Ken and Kazu, Film Adaptations, and the independent film industry: an interview with Hiroshi Shoji
Cinemalaya 12 is upon us, and with that comes a chance of watching some of the best independent films from both here and abroad. One of the films on display is Ken and Kazu (2015) by Hiroshi Shoji. He stands as one of Japan’s best young directors, with 10 short films and Ken and Kazu under his belt.
THE MAN BEHIND KEN AND KAZU. Hiroshi Shoji had a short talk with the Cinemalaya audience last August 6 after his film, Ken and Kazu, was shown for Cinemalaya’s Visions of Asia.
Primer got the chance to talk to Hiroshi Shoji before the screening of his film for Cinemalaya 12, where he spoke about Ken and Kazu as well as the current situation of the Japanese film industry.
Ken and Kazu
According to Shoji, Ken and Kazu talks about the lives of two men in their 20s and how they live their daily lives while being ingrained in the drug trade. The film’s main focus is on the interactions between the titular characters, in particular the infighting between them when Kazu suddenly makes a dangerous move while Ken is driven into a corner by a Yakuza boss.
“The film revolves around the daily struggle of people, a universal theme that everyone can relate to,” said Shoji. “It’s a film that middle-age people can associate with. Japanese audiences have been touched by it as it was authentic in expressing feelings people can relate to,” he added.
Ken and Kazu was one of his 10 short films, which he later expanded into a 90-minute feature film. He spent about 2 months filming the full-length film, though it took his team nearly 3 years before they could release it. “Most of the film was done via guerilla shoots, where we would just show up at a place and start filming even if we did not have a permit.”
Ken and Kazu also wowed Korean audiences, who noticed some similarities to Korean films. Shoji says he is a fan of Korean films, and that his style in filmmaking was influenced by some of them, including Memory of Murder, a 2003 crime-drama film by Boong Joon-ho.
Original vs. adaptations: the state of Japanese films
He’s as much of a film buff as he is a filmmaker. As such, his knowledge on the Japanese film industry is second only to those who have been in film longer than he has.
“We were lucky to be selected at the Tokyo International Film Festival. We were able to get good support despite being an original film, as most of the films were adaptations from anime or manga series,” he said.
He also mentioned that it’s “not easy to distribute original films,” mainly because major movie houses cater to film adaptations more than original content. However, that’s not to say that Japanese filmmakers lack the creativity.
“Japanese films are lacking in terms of directing and acting, but the stories [that drive each film] are good.”
The independent film industry in Japan is also doing well, although it is still not as indie-friendly as Shoji would like. “It might be better than other countries because there are movie houses that are willing to show independent films.”
Hiroshi Shoji is a graduate of the Tokyo Film Center School of Arts. He’s always wanted to be in the film industry, but only discovered his love for directing after taking in a few projects while in film school. He has produced 10 short films and 1 feature film to date, and is currently working on a second feature film.
