The beginnings
The 7th Japanese art is first and foremost intimately linked to the world of theatre and the Kansai region is the leading actor. Indeed, the first traces of Japanese cinema can be seen in 1896, in Osaka, where it was first shown in theatres with puppet presenters. The first screenings took place at the time in rooms called katsudō-shashin, "active photos". From 1910, a theatrical style called rensageki emerges and mixes theatre with video projections. Rensageki soon became popular in the Kansai region, where the production of images for shows seemed to be a profitable business. In 1923, Kansai acquired a major asset, despite somewhat dramatic circumstances: the studios Shōchiku initially based in Tokyo moved to Kyoto following the great earthquake that struck the capital. Following the example of film studios such as Nikkatsu, Toei or Daiei, Shochiku is considered one of the most fashionable production companies between 1950 and 1970. Considered the first golden age of Japanese cinema, this era saw many directors emerge from the shadows, such as Osamu Tezuka, a director from Osaka Prefecture. Tezuka's career took off in the 1960s, when he founded his first anime studio, Mushi Production. Under Mushi Production, Tezuka directed animated series such as Astro Boy, King Leo and the animated feature film Princess Sapphire. After ten years of activity, Mushi Studios went bankrupt and Tezuka concentrated on his other company, Tezuka Production. Thanks to this company, in the 1980s, the producer made the colour remake of his own series Astro Boy, which he renamed Astro, the little robot, a work that has since become cult among manga fans around the world.
From Oshima Nagisa to Naomi Kawase
The number of Japanese films fell in the 1970s and 1980s due to the gradual disappearance of the majors, the big national production companies. Only the perseverance of independent filmmakers allowed Japanese cinema to get its head above water. Among others, Oshima Nagisa's Empire of the Senses, presented at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes in 1976, or Furyō, by the same director, with David Bowie (1982). Nagisa, a Kansai native, returned to Cannes in 1994 with Max, mon amour (starring Charlotte Rampling and Victoria Abril), a work in the running for the Palme d'Or, before ending his career in 1999 with Tabou (presented at Cannes in the same category), due to his paralysis. In Kansai, the end of the 1990s marked a boom in international popularity for the new generation of filmmakers: Kiyoshi Kurosawa (from the city of Kobe) directed the acclaimed Cure in 1997, the same year Naomi Kawase won the Camera d'Or at Cannes for her work Suzaku. At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, Kurosawa presented Jellyfish, while Kawase returned with the feature film Shara, set in the filmmaker's hometown of Nara. Naomi Kawase thus becomes one of the favourite Japanese personalities at the prestigious Festival. In 2007, she won the Grand Prize for her work The Forest of Morgan and in 2013, she became a member of the jury, chaired that year by Steven Spielberg. Among Kawase's recent works are Towards the Light (2017), Journey to Yoshino (2018) and True Mothers (2020), all of which have received critical acclaim. Kiyoshi Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2020 Venice Film Festival for his work The Sacrificial Lovers. Other notable feature films in recent years include Sabu (from Wakayama Prefecture)'s Mr Long (2017, selected for the Golden Bear in Berlin) and Ryuhei Kitamura's The Doorman (2020), starring Jean Reno and Ruby Rose.
Kansai, the muse
While filmmakers from Kansai are gradually taking their place in the world of the seventh art, the region alone is one of the stars of the scene. Indeed, the landscapes of different Kansai cities seem to be perfect settings for many filmmakers from all over the world. Starting with Yakuza, by Sydney Pollack, released in 1974, which was shot in several Japanese cities such as Kyoto, Osaka or Tokyo. A film that has since become a cult film, Yakuza has inspired many works, including Ridley Scott's Black Rain in 1989, starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia. This detective thriller is largely shot in Osaka, where the Dotonbori district and its Kirin Plaza building (used as Club Miyako) fit perfectly with the dark atmosphere of the film. In 2003, The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, was shot in Hyogo Prefecture and the Chion-in Temple in Kyoto, among other places. Two years later, we find a bit of Kyoto in the magnificent Memoir of a Geisha , where we see the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine at Kiyomizu Temple, as well as Yoshimine-dera Temple. As for the city of Kobe, it is home to the filming of works such as Virgin Snow (2007) by Hang Sang-Ye, Outrage (2010) by Takeshi Kitano and Memories Corner (2012) by Audrey Fouré. More recently, Osaka Prefecture can be seen in the films Equals (2015, starring Kirsten Stewart and Nicholas Hoult) by Drake Doremus and Manhunt by John Woo, released in 2017.
Kansai Festivals
Finally, Kansai is the capital of several events related to the 7th art. Starting with the Kansai Queer Film Festival (KQFF), one of the most anticipated festivals in the region, presenting various works focusing on the LGBTQI+ struggle, including sexuality and gender issues. In 2019, the festival is celebrating its 14th edition and international films such as Rafiki (Wanuri Kahiu), Billie and Emma (Samantha Lee) and Yo, imposible (Patricia Ortega) are being shown in several venues in Kyoto and Osaka. The city of Nara, for its part, celebrated the 10th edition of its Nara International Film Festival. With Naomi Kawase as executive director, this festival was created in 2010 and offers several film workshops to budding directors from Japan and elsewhere, children and students. Finally, let's not forget that, for a bit of fun, the city of Kyoto has its special "cinema" amusement park, the Toei Uzumasa Eigamura, more commonly known as Kyoto Studio Park.
