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World Cultural Forum 2007 (5th) > Film and Culture- What Japan, China and South Korea can achieve together -
Past World Cultural Forum
2007 (5th)
2007 (5th)
Film and Culture - What Japan, China and South Korea can achieve together - The world of film has seen great technical innovation and is in an era of revolutionary change. In these times, can the filmmakers of Japan, China and South Korea join hands to present their work from the region? This session will examine the future of Asian film by discussing the role of film in culture, the cultural interactions it facilitates, and the way ethnic spirit and diversity can be expressed in film.
NTT Yume Tenjin Hall (Fukuoka Prefecture)
This session encouraged the development of a cooperative, interconnected Asia film community and invited people from Japan, China, and South Korea working with film to discuss the cultural roles performed by this medium and its potential for cultural exchange. The session was held in Fukuoka City, one of Japan's closest cities to the Asian continent.
Under the coordination of Ms. TAKANO Etsuko, General Manager of Iwanami Hall, this session was conducted in a two-part panel discussion format. In the first part, a digest edition of Qing liang si zhong sheng (Bell of the Purity Temple), a film starring Japanese people left behind in China during the closing days of World War II, and footage of the Pusan International Film Festival were shown, with Mr.XIE Jin, director of Bell of the Purity Temple, and Mr.KIM Dong-Ho, Festival Director of the Pusan International Film Festival each speaking about their respective works.
Mr.Xie described Bell of the Purity Temple as a depiction of the tragedies endured by both the Chinese and Japanese people. The film was the subject of much debate at the time of its release, and Mr.Xie expressed his gratitude that the film is still able, especially today, to be shown and to move many Japanese people. He suggested that the reason there are works that endure in the memories of many Asian people regardless of nationality is because of the universality in human nature and culture, and he stressed the importance of universal culture.
This year was the twelfth Pusan International Film Festival and Mr. Kim cited both the festival's active inclusion and development of new artists and its efforts in supporting film as an industry as reasons the festival has become world renowned. He also reported that despite government policy that produced rapid increases in both the quality and box-office records of Korean films from the late 1990s onward, film exports dropped in the latter half of 2006 and are starting to slow down.
Next, Dr. AOKI Tamotsu, Japanese Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, expressed his belief that film is an absolutely wonderful artistic medium to directly appeal to viewers, even on difficult themes. He said that it is possible to create films that bridge the economic disparities between developed and developing countries. He also stated that film is something capable of moving beyond differences of language and culture to transmit powerful emotions to people. Furthermore, he reported that over the past five years the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs has given a high-priority to promoting film and is actively involved in cultural exchange with South Korea and China through film.
Session chairperson Ms. Takano stated it was gratifying that during 2006 the Japanese film share in Japan exceeded that of Western films, albeit by a small margin. However, in actuality there is a real issue that audience numbers have not increased in proportion to the increase in cinema complexes' number of screens. She also commented that filmmaking has become simpler due to the digitization of equipment and other developments, and that there has been an increase in the number of films produced by young people, but that there is still a shortage of screening venues for these films.
The second part of the session featured a discussion on what Japan, China, and South Korea can achieve together for the film and cultural communities of Asian countries. Chairperson Ms. Takano presented the example of the Tokyo International Women's Film Festival, which she has been involved in since its inception. She reported that in recent years there has been an increase in high-quality Asian films and that the Festival was able to produce a stellar program this year with 70 percent of its films directed by Asian women. Mr. Kim commented that in Japan, China, South Korea, India, and Thailand auteur movies and industry movies have developed alongside each other, but that in many other Asian countries film has not been industrialized and, compared with the West, support in terms of investments is sparse. Mr. Xie said that although China's economic development is remarkable, in the wake of this development there are no films for China's 800 million farmers. He stressed that people should strive to make films that move the hearts of the masses.
In response to the above discussion, Dr. Aoki touched upon the "East Asian Community" concept that has been the subject of active debate in recent years, specifically the perception that this concept is overly-focused on economics and ignores cultural differences. Dr. Aoki asserted that the goal is to preserve the diversity of religions and languages while creating an "East Asian Film Zone" and to transmit culture from East Asia to the world. In response to Dr. Aoki's proposal, Mr. Kim stated that the aim is to create a film industry and market in Asia competitive with that of the West. Mr. Kim said that in order to respond to this issue it is important to promote joint Japanese-Chinese-South Korean production and exchange of film resources, and simultaneously to formulate a cooperative structure based on a close intergovernmental frameworks that prioritize culture. Chairperson Ms. Takano agreed that there is a need to establish a multi-country foundation for film production. She also stated that stereotypes of Asian females created by Westerners through such works as Madame Butterfly still exist, and she lamented the fact that many Asian films are still evaluated based on standards of Western origin, expressing the opinion that individual Asian countries should take the initiative to create Asian standards of film value.
Finally, chairperson Ms. Takano said that the twentieth century, referred to as the age of film, is over but even if the technology revolution advances and the terms "software" and "content" supplant the term "film," these things will not change the cultural value of cinema. She summarized the session by forcefully stating that cooperation between Japan, China, and South Korea is increasingly necessary to utilize the cultural power of film, develop Asia into a more prolific cultural zone, and promote a world of peace.
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| Chairperson Ms. TAKANO Etsuko gracefully moderates the session | The session was carried out with the passion of its participants | Mr. XIE Jin speaking passionately | ||
| [participant] TAKANO Etsuko (Japan), General Manager, Iwanami Hall XIE Jin (China), Film Director KIM Dong-Ho (Republic of Korea), Festival Director, Pusan International Film Festival AOKI Tamotsu (Japan), Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Japan *Belonging and the official position are the one at the holding this time. |
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