Producers gathering at the new BABEL LABEL, aiming for world standard planning and development [Director's Interview Vol.215]

If you want to take pictures with A24, let's take them.

Q: One of the hurdles to winning the competition is the problem of content overload. The battle for viewers' time is accelerating, and to be honest, even people in the industry can't keep up.

Maeda: In addition to Netflix and Amazon, Disney Plus and Apple TV+ have also started producing dramas and movies in Japan. It's a difficult decision for a user, so the answer is "individuality." If we don't produce two or three interesting works in a row, we won't be persuasive, so we feel pressured, but we also find it interesting at the same time.

Recently, I often think about my drive when I first started this job and took on challenges without caring about the consequences. When I first communicated with overseas, I used faxes instead of emails, and I would attack the agents of Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, and Dustin Hoffman with requests to appear in films. But I would get a reply. Harrison's female agent responded very politely to me, who I didn't know. "I'm busy at that time because I'm making a movie version of a drama, but I sincerely hope that your project will be successful." I was told, "If you don't mind, can you tell me the title..." and the answer I got was " The Fugitive " (laughs). The person who responded to me at that time was later featured in a magazine's "Women's Power Supporting Hollywood" feature.

I've digressed, but back then I was young and fearless, and I was able to jump in even if the other person was a legendary actor. But as I gained experience and age, I started to have strange sensibility and I started to think, "Even if I offer this to you, it won't work," but when I joined BABEL LABEL, I thought, "I'll throw that away." If anything happens, I can just blame Goka-san or Sezaki-san... (laughs).

Goka/Sezaki: (laughs).

Maeda: I'm just kidding, but it's really helpful to have friends close enough to ask "What do you think about this?" when you're worried about something. It helps to calm your mind and keep you calm. I've never had the chance to do something like this before, and I've gotten ideas that I hadn't thought of, so I feel like my horizons have broadened. I'm glad I participated.

Fujii-san always says "A24...A24..." like he's talking in his sleep (laughs). "Let's shoot it then. Let's go to A24!" I'm excited, and there are some people in BABEL LABEL who I feel can become international. We've also applied to compete at Apple and the Busan International Film Festival, and I hope we can become a creative, global think tank team.

What has changed since Netflix landed in Japan?