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| 2000 - 15 years Hiroshima Festival |
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| Interview with Festival Director Sayoko Kinoshita | Questions: Thomas Renoldner |
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Thomas Renoldner:
"Dear Sayoko Kinoshita, you are the festival director of the International Animated Film Festival of Hiroshima. I had the pleasure to attend all editions of the festival between 1992 and 1998, in 1998 serving as a selection jury member. Japan has a very different culture compared to Europe or the USA. Would you like to talk about specific problems or conditions organising an international film festival in Japan?" |
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Sayoko Kinoshita:
"As you may know, Renzo and I are the founders of Hiroshima Animation Festival. Our aim and the aim of our festival is: For these aims, it took us 12 years before we could realize the first festival in 1985, and since then, we have been making every efforts to continue and develop the festival for 15 years already. Throughout the years, my philosophy/aim has always been solid, never changed, and I have been devoting myself to the festival for more than half my life. I am confident that such strong policies have distinguished Hiroshima Festival from other film festivals. Also, as I am also a filmmaker, I have been able to organize the festival with the filmmaker's viewpoint. This may also be something quite different from other festivals. Under such situation to maintain the strong policies, I have never thought that I am organizing a festival in "Japan" or that I am " Japanese" or not. Of course, it is difficult to work with the Japanese city officers when it comes to "art" and "international", and also when I am a "woman" and nevertheless the "leader". But, these are the things I can manage and cope with my efforts. Usually, I am never conscious of "country". Only, to my regret, I am afraid to say that I feel discrimination from some European and American people.... Consciously or not consciously, such people often want to confine our culture within a very narrow point of view--- "ethnic". When they only treasure our traditional stereotyped culture, I must say that I feel their egoism. Young people always want to challenge something new and innovative, regardless of their tradition. Moreover, I think artists should be free from such conventions. As I organize a festival, I would like to respect an international point of view, integrating the North and the South altogether. I feel that still many manifestations today are organized under the viewpoint of the North only. I would like to support and respect the opinion of the South too. Otherwise, our world cannot be a globe." |
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Thomas Renoldner:
""Looking at the members of your selection commitees I found out that you always include also people,who have a strong interest in experimental animation, like e.g. Paul Glabicki, Christine Panushka, and many others. Can you explain to our readers, what the basic intention of your festival is, and which position you take, or which position you expect from the members of your selection commitee, also regarding the question of "art versus industry" in animation?"" |
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Sayoko Kinoshita:
" I never see animation as " art versus industry", but rather see it more totally. Also, I usualy do not use the word "experimental", as I believe that any artists are experimenting with their works, and I rather say " fine art animation". Of course, I truly respect and understand the abstract works and fine art works. At the first festival in 1985, I already included Jules Engel as the member of our Selection Committee. I am glad that most of the abstract/fine art filmmakers who were in our Selection Committee in the past made a well-balanced selection which resulted in the competition programmes composed of various types of works. I feel it is a good thing that the abstract/fine art filmmakers are also fond of cartoon. I have been making every efforts ceaselessly trying to find the opportunities to show these works, appealing especially to the art museums. Perhaps I am devoting myself on this matter more than you can imagine.... as my life is only once and for all! I do not feel tired with my hard works, but I sometime feel discouraged because of the filmmakers' attitude: I regret that many of the abstract/fine art filmmakers are quite pessimistic, jealous and sometimes less confident.... I hope that artists will have more confidence in themselves, and hope they will fight within themselves to make their works." |
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Thomas Renoldner:
"The city of Hiroshima is known for one of the biggest outrages against humanity, the drop of the a-bomb in 1945. So of course any international cultural events taking place in Hiroshima must reflect this fact in some way. Many artists I talked with, and who have never been to the Hiroshima festival, were asking me about the importance of the "love and peace"-slogan, assuming that the films they enter should have some kind of connection with this background. Can you explain to them, which role this slogan plays for you and for the festival?" |
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Sayoko Kinoshita:
""Love and Peace" is not our slogan, but it is rather a spirit of our festival. As you may know, ASIFA was founded as an international association, not only for the development of animation, but also to seek the world peace and anti-war, because ASIFA was founded by the filmmakers who actually went through the nightmare of the World War II. Throughout its history, ASIFA have well been organized to enhance the communication of the East and the West, even under the period of Cold War. Thus, the spirit of ASIFA and Hiroshima were united together to establish the first festival in 1985 which was the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima a-bomb. As we have been using the word "theme" when we specify "Love and Peace", perhaps we might have caused some misunderstanding among the filmmakers. But, when we see the 1,231 entries received this year, almost all the works were submitted regardless of the theme "Love and Peace", and it seems that they understand that our festival is for animation in general." |
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Thomas Renoldner:
"One of the merits of the Hiroshima festivals are your special programmes from countries, which have been so far underrepresented at other international festivals. I remember that you presented a special programme of Indian animation in 1998 and one on Brazilian animation in 1996. Which country did you choose for this year and would you like to talk a bit about your work on the selection? I heard you are even travelling to these countries, when you choose the films." |
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Sayoko Kinoshita:
" Since 1993, I have been visiting the countries whose animation works and the filmmakers were not well introduced before. I usually travel alone to make the research and to exchange with the filmmakers in quite a tight schedule, because of our small budget. Although this is one of the most hard works for myself, I actually vist and make research because, this way, I will be able to find out and meet the broader source of information otherwise unknown. I have visited more than 10 countries to make the special programmes: Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Phillipines, India, Sri Lanka, etc... What I feel most happy is that the animation society/industry of each country gets more active after my visit. Before my visit, in many of the countries, most of the filmmakers do not know each other well, and almost no communications each other. Also, since 1990, I have been teaching animation, as a media form, to the Audio-visual Professionals of more than 30 developing countries, for their information. I teach them mainly in Okinawa where a Centre for such course is located. This experience, on the other hand, has also been giving me the information on the media situation of Africa, Asia, etc. This year, I will be holding a special programme of Turkey. As you know, it is an Islamic country which separates religion and politics, having a very unique history. In the past, I had several experiences to stay in Turky for more than 4 months in total to teach animation, and I met so many wonderful people, very warm and familiar. I wanted to introduce such good aspects of this country by introducing their animation. In fact, as I made my research this February, I found that they have high quality animation techniques and many interesting works. With the cooperation of so many people in Turkey, I am happy to be able to introduce a very good programme of more than 6 hours in HIROSHIMA2000." |
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Thomas Renoldner:
"I heartily thank you for that interview and wish the festival a big success!" |
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