Chinese Director Of "Yasukuni" Fears Reprisals

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]Reuters: Right-wing groups threaten Japanese filmmakers
The director and producers of a documentary about Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where convicted war criminals are among the 2.5 million venerated souls, have received multiple death threats from right-wing groups that want to prevent the movie's local release. Japan's Dragon Films has decided to move its Tokyo offices and are taking steps to protect its staff after anonymous death threats against the company, its personnel and Li Ying, the Chinese-born director of "Yasukuni." "The threats began about two months ago, when we started press screenings of the movie in Japan," Li told The Hollywood Reporter in Berlin, where "Yasukuni" screened at the Berlin International Film Festival's Forum sidebar. "The threats have gotten worse and worse as we have gotten closer to the Japanese theatrical release of the film in April"...more...

[floatr]
[/floatr]From Variety:

...But "Yasukuni" is about chronicling disorder and the breakdown of societal structures, elements Li Ying finds in the attitudes of many Japanese people toward their nation's past, and which he transfers onto his images...A sequence involving a strange American supporter of hero-worship at Yasukuni -- who is nonetheless almost physically attacked for holding an American flag -- is surreal, lacking any real explanation or identification. The rules of composition are made irrelevant, much like, it is implied, jingoistic Japan's exalted, blinkered vision of itself...

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: 'Yasukuni' given pre-release screening for LDP lawmakers

Lawmakers attended a pre-release screening in Tokyo on Wednesday of a documentary film on the war-related Yasukuni Shrine that was arranged at the request of some Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who are concerned that the film may be "anti-Japan." The distributor of the film had argued that such a screening would be tantamount to censorship but later accepted the request on condition that the screening would be open to every member of the Diet and not just to a certain group of lawmakers. More than 80 people including 40 lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties attended the screening of the film on the Tokyo shrine, which honors convicted war criminals along with the war dead. Japanese leaders' visits to the shrine have been repeatedly criticized by China, South Korea and other Asian countries.

"I attended the screening just to see if this film should have received a government subsidy," said Tomomi Inada, a House of Representatives member from the LDP who requested the pre-release screening. "I do not intend to censor this film but I do wonder if this is a politically neutral Japanese film that should have received a subsidy," Inada said. Inada said she will discuss the issue of the subsidy with officials of the cultural affairs agency Thursday. The film, which is scheduled to be released in April, received a 7.5 million yen subsidy from the Japan Arts Council under the Cultural Affairs Agency. Aware that the film had been made with a subsidy, Inada asked the agency for the pre-release screening, sources close to the case said.

The film, directed by Tokyo-based Chinese director Li Ying, tells the story of a swordsmith who manufacturers "Yasukuni Swords" but has mixed feelings about the war and the shrine. The 123-minute film vividly captures chaotic scenes involving visitors to the shrine, including people dressed in uniforms of the now defunct Japanese army hailing the emperor. According to the distributor, the agency asked it to hold a pre-release screening as "a lawmaker regards the content of the film as a problem." The company was then notified of the names of Inada and other LDP lawmakers, it said. The company sent invitations to all lawmakers, it said.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Chinese filmmaker finds the swords of Yasukuni still sharp

'Yasukuni," a two-hour documentary by Chinese filmmaker Li Ying, is not a comfortable film for Japanese audiences. But not for the usual guilt-trip inducing reasons. The film rises above the seemingly endless denunciations by Asian leaders, to challenge viewers, through meticulous research and extensive use of archival footage, to take a hard look at themselves and their biases about the shrine... Yasukuni generates passion, and Li's film captures intense characters representing widely ranging opinions. We see right-wing militarists carrying out ritualistic acts of respect for the dead, an American offering support for then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's shrine visit and Japanese relatives of the war dead. Anti-Yasukuni forces get equal time. Li shows us Taiwanese delegates who demand the return of their countrymen enshrined as Japanese service members; a Buddhist monk who wants his brother's remains removed from the Shinto shrine; and a young Japanese who is mistaken for a Chinese activist and hounded by an angry mob after disrupting a shrine ceremony.

Scenes of chaos are interspersed with serene footage of 90-year-old Naoji Kariya, the last living Yasukuni swordsmith, at work on his final sword. As the film's underlying motif, Li explores the Yasukuni swords, which serve as the shrine's physical embodiment. Few members of the public know that from 1933 to 1945, 8,100 Yasukuni swords were dispatched to the battlefields, and Kariya was one of the bladesmiths who forged them. Li interviews Kariya politely, but in a way designed to reach the question central to the film: Does Kariya feel any responsibility for the suffering inflicted by soldiers using his swords? While Kariya appears open and friendly to the Chinese filmmaker, he remains elusive, dodging crucial questions. In one scene, the old man pauses for a long while before the camera--he seems far away. In another scene, Kariya turns the tables, and after asking Li what he thinks of Koizumi's shrine visit, offers his own opinion. "I feel the same way Koizumi does," the swordsmith says. "I mourn those who died for the state, and hope that war never happens again."

