Film fest veteran Shozo Ichiyama, editor Bina Paul to speak on “The Lives of Japanese Films in South Asia”

5^th Japanese Film Festival Online 2022

NEW DELHI: The Japanese movies fans in India would soon have the opportunity to see and listen to Shozo Ichiyama, a film festival veteran from Japan and globally acclaimed movie producer and director who would participate in a virtual panel discussion “The Lives of Japanese Films in South Asia” on February 7.

Ichiyama who would be joined by noted Indian film editor and national awardee Bina Paul, will speak on the trajectories of the Japanese Film Industry and its future in South Asia.

Being organised by the Japan Foundation, New Delhi in the run-up to the 5^th Japanese Film Festival Online 2022, which is taking off on February 14, the panel discussion would be moderated by film critic Gautaman Bhaskaran.

It is significant to mention here that the 1963-born Shozo Ichiyama was tasked with overhauling Tokyo’s film offerings and using his global connections to raise the event’s profile. He is also known for his work as a producer with Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke, celebrated Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Japan’s own Takeshi Kitano.

Since placing his production base in Shochiku Company, Limited and Office Kitano Inc., Ichiyama mainly produced works by foreign filmmakers. His major films included Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s “Flowers of Shanghai” (1998), Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize-winning director Samira Makhmalbaf’s “Blackboards” (2000), and Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay winner “A Touch of Sin” (2013) directed by Jia Zhangke.

He was also in charge of selecting films for the Tokyo International Film Festival from 1992 to 1999. In 2000, he launched the Film Festival Tokyo FILMEX and served as its director.

However, since 2013, he has been serving as a visiting professor in the Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media. He is the recipient of the 2019 Kawakita Award. He was appointed Programming Director of the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2021.

The co-panelist Bilna Paul has edited over 40 feature films working with illustrious directors. A recipient of two National Awards and numerous Kerala State Awards for editing, she has also directed & produced Documentary Films. Her latest film ‘The Sound of Silence’ has been screened at numerous National and International Festivals.

Bina is the Artistic Director of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) & International. Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) and has been instrumental in shaping both these festivals into important international events.

She is currently the Vice-Chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and Vice President NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian & Pacific Cinema).

The panel discussion moderator Gautaman Bhaskaran is a movie critic, commentator, and author, who penned the first-ever biography of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and has been covering many film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Tokyo, and Cairo among others for about 30 years.