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SABU, the talented Japanese director who won a Gold Goblet Award nomination for Usagi-doroppu last year, is one of the Asian New Talent Award judges this year. Popular in China for his unique style, he told Daily News reporter that the warmness of Usagi-doroppu was a subtle change from the black humor of his popular Dangan Runner and Postman Blues. However he promised fans he would return to the style they love. He is also looking forward to meeting someone who will be a "bridge" between him and Chinese films.
Daily News: Do you realize that your style changed from your first film Dangan Runner to Usagi-doroppu?
SABU: Yes, I do. My fans told me it when I was here last year. They said there was "poison" (meaning "black humor") in my films. Although there is none in Usagi-doroppu, it is still quite interesting.
Daily News: Did it ever occur to you why you experienced such a change?
SABU: I love to produce films written by myself which is what I have done in past years. In contrast, Usagi-doroppu was adapted from a comic. Nevertheless, it was good to have some of my fans prefer that style.
Daily News: You said at 赌博app last year that you would like to produce some films with warm and sweet themes, since you have a happy family. Will you return a black humor style or completely turn to warm stories?
SABU: My "poison" will constantly be exerted in my works in the future because it is the reason why people love my films. I do have a happy family and lovely kids, but I would not like to sacrifice my style. I hope my " acuity" will grow with age.
Daily News: A lot of critics compare you to British director Guy Ritchie. For example, there are a lot of accidents in both of your films. Why do you have them?
SABU: Everybody runs into some sort of accident every day. We might have an accident in a minute, or meet someone who will cause an accident. I do emphasize them from time to time in my scripts and involve all possible accidents.
Daily News: We also notice in many of your films that the main character is running. Does the running mean something special?
SABU: When I was a child, I would run in squares or other special places, because I was happy then, and it is the same with kids. As they grow up, people are more and more restricted by the rules of society. Grown-ups do not run as kids do. The process from a child to an adult is one from running to not running. If I meet an adult running on the road, I become curious about what makes them run and what has happened to them. I try to break the rule in my films and have the character run, which brings in the audience. Running may have lots of meanings, but I mainly employ it to mean breaking rules, which is my style.
Daily News: Tsutsumi Shinichi is a key actor in your early movies. Did you try to build your own style by using the same actor? Can we call him the tag of your films?
SABU: Tsutsumi Shinichi and I are the same age and he\'s a friend of mine. I think he is an excellent actor with distinctive features. He is active in acting, but usually only acts in my films. On one hand, I improve my style by working with him. On the other hand, he is one of the best actors of my age. I did not ask him to perform in my later films because I do not think it is good for him to work exclusively for me rather than others. I give us a break so we can have better cooperation in the future.
Daily News: You are both the screenwriter and director of many films. Can writing the script yourself better express your intentions?
SABU: The role of a director is less proactive in that they are always commissioned with the task of producing a work written by others. Being a screenwriter gives more control over the film. Therefore, as both screenwriter and director, I have control over choices of tasks as well as the themes I want to hand on to the audiences.
Daily News: How do you balance commercial and artistic effects in films?
Hiroyuki Tanaka: It is difficult to get a balance between commerce and art, especially in filmmaking. Although commerce works against art sometimes, I try to involve it in my films but it is really hard for me to get this balance.
Daily News: Is wearing sunglasses part of your style, like Chinese director Wong Kar-wai?
SABU: No,(laughs). I just had surgery on my right eye. I wear sunglasses to look better as I am often asked whether I feel tired without them. I know of Wong Kar-wai and he is a prominent director.
Daily News: Speaking of the film festival, do you have any different feelings in changing roles from being the director of a nominated film last year to being a judge of Asian New Talent Award this year?
SABU: I am enjoying my second visit here and the award is encouraging for new talents. In my opinion, no matter new or old, films are films, interesting or boring. The nominations and their producers this time are fairly good in terms of technology and content. We had a harmonious discussion without many disputes during the judging process as Chairman Amir Naderi and I have known each other for a long time.
Daily News: What is your opinion of this year\'s Shanghai International Film Festival?
SABU: It is fabulous. We\'ve seen lots of film works that are usually difficult to produce. I hope the festival will create more and more opportunities for audiences and other filmmakers to see them. I wish the festival a better future.
Daily News: What do you think about the greatest difference between Chinese and Japanese films?
SABU: I am keen on Chinese films. Directors Zhang Yimou and Hou Hsiao-Hsien impress me a lot. Chinese films are more focused on the reality than Japanese ones. Also, there are ancient dramas in China, while in Japan, animation is popular. Young people grow up reading comic books and prefer animated films.
Daily News: Is there any chance that you will work with Chinese film makers?
SABU: I do look forward to our cooperation. There is, however, no one who will be the "bridge" between me and Chinese films. I write plays. If there is anything suitable for collaboration, I am ready to write it. In fact, I have written one on the Chinese, and I hope that one day I can make it into a film with Chinese producers.