Takumi Saitoh hopes to shoot a film with Malaysians next year
|
6 Sep – Japanese actor-turned-director Takumi Saitoh graced the opening event of the 14th edition of Japanese Film Festival (JFF) yesterday at GSC Pavilion KL.
During a special screening of his first directed film, "Blank 13" before the opening ceremony, the 36-year-old said that he hopes his new film as well as the other Japanese films at the festival would be able to form a connection between Malaysia and Japan.
|
When fans asked the debutant director if he would ever consider directing a film featuring Malaysians which is also set in Malaysia, Saitoh positively replied, "Next year, hopefully."
"There's a lot of talented film creators in both Japan and Malaysia, so we hope that one day we would be able to work together and make movies," said the director who is also the actor of "The Projects", the opening movie of JFF 2017.
|
His role in the film has won him Best Supporting Actor at the 31st Takasaki Film Festival this year.
Meanwhile, his newly directed film "Blank 13" had won him the Asian New Talent Award for Best Director at the 20th Shanghai Film Festival back in June.
|
The 14th instalment of JFF organised by the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment between Malaysia and Japan, and Cinema Online is proud to be one of the official partners of the prestigious festival.
|
JFF 2017 takes place in Klang Valley from 7 to 13 September before heading to Penang from 14 to 17 September, and then will move to Kuching, Sarawak from 21 to 24 September.
It will be wrapping up in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 28 September to 1 October.
