It really affected the way I've seen her films thereafter, although I know that's unfair. But her views on the Olympics during COVID brought that behavior back to me like a bad acid trip.bestej
Earl JacksonChair ProfessorForeign Languages and LiteraturesAsia UniversityProfessor EmeritusNational Chiao Tung UniversityAssociate Professor EmeritusUniversity of California, Santa Cruz

On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 10:37 PM Markus Nornes via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

Kawase Naomi has been making news recently. 
Appearing on a talk show called Sukkiri to talk about the Olympics, she said (basically), "A high jumper can jump 3 centimeters higher with a crowd." While it appears she didn't land on a firm stance, her opinion seemed pretty clear when she pointed out that she went from Nara to a crowded Ginza and asserted people are going to get infected one way or another. I guess it's OK if a few people get sick, maybe someone dies, if you can make your documentary. I cringe to think how her film will deal with the pandemic. The Olympics are such a soul-sucking racket. 
In other news, Kawase became the president of the women's basketball association in Japan. 
Markus

--- 
Markus NornesProfessor of Asian CinemaInterim Chair, Dept. of Asian Languages and Culture

Department of Film, Television and Media, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design

Homepage:http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nornes/
Department of Film, Television and Media
6348 North Quad
105 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285

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