Taichi Kimura was in an upbeat temper once I met him in mid-Could at his agent’s workplace on a quiet avenue close to Yoyogi Park.
A month earlier, “Fujiko,” his second movie as a director, had received the highest prize on the twenty eighth version of the Udine Far East Movie Competition (FEFF), which was held April 24 to Could 2 within the northern Italian metropolis of Udine. Kimura, 38, then went to the Cannes Movie Market, the place “Fujiko” was picked up for distribution in France, Germany, Spain and different territories. And although he already had his personal concepts for his subsequent undertaking, affords to direct have been coming in.
For full disclosure, because the Japan program adviser for FEFF — Europe’s largest showcase of Asian well-liked cinema — I helped choose “Fujiko” for the 52-film competitors part, whose winners are determined by viewers votes. I additionally congratulated Kimura, star Yuki Katayama and actress-producer Megumi after the movie was greeted with a thunderous 5-minute standing ovation.
