By NYAFF UNCAGED
Thank you for joining us for another episode of UNCAGED, the official podcast of The New York Asian Film Festival. This week we explore the work of acclaimed auteur Junji Sakamoto and his latest film, "Okiku and the World," which had its North American premiere at the 2023 edition of the festival. The Q&A featured in this episode was moderated by film programmer Karen Severns and focuses on Mr. Sakamoto’s wide-ranging career in cinema as well as his creative process in making new films.
After working his way up from set designer and assistant director, Mr. Sakamoto made his directorial debut in 1989 with "Knockout," which earned him the Best New Director prize from the Japan Director’s Guild. In 2000, he won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Director, among many other awards, for "Face." His diverse filmography runs the gamut from historical narratives tackling dark subject matter to suspenseful thrillers examining human nature. NYAFF honored Mr. Sakamoto’s passion for cinematic risk-taking with the 2023 Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award. "Okiku and the World," his 30th feature film to date, further proves the filmmaker’s dedication to his craft.
"Okiku and the World" is a jidaigeki, or period drama, and takes place in Edo-era Japan. The film’s two protagonists have the eccentric misfortune of working as “manure men'', as they are tasked with collecting human waste from tenement outhouses to resell it to farmers in the countryside. Through witty dialogue and dramatic sequences, the film’s characters find human connections and develop romantic relationships against a hilariously putrid backdrop. Shot mostly in black and white, "Okiku and the World" was released theatrically in Japan in April of 2023.
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