Wednesday 28 June – Thursday 21 April 2011
An Audience with Seijun Suzuki
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Born in Tokyo in 1923, Seijun Suzuki has had a long and productive career (including over 40 films), and has inspired countless filmmakers across the globe such as Quentin Tarantino (who paid tribute to Suzuki’s’s film Tokyo Drifter in his 2003 film Kill Bill Vol. 1). Jim Jarmusch also paid homage to Suzuki in his 1999 film, Ghost Dog, which employs elements from Suzuki’s Branded to Kill. John Woo has named Suzuki one of the top 10 filmmakers in the world.
Suzuki has long been celebrated for his unique pop-art aesthetic and distinctive cinematic techniques and in 2001, was given the ‘Homage to the Great Established Master’ at the 58th Venice International Film Festival, one of only three recipients in the world at the time. He has won numerous awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Japanese Academy Awards, and is a cult figure in the world of Asian cinema.
This event was organized in association with Yume Pictures.
Princess Raccoon is showing at the ICA from 30 June.
About the contributors
Seijun Suzuki
Seijun Suzuki has crowned his long career with a dream project: Princess Raccoon, a musical fantasia about a prince (Joe Odagiri) abandoned by his father who falls in love with an incredibly beautiful girl (Zhang Ziyi) – who happens to be a raccoon spirit. Using cutting-edge digital technology, Suzuki fashions Princess Raccoon into a combination of Kabuki, opera, Noh, traditional Asian visual arts, and modern rock ‘n roll; in the process, redefining Japanese cinema by integrating elements of world culture.
Tony Rayns
Tony Rayns (chair) edited Branded to Thrill: Delirious Cinema of Seijun Suzuki, which was published by the British Film Institute in 1994. He selects films for the London Film Festival and Vancouver Film Festival, among others. Tony Raynes regularly contributes to Sight and Sound, the forerunning film magazine in the UK, which is published by the British Film Institute. He introduced Beat Takeshi to the UK audience and has continued to champion him.