A—The International Edition
- Director: MORI Tatsuya
1998 Japanese Subtitled in English Color 16mm 136 min
Production Company: “A” Production Committee
Producer: YASUOKA Takaharu
Photography: MORI Tatsuya, YASUOKA Takaharu
Editing: MORI Tatsuya, YASUOKA Takaharu
Music: Pak Poe
Sound: MORI Tatsuya, YASUOKA TakaharuInternational Sales: Yasuoka Films
1-33-31 Gotokuji, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0021 JAPAN
Phone: 81-3-5799-9218
Fax: 81-3-5799-9217
E-mail: yasus@netlaputa.ne.jp
[Festivals and prizes] Berlin (Forum) ’99, Hong Kong ’99, Vancouver ’99, Yamagata IDFF ’99, and others
[Synopsis] Journalistic portrayal of the Aum sect’s young followers after accusations of mass killings.
Edited from roughly 150 hours of footage, the result of over two years of independent filming, the film captures the daily life of Araki Hiroshi, deputy spokesperson of the Aum cult and his dilemma in dealing with media, police, and residents around the Aum compounds after the arrest of the group leaders. In the background we see society—the blood-thirsty media squabbling for scoop footage; the police and their violent questioning; good citizens who wish for the return of a sound society and who demand
an apology. The camera, wedged between Mori and Araki, gives rise to a complex image of the overwhelming and confronting system known as Japan.
| MORI Tatsuya
Born in 1956. Took part in filmmaking from the time he was a student at Tokyo’s Rikkyo University. Appeared as an actor in films by Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Ishii Sogo. In 1987 he began working for a television production company. Has worked on more than 40 TV documentary and news reports. Made programs on topics such as censorship in music, midget wrestling, and psychics, all from his own unique point of view. He is still continuing to film the Aum sect for his next project. |