Tomoko Matsunashi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese film director
and actress. She was described in 2007 as one of the female Japanese directors who "have brought some needed originality and talent to contemporary Japanese cinema."
, Japan on April 14, 1971. She says she was interested in the theatre and wanted to be an actor from the time she was in elementary school. She attended Waseda University
and although she studied business, she became part of an independent theatre group while at school.
She also became interested in film at that time and after graduation appeared as an actress in a film directed by one of the group's members which won the audience award at the Pia Film Festival. When the director left the group, Matsunashi decided to make her own films though she had no formal training in cinema. Her first film, the 1995 short, To Be or Not to Be, which she wrote, directed and acted in, won an Encouragement Prize in the Off Theater Competition at the 1996 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
.
Matsunashi appeared as an actress in the March 1996 release Tokiwa: The Manga Apartment directed by Jun Ichikawa and was also in one of director Noboru Iguchi
's early movies, Kurushime-san, which was first released in 1997. Iguchi's film won the Encouragement Prize at the 1998 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
. In 1998 she was the companion and co-star of Katsuyuki Hirano
in the second of his trilogy of bike-ride documentary movies Encyclopedia of a Drifter. The third movie in his trilogy, Shiro - The White from 1999, involved a hazardous solo trip to northern Hokkaido
in a winter blizzard.
Matsunashi also continued directing and another of her early films, Bitch Matilda (1998), garnered her a nomination for the New Director's Award from the Directors Guild of Japan
. Her next film, SABU, Goodbye to their Youth from 2000, was a mixture of science fiction and politics and was an early attempt by Matsunashi at a comic portrayal of young men from a woman's perspective. The film was shown theatrically in Osaka and Tokyo and at the TromaDance
Film Festival in 2002. Matsunashi's next feature (from 2002) was Replicant Joe, with another science fiction-fantasy theme where the title character becomes a robot with a rocket-launcher arm and a small woolen penis.
International recognition came to Matsunashi with her 2005 film The Way of the Director which was shown at the Fantasia Festival
in Montreal
in July 2005 and at the Camera Japan festival in Rotterdam
in June 2006. Matsunashi has said that all her films "are based on my own previous experiences with my ex-boyfriends" and The Way of the Director is centered around two characters Saito and Kitagawa who both aspire to be directors. Saito makes a name for herself in independent films but Kitagawa is persuaded by a friend to become a porn director though he still dreams of going legitimate. Meeting Saito again after ten years, Kitagawa gets the idea of filming a trek to northern Hokkaido in winter with Saito. When things go wrong and Saito dies, Kitagawa eats her flesh to survive but eventually succumbs as well. A friend rescues his film footage and Kitagawa finally becomes a mainstream director.
In November 2007, Matsunashi announced the shooting of her next film, Happy Darts, and asked Japanese darts fans to collaborate in its making. The comedy, released theatrically in Japan in November 2008, concerns an office lady whose humdrum life is changed when she attempts to win a national darts competition.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and actress. She was described in 2007 as one of the female Japanese directors who "have brought some needed originality and talent to contemporary Japanese cinema."
Life and career
Tomoko Matsunashi was born in HiroshimaHiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan on April 14, 1971. She says she was interested in the theatre and wanted to be an actor from the time she was in elementary school. She attended Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
and although she studied business, she became part of an independent theatre group while at school.
She also became interested in film at that time and after graduation appeared as an actress in a film directed by one of the group's members which won the audience award at the Pia Film Festival. When the director left the group, Matsunashi decided to make her own films though she had no formal training in cinema. Her first film, the 1995 short, To Be or Not to Be, which she wrote, directed and acted in, won an Encouragement Prize in the Off Theater Competition at the 1996 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
The , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Film Festival.-History:...
.
Matsunashi appeared as an actress in the March 1996 release Tokiwa: The Manga Apartment directed by Jun Ichikawa and was also in one of director Noboru Iguchi
Noboru Iguchi
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor. He has worked as a director in adult video as well as in the horror and gore genres.-Life and career:Iguchi was born on June 28, 1969...
's early movies, Kurushime-san, which was first released in 1997. Iguchi's film won the Encouragement Prize at the 1998 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
The , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Film Festival.-History:...
. In 1998 she was the companion and co-star of Katsuyuki Hirano
Katsuyuki Hirano
is a Japanese director of adult videos and documentaries. He should be differentiated from the manga artist .-Life and career:Hirano was born in 1964 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and was an aspiring cartoonist until he began making amateur films from the time he was 18. Three of his early films...
in the second of his trilogy of bike-ride documentary movies Encyclopedia of a Drifter. The third movie in his trilogy, Shiro - The White from 1999, involved a hazardous solo trip to northern Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
in a winter blizzard.
Matsunashi also continued directing and another of her early films, Bitch Matilda (1998), garnered her a nomination for the New Director's Award from the Directors Guild of Japan
Directors Guild of Japan
The is a trade union created to represent the interests of film directors in the film industry in Japan. It was founded in 1936, with Minoru Murata serving as the first president, and has continued to this day apart from a period between 1943 and 1949 when it was disbanded at first on orders from...
. Her next film, SABU, Goodbye to their Youth from 2000, was a mixture of science fiction and politics and was an early attempt by Matsunashi at a comic portrayal of young men from a woman's perspective. The film was shown theatrically in Osaka and Tokyo and at the TromaDance
TromaDance
The TromaDance Film Festival is a free annual independent film festival organized by Troma Entertainment. Founded in 1999, TromaDance was originally held in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, operating concurrently alongside the Sundance Film Festival in order to showcase an independent...
Film Festival in 2002. Matsunashi's next feature (from 2002) was Replicant Joe, with another science fiction-fantasy theme where the title character becomes a robot with a rocket-launcher arm and a small woolen penis.
International recognition came to Matsunashi with her 2005 film The Way of the Director which was shown at the Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in July 2005 and at the Camera Japan festival in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in June 2006. Matsunashi has said that all her films "are based on my own previous experiences with my ex-boyfriends" and The Way of the Director is centered around two characters Saito and Kitagawa who both aspire to be directors. Saito makes a name for herself in independent films but Kitagawa is persuaded by a friend to become a porn director though he still dreams of going legitimate. Meeting Saito again after ten years, Kitagawa gets the idea of filming a trek to northern Hokkaido in winter with Saito. When things go wrong and Saito dies, Kitagawa eats her flesh to survive but eventually succumbs as well. A friend rescues his film footage and Kitagawa finally becomes a mainstream director.
In November 2007, Matsunashi announced the shooting of her next film, Happy Darts, and asked Japanese darts fans to collaborate in its making. The comedy, released theatrically in Japan in November 2008, concerns an office lady whose humdrum life is changed when she attempts to win a national darts competition.
Filmography (Director)
Filmography sources:- 1995 , 8mm, 28 min.
- 1996 Cherry Boys Legend, 8mm, 55 min.
- 1997 Seventeen, VTR, feature
- 1998 , released April 3, 1999
- 2000 , released September 29, 2000
- 2002 , released March 29, 2003
- 2004 Teacher Emanuelle, VTR, 33 min.
- 2005 Bitch Matilda 2, VTR, 30 min.
- 2005 , released April 8, 2006
- 2008 , released November 8, 2008
- 2010 , released January 15, 2011 (omnibus work with 4 other directors)