Original subtitles

Q. 'Shinjuku Triad Society' was the first film you made for cinema.

Did you approach the production differently?

With 'Shinjuku Triad Society', it was shown in cinemas to promote the video.

So when I was making it, I didn't know it would be shown in theatres.

'Fudoh' was the first film of mine that went to a festival abroad,

but again, it was a video first.

When the rush print of 'Fudoh' was edited,

the producer decided to make it a theatrical release.

He thought it was interesting to show the raw images it created.

So I didn't make the film as if it was to be screened in theatres.

I think the producer wanted to do something outrageous in the company,

to release the stress of being a company producer.

And his tension spread to me.

So a lot of the time, the film can change in the course of shooting,

or even in post-production, depending on the companies needs.

Q. Where does the character Tatsuhito in 'Shinjuku Triad Society'

fit into the concept of an uni-ethic Japan?

Tatsuhito, and the actor who played him, at a glance looks pure Japanese.

But actually, there are many types of Japanese people.

He has Japanese nationality, but is a Korean mix,

and grew up as 'Zainichi' - a Korean residing in Japan.

Zainichi people often have a kind of complex growing up.

They try to conquer their complex by becoming celebrities,

baseball players or by passing the state examination,

to be recognised as an individual, as someone special.

More or less, everyone has this feeling though.

I'm not too obsessed by ethnicity

as there are already so many types of Japanese.

I think it's quite natural that there are many nationalities in my films.

But one thing, I want real people to act in my film.