STARBURST: Congratulations on the film - how has the reaction from the fans been for you?
Makoto Shinkai: Simply amazing. It’s the number one Japanese film at the box office in 2019. I didn’t expect that and I’m really happy that it has reached that height. We’ve had a lot of young support too, which is great to see.
How proud are you that Weathering with You was put forward as Japan’s entry for Best International Film at the Academy Awards? What does that mean to you as a filmmaker and creator?
It’s very unusual for an animated film to be representing Japan – the last time was Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke in the late ‘90s, so it really is a surprise and a huge honour. But on the other hand I’d never really given any thought to Oscars – I started off as an independent filmmaker and I was never interested in prizes so the fact that I’ve been nominated now requires a lot of lobbying and things like that, which is completely removed from what I do, which is creating films – it just feels like something very far away and a completely different world. And, of course, it didn’t make the final shortlist, but it was an honour to be considered.
As with Your Name and your other films, you also wrote the screenplay as well as directed. Where did your inspiration for the story come from?
There are a few inspirations – the biggest is the fact that climate change is becoming a reality and every year in Japan we are getting these really heavy rains that are causing flooding. They’re becoming more frequent, along with other natural disasters, so I thought it was a good time to make a film on the theme of weather.
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Starburst Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Starburst Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Memoirs Of The Dead
It’s over 40 years since George A. Romero’s seminal zombie sequel DAWN OF THE DEAD first terrorised the planet, forever changing our demeanour when visiting the local shopping mall. On the eve of its latest disinterment - this time in 4K - we spoke to two actors who lived to tell the tale…
STAND BY FOR SHADO
This autumn marks the 50th anniversary of Gerry Anderson’s evolution from producing Supermarionation to live-action TV shows with UFO. We take a fond look back on a complex, mature series that took Century 21 Productions to new creative heights…
SHORT AND TO THE POINT
Short films have become a popular staple of film festivals but SHORT SHARP SHOCKS, the 41st release from BFI Flipside, shows us that the format has been used for much more commercial means previously…
ROAD TO OTAKU
YOUR GATEWAY INTO THE WORLD OF ANIME......WITH YOUR NAVIGATOR, JAMES 'MAGIC PERKINS' PERKINS
INDEPENDENTS DAY - FC RABBATH
Born in Alexandra, Egypt in October 1986, director/writer FRED ‘FC’ RABBATH has been an inventor, author, comedian, journalist, and all around entrepreneur. He’s also hugely well-travelled thanks to his father’s work, which required Fred to live in several countries before he was even 16. Tirelessly prolific, he has written and directed a string of acclaimed short films and a number of features including Scarlet’s Witch (2014), The Hum (2015), The Movie Extra (2015), and especially A Brilliant Monster (2018), which we described as ‘quirky and highly watchable… a psychological horror/thriller that examines the nature of creativity and the obsessions which drive the creative mind’ He’s back later this year with THE WAITING, a highly unusual and unpredictable ghost story that turns slowly into an unusual romantic fable. We spoke to Fred about his background and his approach to his work in the independent movie sector.
HEART and SOUL
Known for re-shaping the landscape of movies as we know it (not just animated ones), Pixar has respectfully raised the bar with delightful, heartfelt aplomb. From the intense opening segment of Up where no matter how lacking in emotion you think you are, tears will still come running, to the joyous Randy Newman-scored Toy Story moments, to the roaring, superhero family dynamics in The Incredibles, there’s an endless array of remarkable Pixar memories. Even in just these highlighted animated spectacles alone, Pixar has imprinted many sequences into our brains that we will never, ever forget. Everyone has a favourite Pixar character, scene, quote, song, and catchphrase that still evokes something nostalgically magical in them. So, what’s yours?
TRUTH BE TOLD
Following on from our TRUTH SEEKERS set-visit last issue, we speak with the driving forces behind Prime Video’s excellent new supernatural comedy series, SIMON PEGG, NICK FROST, and SAMSON KAYO...
Telephemera
ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
The controversial 1978 film I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE has just been released as part of a 6-disc box set that includes the reboot trilogy, the UK debut of the direct sequel, DÉJÀ VU, and a feature-length documentary GROWING UP WITH I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. We managed to speak with actors CAMILLE KEATON and JAMIE BERNADETTE as well as the son of the original director, TERRY ZARCHI to find out more about the legendary revenge films…
telephemera
ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...
