I always thought that when this thing is over, I’m going to go back to the studio and make movies… It helped me not to go insane.
– Ishiro Honda –
Synopsis
“Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director” is a documentary film that delves into the life and cinematic career of one of Japan’s most prolific directors: Ishiro Honda.
The film will spotlight Honda’s filmography from both a historical and personal perspective, exploring his contributions to the Japanese film industry and his firsthand experiences of war, from which he barely survived. It will also delve into his profound feelings regarding the atomic bomb, a subject that became an obsession for him and was frequently reflected in his films.
The documentary will analyze Honda’s body of work through interviews with individuals who had the privilege of collaborating with him, as well as experts on Honda’s films from both Japan and the Western world.
Furthermore, the film will uncover Honda’s friendship and professional relationship with director Akira Kurosawa.
Courtesy of Honda Film, Inc.
Gallery
Main Cast
Ryuji Honda
Son of Ishiro Honda
Hisao Kurosawa
Son of Akira Kurosawa
Joe Dante
Director of Gremlins
Shinji Higuchi
Co-Director of Shin Gojira
Tomoo Haraguchi
Special Effects Modeler
Naofumi Higuchi
Director of The Intermission
Shinsuke Nakajima
Member of Kaiju Club
Stuart Galbraith IV
Film Reviewer
Other interviewees include Yuuko Honda-Yun (granddaughter of Ishiro Honda), authors Atsushi Kobayashi and Daniel Aguilar, illustrator Yuji Kaida and his wife Aya, as well as Aruji Kuroki, the former programmer of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, and the curators of the Lucky Dragon Exhibition Hall, Tsuruoka Art Forum museum, Kyoto Studio Park, and the National Film Archive of Japan.
We plan to conduct additional supplemental interviews in the U.S., including authors Ed Godziszewski, Steve Ryfle, and actress Linda Miller.
Main Crew
Jonathan Bellés, Producer, Editor, Director and Writer
Ségolène Lacourte & Óscar Rivero, Cinematographers
J.L. Romeu, Supervising Editor
Yuuko Honda-Yun, Steve Ryfle, Ed Godziszewski, Aruji Kuroki and Shinsuke Nakajima, Associate Producers
Daniel Aguilar, Translator and Interpreter
Blanca Vázquez, Logo and Poster
Produced by Daifilms
With the support of Japan Foundation
With the collaboration of Cine Asia
(L-R): Ségolène Lacourte, Jonathan Bellés, Shinji Higuchi, and Óscar Rivero
Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director 