Well I am back from my month in Japan. While there I had the pleasant news that a Kitakyushu theatrical company known as BeniShoga will mount my play FALLEN LEAVES in August 2009. More on that in the coming weeks.
One of my intentions during my trip to the land of the rising sun was to show the 30 minute preview DVD to as many people as possible. As you loyal readers know, I was a little apprehensive about what impressions the homeland Japanese would get from this Canada-jin making a movie in their language. The few that saw it received it well. Someone even commented that it was better than Kill Bill. The common reaction Ashita gave was that the characters said many "un-Japanese" things--which is very true. As the film is not intended to be about Japanese people, it is about people in general. It was shot in Toronto and at the outside most, some of the characters are Japanese living in a foreign land. Living in a city like Torono would certainly affect anybody's personality... I am rather pleased with the response Ashita garnished and it has renewed an excitement in me for the film to complete in 2009.
My second week there, the family got sick so we were unable to travel to Tokyo to see our friends there. I was looking forward to meeting Don Matsuo, singer for the rock band The Zoobombs, as it had been about a year since I had seen my friend and his family when they came on tour in Canada. I know that Don had been excited about seeing his music being used in Ashita. As well, my lovely wife Izumi was in Tokyo earlier on and stayed with Sayaka, the singer of Super Girl' Juice, Izumi was even lucky enough to catch them live--unfortunately it was all before I arrived. I wanted to show Sayaka the footage as well, as we shot part of the film while she was visiting Toronto. Oh well, my friends in Tokyo will just have to wait for the premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
I did get a chance to see Maki, our hair stylist. She was nice enough to come to Kyushu to see us. We met in Kokura and I was able to show her the 30 minutes on a portable DVD player siting outside of Kokura Castle (so far that is my favorite place to screen a movie, sitting outside an ancient Samurai castle built in 1602 while drinking a couple of Asahi beers).
I got the chance as well, to visit the Akira Kurosawa Museum, which inspired me--I will write an entry on that at a later point.
I have much stress about this little experiment known as Ashita. It may all just work out.
One of my intentions during my trip to the land of the rising sun was to show the 30 minute preview DVD to as many people as possible. As you loyal readers know, I was a little apprehensive about what impressions the homeland Japanese would get from this Canada-jin making a movie in their language. The few that saw it received it well. Someone even commented that it was better than Kill Bill. The common reaction Ashita gave was that the characters said many "un-Japanese" things--which is very true. As the film is not intended to be about Japanese people, it is about people in general. It was shot in Toronto and at the outside most, some of the characters are Japanese living in a foreign land. Living in a city like Torono would certainly affect anybody's personality... I am rather pleased with the response Ashita garnished and it has renewed an excitement in me for the film to complete in 2009.
My second week there, the family got sick so we were unable to travel to Tokyo to see our friends there. I was looking forward to meeting Don Matsuo, singer for the rock band The Zoobombs, as it had been about a year since I had seen my friend and his family when they came on tour in Canada. I know that Don had been excited about seeing his music being used in Ashita. As well, my lovely wife Izumi was in Tokyo earlier on and stayed with Sayaka, the singer of Super Girl' Juice, Izumi was even lucky enough to catch them live--unfortunately it was all before I arrived. I wanted to show Sayaka the footage as well, as we shot part of the film while she was visiting Toronto. Oh well, my friends in Tokyo will just have to wait for the premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
I did get a chance to see Maki, our hair stylist. She was nice enough to come to Kyushu to see us. We met in Kokura and I was able to show her the 30 minutes on a portable DVD player siting outside of Kokura Castle (so far that is my favorite place to screen a movie, sitting outside an ancient Samurai castle built in 1602 while drinking a couple of Asahi beers).
I got the chance as well, to visit the Akira Kurosawa Museum, which inspired me--I will write an entry on that at a later point.
I have much stress about this little experiment known as Ashita. It may all just work out.
