Japanese filmmakers pursue international co-prods
Japanese filmmakers are increasingly making movies overseas as they pursue funding through international co-productions.
By Nick Goundry 26 Jun 2018
Japanese filmmakers are increasingly making movies overseas as they pursue funding through international co-productions.
Hirokazu Kore-eda shot his Palme d’Or-winning feature Shoplifters on location in France and will return there to film his follow-up The Truth About Catherine, according to a Variety report.
Naomi Kawase made her film Vision as a co-production with French company Slot Machine, while Kiyoshi Kurosawa had French and Belgian backing for The Woman in the Silver Plate that was also made in France.
Japan’s domestic film industry has reportedly stagnated, which is one reason for some directors to look for opportunities elsewhere in the world.
Another issue is that filmmakers need a production budget of the equivalent of $900,000 to qualify for support from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, and this can be a challenge for independent projects.
“More co-production treaties would be a positive development,” said producer Jason Gray, in comments to Variety. “Also needed are less complicated application procedures and incentives such as tax rebates.”
Japan is not known internationally as a film-friendly location, partly because it lacks formal filming incentive support. Hollywood movies do sometimes feature the country as a setting but they usually use other parts of the world as stand-ins.
See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in Japan.
Image: iStock.com/Nikada
Naomi Kawase made her film Vision as a co-production with French company Slot Machine, while Kiyoshi Kurosawa had French and Belgian backing for The Woman in the Silver Plate that was also made in France.
Japan’s domestic film industry has reportedly stagnated, which is one reason for some directors to look for opportunities elsewhere in the world.
Another issue is that filmmakers need a production budget of the equivalent of $900,000 to qualify for support from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, and this can be a challenge for independent projects.
“More co-production treaties would be a positive development,” said producer Jason Gray, in comments to Variety. “Also needed are less complicated application procedures and incentives such as tax rebates.”
Japan is not known internationally as a film-friendly location, partly because it lacks formal filming incentive support. Hollywood movies do sometimes feature the country as a setting but they usually use other parts of the world as stand-ins.
See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in Japan.
Image: iStock.com/Nikada
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