'Shoplifters' director influenced by Chinese filmmakers

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, June 26, 2018

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda, actress Mayu Matsuoka, and child star Jyo Kairi pose for a photo at a meet-and-greet event for "Shoplifters" held during the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival, June 23, 2018. [Photo/ China.org.cn]

Tickets for the latest Palme d'Or-winning "Shoplifters" may be the most sought after during the Shanghai International Film Festival. The director said he was influenced by Chinese filmmakers and hoped for more exchanges.

Screenings of "Shoplifters" were sold out in seconds even before the festival began. The director Hirokazu Kore-eda, actress Mayu Matsuoka, and 11-year-old child actor Jyo Kairi came to Shanghai to greet movie fans while media outlets reporters packed a Shanghai theater on June 23.

"After I won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, more and more audiences paid attention to me," Kore-eda said, "I hope more Chinese people will love this film and in the future, I hope I can make a film more easily and smoothly."

In recent years, more Japanese films hit Chinese theaters including Kore-eda's "The Third Murder." The director said he was influenced by master Chinese filmmakers.

"Before I started to make films, Chinese directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige were very popular in Japan. I also really like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Jia Zhangke, who is a very good friend of mine. These people helped me think of the type of film I wanted to make, and how to present the stories about my country and society via films," Kore-eda told the audience, hoping Chinese and Japanese filmmakers can make more exchanges with each other.

The director revealed that he didn't have a particular style, "The cinematography and camera work all depend on the subject and content I want to shoot. But ever since the early days of making films, I was always focused on the actors' emotions and my work is largely focused on my characters and their roles. "

He said he still wanted to make more family films that touch the audience's heart. "After my parents died and my child was born, I have a new perspective on family. Maybe when I grow older, I will make family films that express different feelings."

"Shoplifters" tells a touching, albeit bittersweet story about a marginal family coping with their poor life by shoplifting. The award-winning film is expected to be released in China soon, according to Road Pictures which acquired the rights of "Shoplifters" at the Cannes Film Festival this May.

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