Hirokazu Koreeda & Dan-bi Yoon: Japanese and Korean Directors Discuss Depicting Family in Films | JFF Plus

Hirokazu Koreeda & Dan-bi Yoon: Japanese and Korean Directors Discuss Depicting Family in Films | JFF Plus


Hirokazu Koreeda & Dan-bi Yoon: Japanese and Korean Directors Discuss Depicting Family in Films


INTERVIEW

Cineast

Drama

Family

Korea


#Hirokazu Koreeda

#Dan-bi Yoon

August 31, 2021
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Hirokazu Koreeda is a famous Japanese film director who has lived up to his name through films such as Shoplifters (2018), which garnered the top prize in the Cannes Film Festival. Dan-bi Yoon is a promising South Korean director who won the Bright Future Competition in the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) for her feature-film debut, Moving On (2019), which was also released in Japan this year. The two sat down for a Zoom chat. Why do they portray family in films? Director Yoon, who was born in 1990, has said she has been influenced by Japanese film directors, so what inspiration did she draw from films from Yasujiro Ozu and Koreeda? The two talk about a variety of topics, from angst and advice about creating a second film, to enjoying international exchange through movies, and finally, the current circumstances surrounding support for young directors.

Interviewer/Author: Masaki Mugikura　Editor: Minami Goto (CINRA, Inc.) Translator: Jimi Yon　Main Photo: Hirokazu Koreeda (c) Tamotsu Fujii

“I wanted to depict the fear of loss through family.”

──First of all, Director Koreeda, what did you think when you saw Moving On by Dan-bi Yoon?

Koreeda: Last year, so many people in South Korean film told me the most interesting recent films were Moving On and Minari (2020). When I actually saw Moving On, I was struck by what a highly accomplished film it is. It’s hard to believe it’s a feature-film debut. I think the depiction based on observations of people is terrific.

People who are part of the family each think just a little differently. That’s due to age, gender, and differences in their circumstances. Their feelings toward events that happen are slightly different, never identical. I think that’s fascinating and what truly makes a family. I’d like to ask Director Yoon how much of her own experiences are in this story.


Director Hirokazu Koreeda




Yoon: Thank you. Actually, not that many of my own experiences are in this film. When it was released in South Korea, I was worried that it would be taken as autobiographical, so I tried as much as possible to keep myself out of the spotlight.

I think many people make their debut film based on their own family and familiar experiences. However, what I wanted to portray in this film wasn’t my own family experiences. It was what I guess can be called emotions caused by loss. I’d wanted to use the medium of family to depict the fear stemming from the loss of something at some point. I’ve always felt a kind of apprehension about loss. That’s also a major emotion that has shaped me, so I felt I couldn’t go on to my next film without telling this story.

Koreeda: I’m so amazed that you’ve put so much thought into your feature-film debut. But, I think that’s really the right approach. This movie doesn’t at all feel like that it leans in on the creator’s autobiographical story or the strength of real experiences. That’s something you understand when you see it.




Trailer for Dan-bi Yoon’s film Moving On. It was released in February, 2021 in Japan


──Director Yoon, you’ve spoken about being influenced by films from Director Koreeda, and films from Ozu that are like ‘friends.’ Is that influence also reflected in Moving On?

Yoon: Many of Director Koreeda’s films have also been released in South Korea, and I’ve read the books, too. Just like with works by Director Yasujiro Ozu, they have a sense of familiarity. I feel that Director Koreeda’s works depict family emotions and love that are recognized later. To illustrate loss, you have to also talk about the opposing side, love. That’s something I learned from Director Koreeda’s films.

Also, watching Director Ozu’s films strangely brings back childhood memories and emotions from old experiences. I made Moving On hoping that the audience would gain that same kind of impression.


Director Dan-bi Yoon




──I feel that recently there have been many films on family, including films by you two and Minari, which Director Koreeda mentioned earlier. What are your thoughts on that?

Koreeda: I think that now the strain and contradictions of various issues are appearing all at once throughout the world. This is a matter of somewhat larger scale, but in the past few decades different communities are collapsing. This is true in Japan, too. We’ve come to a place where regional communities are breaking down, corporations are breaking down, and finally, the family community has to break down. I feel like that’s one reason for the number of movies depicting family.

Yoon: I’ve also felt that lately there are lots of movies about family, but that’s really only independent films. In South Korea especially, I think there are almost no commercial films on the theme of family. There’s a trend of young directors portraying family using a new approach, but I feel that Moving On is a little different from that trend.

Koreeda: I think maybe Director Yoon doesn’t really want to be considered a creator of films about family. I know that’s true for myself (laughs). Nevertheless, I also wonder why we come back to that.

One of the reasons I’ve depicted family in different ways in my 30s, 40s, and 50s is because there’s something interesting about my own perspective changing as my situation changed. What I filmed from the viewpoint of a son in time became the viewpoint of a parent…and soon it may become the viewpoint of an old man. That’s not because I always reflect my own experiences, but because it’s interesting to be able to shine a light on family from a different angle.


Still Walking (2008) directed, written, edited by Hirokazu Koreeda (C)2008 STILL WALKING Production Committee




Yoon: I see. In South Korea, movies that depict family and are from a kid’s perspective aren’t really a well-developed genre yet. There’s no common name that expresses that kind of movie. Of course, there are many such independent films, but those kinds of films are often called “South Korean Hirokazu Koreeda.” So, right now there are lots of “South Korean Hirokazu Koreeda” (laughs).


