MEGUMI joins BABEL LABEL as a producer. Sense of crisis and solutions for the domestic video industry [Director's Interview Vol. 286]

Works that are close to women. I would like to refer to director Mike Mills.

Q: With the thoughts you just mentioned, you started a video production business, and the ``difficulty'' you experienced there leads to the story with Mr. Fujii at the beginning.

MEGUMI: I've been involved in all of my previous works. It all started with me talking to the director at a coffee shop, saying, ``I want to do this project.'' Then we discussed where we should take it, whether it was to a TV station or a production company, and then we raised money and wrote a script. As the number of people involved increases, the problem of ``differences in concentration'' arises. We're all artists, so we're all very assertive (lol), and while we're worried about not being able to raise money, we have a lot of meetings all at the same time about what to do creatively.

Whether it's a TV station or a distribution company, they each have their own things to protect, and it was really troubling and difficult for me to constantly think, ``It's not like we want to make money, but we're not making any progress...'' . I think that's why I sometimes cry when I crank it up.

After joining BABEL LABEL and making new friends, I no longer felt so anxious, and I am truly grateful.

Q: What kind of projects and creators do MEGUMI currently find interesting?

MEGUMI: BABEL LABEL is a company that is full of men (lol), so in my role, I want to make works that are close to women's pain and feelings. Being a mother myself, I have no choice but to make use of my experiences, including the feeling that there is a lack of care that I felt while walking in the entertainment industry as a woman.

With this in mind, Mike Mills is extremely helpful. He has always portrayed women in `` Beginners '' (10), `` 20th Century Woman '' (16), and ``Come on Come on '' (21). I also like the concept of a man portraying mothers, love, and women of different generations, and the story is really lovely, with a relaxed but slightly stylish feel, so I hope to create a work like that one day.

In terms of creators, I would like to work with Taichi Kimura, director of ``AFTER GLOWS'' (22), and director Takuya Uchiyama, with whom I previously made a short film. I had a fateful encounter with Mr. Kimura, and Mr. Uchiyama is a person who is morbidly picky about things like, ``Do you think that much about it?'', but I really like his personality, which is hard to hate.

Q: I'm extremely influenced by director Mike Mills, so it makes perfect sense. She is one of the rare people who does not experience gender bias between creators and receivers.

MEGUMI: Of course, I understand that some people will have a negative reaction if there is a strong feminine tone, and I think we have to be very careful about how we express ourselves. I feel that it would be great if it could be done in the style of Mike Mills, and it would convey the message.

When I participated in an overseas film festival, I was shocked by the lack of sales consciousness.