Imagica Group, Japan’s leading post-production and visual effects company, is entering the original film financing arena for the first time in its 90-year history. The company has committed to co-financing five auteur-driven features from emerging Japanese directors over the next five years. Palme d’Or winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) has thrown his weight behind the project and is helping select the slate of titles that will receive support under the initiative. The first film to win financing from Imagica will be unveiled at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, with Kore-eda and Imagica Group president Shunjiro Nagase revealing the producer, director, and outline of the project.
The partners say the program underscores a growing recognition within the Japanese film industry of an urgent need to foster new creative voices and support auteur-driven filmmaking at a time when the domestic market remains heavily reliant on IP-adapted fare.
“International film festivals in Europe and elsewhere are highly acclaimed for works depicting social issues and unique artistic expressions, but in Japan, there are still high hurdles to overcome in order to produce such works,” says Nagase. “That is why we wanted to build this platform — for give talented young creators the chance to diversify our film culture and enhance the international appeal of Japanese films.”
Imagica will invest 70 million yen (over $500,000) in each title while bringing in two or three other corporate Japanese entities to serve as additional financing partners.
“I realize this may not sound like a lot of money, but in Japan, where we have very little government support for filmmaking, the fact that a company like Imagica is stepping up of its own accord to help fill a gap and support new talent is very rare and meaningful,” says Kore-eda. “When I heard they were willing to do this, I said I would be happy to help however I can.”
This is just Kore-eda’s latest move to instigate structural reform in Japan’s film and television sectors. A vocal critic of the Japanese industry’s exploitative labor practices and hierarchical production culture, Kore-eda has repeatedly advocated for stronger labor protections, the establishment of film industry unions, and fairer pay for emerging artists. He has also leveraged his own film collective Bunbuku, Inc. to mentor younger filmmakers and screenwriters within a nurturing studio environment.
Chatting with THR in Tokyo ahead of Cannes, Kore-eda said: “Not long ago, the Japanese filmmakers we tended to see in Cannes or Venice were always the same ‘four Ks’ — me, Takeshi Kitano, Naomi Kawase, Kiyoshi Kurosawa.” Now we’re seeing a new generation come up. Ryusuke Hamaguchi won an Oscar (Drive My Car) and the Cannes selection this year includes Chie Hayakawa (Renoir) in the main competition, Kei Ishikawa (A Pale View Of The Hills) in Un Certain Regard, and Genki Kawamura (Exit Eight) and other young directors in other sections. This gives me encouragement that we are making progress in handing over the reins to the next generation — but there is still much work to do to reform our industry in Japan. Imagica’s contribution here is a very helpful step.”