Platitudes aside, Li provides a look at how Japanese officers put their Yasukuni swords to use. At one point, the film displays 1937 Japanese newspaper articles that jovially report on two officers' "100-man slicing contest" in Nanking. Black-and-white footage of a soldier chopping away at rows of thatched dummies follows. The 1947 Nanking tribunal convicted the two officers as Class-B and Class-C war criminals. Suffering from intestinal cancer, Kariya retired after he was filmed making his final sword. Li later visited Kariya to get his approval after editing "Yasukuni." The retired artisan had the removed section of intestine on display at his house. "I liked his sense of humor and thought he had a sound spirit," Li says. "Yasukuni involves issues that are similar to cancer cells--you can't ignore them; they must be dealt with." While his film is subtle in its condemnation of Kariya's ambiguity and Koizumi's visit to the shrine, Li is more explicit in his opinions when not behind the camera...more...

[Captain Japan]

[Mock Cockpit]

A friend of mine is doing some work with this director and has seen this docco. Reckons it's quite good, can't wait for it to get to the local Tsutaya.

[Mulboyne]

AP: Theaters cancel war shrine film

Several Japanese movie theaters canceled showings of a documentary about a controversial war shrine after at least one theater received threats, a cinema official said Monday. Callers objected to "Yasukuni," a film by Chinese director Li Ying, because they considered it anti-Japanese, according to a spokesman for theater operator Humax Cinema. Manubu Matsumoto said Humax canceled showings at one theater after callers threatened the company. He refused to detail the threats. "I personally think the decision is regrettable. I don't think the movie is anti-Japanese," Matsumoto said. Five theaters have canceled screenings of the documentary, the Kyodo News agency reported. Some theaters are still scheduled to show the film in April, the report said.

[Captain Japan]

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Freedom in crisis

Five movie theaters in Tokyo and Osaka that had planned to show Chinese director Li Ying's controversial documentary "Yasukuni" this month all decided to cancel their screenings. While a number of other movie theaters are preparing to show the film in May or thereafter, the cancellations could upset their plans. Only one of the five movie theaters made no secret of the fact it backed down after it was targeted by right-wing sound trucks and harassing messages on the telephone. The other four explained they were cancelling screenings so as not to stir up trouble or cause inconvenience to patrons. The feeling of not wanting to be caught up in problems beyond their control is not entirely incomprehensible. But since the film is controversial, that is all the more reason we wanted it to be shown...

... If operators of movie theaters and hotels refuse to show films and rent space for meetings on grounds they could invite trouble for customers and neighbors, our cherished right of freedom of expression and speech will begin to shrink. That would be giving in to unreasonable obstruction and harassment. A society in which people cannot speak or express themselves freely is very unhealthy and oppressive. It was only a little more than 60 years ago that Japan learned this lesson the hard way. Freedom of speech and expression is the foundation that supports democratic societies. Anyone should have the freedom to hear diversified opinions and assertions and be able to discuss them. Such freedom gives rise to energy to create a better society. However, it does not come without cost. In any age, there are forces that try to violate freedom with violence. Such acts of oppression must be eliminated one by one. The police also play a major role in protecting the freedom of speech and expression. They should strictly control harassment.

Behind the decision by the five movie theaters to cancel screenings was a move by some Diet members. Lower House member Tomomi Inada of the Liberal Democratic Party and others questioned the propriety of the film receiving public subsidies and subsequently, a special preview was arranged for lawmakers. Inada issued a statement saying: "Also in order to make it clear that our action is not intended to restrict freedom of expression, we don't want the theaters to cancel the showing." If she really means it, we urge her to take concrete action to support the theaters by broadly calling on the movie theater industry to show the film. We call on the government and political parties to squarely face the situation through Diet debates and other methods. This is a problem that affects the foundation of our society. We want movie theaters that are currently preparing to show the documentary to firmly stick to their plans and also hope more theaters will join them. Society as a whole should support them.

[blackcat]

So Show the movies in the theatre as intended, and when the black trucks rock up to make noise....call the cops!

OH yeah its Japan....I forgot.

[Taro Toporific]

[ Variety:
... "Yasukuni" is about chronicling disorder......A sequence involving a strange American supporter of hero-worship at Yasukuni -- who is nonetheless almost physically attacked for holding an American flag -- is surreal, lacking any real explanation or identification...[/I]

Gee, reading about that "strange American supporter," the first image that came to my mind was this flagboy.

[Marvin Feltcher]

Sorry!

[Mulboyne]

Not that anybody here needs reminding, I guess, but for me this case has showed just what idiots Japan's far right wingnuts are. Their protests have given this documentary of rather dubious quality an incredible amount of free publicity and ensured it will become something of a hit, instead of just shutting up and allowing it to drift off into obscurity.