The richness of films felt through exchange with foreign directors

Yoon: This is such a great opportunity, so may I ask a question to Director Koreeda? I’ve got friends who make independent films, such as Ga-eun Yoon (The World of Us), Cho-hee Kim (Lucky Chan-Sil), and Bora Kim (House of Hummingbird). Everyone, myself included, is working on their second film　but…




Trailer for Bora Kim’s film House of Hummingbird (2018)





Trailer for Cho-hee Kim’s film Lucky Chan-Sil (2019)


Koreeda: The second is the hardest, isn’t it?

Yoon: What I most admire about you is that you’ve continued to make films. On top of that, you haven’t limited yourself to Japan, but also make films overseas. What is it that motivates you?

Koreeda: I’d have to say, curiosity, I think? I get bored easily, so I guess I’m always looking for something new.

Yoon: It’s not exaggerating to say that the success of Moving On hasn’t really sunk in. I never thought that I’d win an award at the IFFR. But, after that I got a lot of advice from people, like I should hurry up and start working on my next film, or I should choose whether I want to direct commercial films or become a regular at film festivals…Right now, in my mind I’m wondering if the direction I’m taking is right. I’ve got a lot of doubts.

Koreeda: When it came to my second film, when I went to an overseas film festival for my debut film, Maborosi (1995) I was told something that was very unexpected. The part I thought I’d done poorly was actually praised. So, for my second film, After Life (1998) I went in an entirely different direction than my first. In that way, a perspective that takes a critical view of the first film’s success may be important.

You’ll be fine, Director Yoon. You’ve made such a substantial film, so you have nothing at all to worry about.

Yoon: Thank you.


After Life (1998) is the second feature film by Hirokazu Koreeda. (C) 1998 After Life Production Committee





Moving On directed by Dan-bi Yoon (C) 2019 ONU FILM, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED　distributed by PANDORA




Koreeda: But, isn’t it really wonderful to be able to connect this way through film? I feel a richness unique to films, which have over a century of history. Making films lets you go to international places like film festivals and talk about films to filmmakers who have different cultural backgrounds. I always feel how wonderful that is.

──Director Yoon hasn’t been able to travel to many international locations because of COVID-19. However, with her second film she may have more opportunities to go abroad.

Koreeda: I agree. I’m very much aware of Zhangke Jia and Chang-dong Lee who I met at film festivals. I quite often see them at film festivals. Meeting and talking to directors like them is an advantage for me, and the feeling takes hold that I have to create something I won’t be embarrassed to show them. That’s more of a joyful feeling than pressure. I’m sure Director Yoon will also have many similar experiences in the future.


A support system in South Korea where female directors are remarkably successful, and the situation in Japan

──Lately, female directors have been remarkably successful in South Korea, including those who Director Yoon named earlier. Is there some reason or backdrop to that?

Yoon: I’ve been asked that question numerous times, and I often talk about it with other directors. I think it’s taking place against a well-developed system, such as Korean film schools and subsidies from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Naturally, it’s not as if there weren’t any female directors before that, but they just weren’t given many opportunities in the traditional apprentice system. Now they can take advantage of those paths and subsidies to make films. I’m sure that it’s become easier for female directors to get opportunities through systemic support.

I also received support from the KOFIC for marketing costs for Moving On. In post-production, I received support from the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Cinema Fund (AFC).


Moving On directed by Dan-bi Yoon (C) 2019 ONU FILM, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED　distributed by PANDORA




Koreeda: In Japan, there are film schools, but there’s no solid support system like the KOFIC. Though there are subsidies from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the amount is very small, so fostering and supporting human resources is a big issue. I think I’m approaching the age when I’ve got to start thinking about what opportunities I can give to young people.

Right now, I’m trying to create circumstances that will allow directors in their 20s and 30s to produce original films through a group called Bun-Buku. However, in Japan it’s always been difficult to create original films for theatrical release. We’re trying to do something about it, but we really need to hurry. I think it’s the biggest problem in the Japanese film industry.




Nanako Hirose from Bun-Bukuu made her directorial debut in 2019 with His Lost Name


──Director Koreeda, how do you view the fact that young female directors are appearing one after another with that kind of support in South Korea?

Koreeda: It’s fantastic. I think the situation is such that it’s difficult to continue making films, but that’s truly important, so I really hope Director Yoon will also create her second and third films. I’m looking forward to them.

Yoon: Thank you. I’ll also do my best to make good films so that I can connect more with foreign directors in the future.


Hirokazu Koreeda
Born in Tokyo in 1962, Koreeda graduated from Waseda University in 1987 and participated in TV Man Union where he primarily directed documentary programs. In 2014, he left and launched the production and planning company, Bun-Buku. He made his directorial film debut in 1995 with Maborosi. Since then, he has won film awards in Japan and abroad with works such as After Life (1998), Nobody Knows (2004), Like Father, Like Son (2013), and Our Little Sister (2015). In 2018, his film Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. In 2019, the Japanese-French film, The Truth was screened at the Competition category (Opening Night Gala) in the 76th Venice Film Festival. His first Korean film, Broker (working title) will be in production in 2021.

Dan-bi Yoon
Yoon was born in 1990. Her short film, Fireworks garnered attention during screenings at the 16th Daegu Independent Short Film Festival and the 15th Korea Youth Film Festival in 2015. She enrolled in Dankook University Graduate School in 2017 and produced Moving On as a feature film project. It was screened as her first feature film at the 24th Busan International Film Festival in 2019. Though it is her debut film, it has been extremely successful and has earned four honors, including the NETPAC Award.