Director Michito Fujii of the Netflix series "The Journalist" talks about eras and generations. The key is “making it your own” [Director's Interview Vol.173]

What Netflix titles has Director Fujii watched recently?

Q: I think that not only the audience, but also many creators are interested in what kind of works Director Fujii is interested in now. What works have you seen recently?

Fujii: On Netflix, "Asakusa Kid" was interesting. I watched it casually, but I was surprised at how great Yuya Yagira's acting was, and it was my favorite of Yo Oizumi's works. I thought that Hitori Gekidan was a great director after all. I thought it was great that he wasn't bound by the idea of ​​"this is what a movie is," and that he was able to get close to the audience and film the acting well.

I also thought it was amazing that director Yeon Sang-ho's "Inferno is Calling" debuted at number one in the world. At first glance, it's just a drama about Donkey Kong going wild (laughs). But everyone's acting was incredibly good and it was fun.

"Asakusa Kid" trailer

Q: Hitori Gekidan is a comedian, and Director Yeon Sang-ho comes from the animation field. Just from these two works, you can see the breadth of Director Fujii's perspective.

Fujii: Thank you. But the greatest masterpiece is still "Money Heist." It ended with season 5, but I'm not sad at all. I'm simply a fan. I usually have a strong tear duct, but I cried twice, and I want to give a big round of applause to all those wonderful creators. I feel like I want to create a work with that kind of passion.

Q: "Money Heist" is a Spanish production, and one of the great things about Netflix is ​​that you can watch a variety of titles, not just Hollywood fare.

Fujii: That's right. Of course, I'm a filmmaker, so I follow movies closely, but I think the "affirmative power" that video streaming services like Netflix embody is amazing. I feel that this industry has a strong exclusionary element, but I think we should recognize each other's good points and coexist more in the future.

Q: Is that kind of vision something that Director Fujii is aiming for?

Fujii: Yes. If I can achieve that, I think my role in my generation will be over, and I want to be the person who can properly support what the next generation will do.

Director and scriptwriter: Michihito Fujii

Born in 1986. The Graduate from Nihon University College of Art, Department of Film. After The Graduate from university, he founded the video group "BABEL LABEL" in 2010. He made his commercial debut with "Oh! The Father" (2014), based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka. Since then, he has been actively releasing works such as "Blue Homeward" (2018), "Day and Night" (2019), "The Brightest Roof in the Universe" (2020), and "The Yakuza and the Family" (2021), and has many upcoming works such as the film "10 Years Left to Live" (2022). At the 43rd Japan Academy Awards, the film "The Journalist" won six awards including the Best Picture Award, and has won numerous other film awards. He is one of the most notable film directors today.

Interview and text: SYO

Born in 1987. After The Graduate from Tokyo Gakugei University, he worked at a film magazine editorial production site and a film information site before becoming a film writer/editor. Works on a wide range of topics including interviews, reviews, columns, event appearances, and recommendation comments. Contributed to ``CINEMORE'', ``Cinema Cafe'', ``Soen'', ``FRIDAY Digital'', ``CREA'', ``BRUTUS'', etc. Twitter「 syocinema 」

Netflix series "The Journalist"

Available worldwide on Netflix from Thursday, January 13, 2022