Yomiuri: Public interest in 'Yasukuni' high

Despite anxiety over possible interference by protesters, audiences packed the Tokyo theater where the controversial documentary film "Yasukuni" was commercially screened for the first time in the country, indicating high interest in the film among the public. The screening of the film by Chinese director Li Ying started under tight security Saturday at Cine Amuse, which is housed on the fourth floor of a building in an area crowded with restaurants and shops in Shibuya, Tokyo. The film originally was scheduled to be screened from April 12 at five movie theaters in Tokyo and Osaka. However, after some politicians demanded to see the film before its commercial release, rightist groups launched campaigns trying to prevent public screenings of the film. A series of incidents eventually prompted the five theaters to cancel the scheduled screening. Before the first screening of the film started at 10:30 a.m., vehicles of the Metropolitan Police Department already were parked in front of the building housing the theater. Police officers as well as employees of the theater and the film's distributing agency stood at the entrance of the building in an effort to ensure viewers' safety.

Inside the theater, security guards were stationed not only in the lobby, but also in two halls where the film was screened, each of which have 107 seats. Security guards sat either side of the screen, and the first row of seats was kept empty. Plainclothes officers also kept their eyes on the audience in the rear of the halls. Because the building accommodates not only the theater, but also restaurants and other establishments, stringent rules were set regarding media interviews and photography in the building. Arriving at the building at 6 a.m., an 18-year-old male student was the first to line up for the screening. A long line had formed by the time the theater opened. Both Japanese and non-Japanese journalists started flocking to the theater around 10 a.m. Noticing the unusual atmosphere, some passersby stopped in front of the building.

The theater screened the film a total of eight times in the two halls without any problems. All seats were sold, according to the theater. "I wanted to see the film with my own eyes, not only through media reports," said a 74-year-old man from Tokyo. "I didn't find the film as biased as I'd anticipated." As for images of wartime scenes and Emperor Showa that were shown near the end of the film, the man said he did not feel uncomfortable to see such images, adding that he already was a sixth-year primary school student when World War II ended. A 23-year-old female company employee from Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, said she did not find the film as radical as some reports had led her to believe. "I thought the film was like a 'textbook' designed for non-Japanese viewers to easily understand Yasukuni," she said.

Meanwhile, many in the audience criticized some theaters' decision to cancel the screening of the film. "I found their actions outrageous. Even if [the film] has some political aspects, freedom of expression must be respected," said a Tokyo lawyer, 60. "I felt there was something awful about the series of disputes over the film because some people seemed to be trying to prevent free discussions about this work," said a 56-year-old woman working for a hospital in Nagasaki. On the other hand, some people expressed dissatisfaction over the movie's content. "I couldn't understand [through the film] what Yasukuni really is," a 51-year-old Tokyo woman said. "The film was watered down in the second half, and the last part was made by simply joining up old images," a 83-year-old Tokyo man said.

The film is scheduled to be screened at 23 theaters across the country, including those in Osaka, Hiroshima and Kyoto. "I'm pleased to hear that the screening started without problems," said Yoshiaki Negishi, owner of Metro Cinema in Fukui, where the film is scheduled to be screened from July 12. "Now we can feel at ease in making preparations." Nonfiction writer Shinobu Yoshioka said movie theaters should take pride in offering people a place to enjoy a range of movies. "Movie theaters should be a place where a variety of works can be shown to the public," Yoshioka said. "If they cancel screening a film, they're not fulfilling their purpose." Movie critic Tadao Sato said those who have seen the film must have understood that the director had produced the film in a balanced manner. "If many audiences found the film neutral, it means that they took it coolheadedly," Sato said, adding that he was pleased that the film was safely screened on the first day.

Also:
[url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080505TDY03102.htm]
Yomiuri: Shrine wants 'uncleared' scenes cut]

Yasukuni Shrine has asked the maker of the documentary "Yasukuni" to cut scenes from the film that they say contain "unauthorized" footage, but the filmmaker is not planning to comply with the request. In a letter dated April 11, the shrine asked director Li Ying to cut the scene of a ritual at the shrine, saying he was not permitted to film it. The shrine also asked him to cut scenes showing close-ups of shrine personnel and visitors for which it said the filmmaker had not obtained permission from these people to shoot their images. According to the shrine, the documentary's production company, Dragon Films, made three requests for permission to shoot footage of the shrine, but on none of these occasions did it specify that the footage was intended for a documentary to be called "Yasukuni." Kazuo Hizumi, lawyer for Li and Dragon Films, said: "When you see news and other footage of the shrine, it's hard to believe that every single person seen in it has been asked for permission. It's a place that attracts many people and a lot of attention, and I believe members of the public seen there are usually taking images of it, too."