Novelists 1 Gou Ousaka The board Chairman of Mystery Writers of Japan Born in Tokyo in 1943. Won the All Yomimono New Mystery Writers’ Prize for Ansatsu sha Granada ni shisu in 1980. Won the Naoki Prize, the Mystery Writers of Japan Prize, and the Grand Prize of Japan Adventure Fiction Association in a row for Cadiz no akai hoshi in 1987. Loves Spain, and plays guitar very well. 2 Kenzou Kitakata Born in Saga in 1947. Started his career in literary novels while in college. Made his debut in entertainment novels, and came to achieve recognition as a hard-boiled novel writer. A historical novel (total of 13 volumes) he started to write in 1996 was completed in October 1998. Has been a special advisor of this festival. 3 Yasuo Uchida Born in Tokyo in 1934. Worked as a copywriter, then owned a TV-commercial production company. Made his debut by Shisha no kodama in 1980. Started to dedicate to writing since 1982. His ongoing travel mystery series of Detective Asami Mitsuhiko, which currently counts 86 volumes, is the most popular detective stories. 4 Arimasa Oosawa Born in Nagoya in 1956. Won the 1st Shosetu Suiri Prize for New Writers for his debut volume Kansho no machikado in 1979. Won the 12th Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers and the 44th Mystery Writers of Japan Prize in long stories section for Shinjuku zame in 1991, and the 110th Naoki Prize for Shinjuku zame - Mugen ningyo in 1994. 5 Katuhiko Takahashi Born in Iwate in 1947. Won the Edogawa Rampo Prize for Mystery Literature for his debut volume Sharaku satsujin jiken (The Sharaku Murder Case) in 1983. Then the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers for Somon dani, the Mystery Writers of Japan Prize for Hokusai satsujin jiken (The Hokusai Murder Case), the Naoki Award for Akai kioku, and the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for Literature for Kaen. Won the NHK Hoso Bunka Award in 2002. 6 Jun Saito Born in Morioka City in 1957. Made his debut by Tenisu soshite satsujinsya no tango while working as a radio director. Won the 47th Mystery Writers of Japan Prize for Le Gitan in 1994. Has been a general producer of this Film Festival since last year. Plays violin and loves to travel by his motorcycle. 7 Shimako Iwai Born in Okayama in 1964. With the use of Okayama dialect that inspires fear, she was awarded the 6th Japan Horror Story Grand Prize and the 13th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize for her debut volume Bokkee kyotee (Really Scary). This year she won the 2nd Fujin Koron Literary Award for Chai koi (tray cay). 8 Yoshiki Hiraya Born in Kuji City, Iwate in 1960. Graduated from Osaka University of Arts, and became a fine arts teacher in a junior high school in Iwate. Made his debut by Endumion Endumion in 2000, and won the 1st Komatsu Sakyo Prize for Eli eli in the same year. 9 Akihiko Kitagami Born in Karumai-cho, Iwate in 1950. Worked for an ad agency in Morioka, then started his non-life insurance agency in Karumai. Made his debut by Shu no shuen in 1997. In 2001, he published a historical suspense fiction Hakuhei. Invited Directors 1 Masahiro Shinoda (Juror of Incentive Prize for First-time Director) Born in Gifu in 1931. After graduated from Waseda University, he entered Shochiku Satsueijo (film studio), and made his debut as a film director by Koi no katamichi kippu in 1960. Made avant-garde films, by which he, like Nagisa Oshima and Yoshishige Yoshida, fell into Shochiku nouvelle vague. Left Shochiku Co., Ltd. and became a free-lance director in 1966. Set up his production company, Hyogensya, with his wife, actress Shima Iwashita, in 1967. Filmography: Setouchi shonen yakyudan (Setouchi Boy’s Baseball Team), Yari no Gonza (Gonza the Spearman), Maihime (The Dancer), Shonen jidai (Boyhood), Fukurou no shiro (Owl’s Castle), and Spy Sorge to be released in 2003 2 Sogo Ishii (Director) Born in Fukuoka in 1957. Set up his production company, Kyoeisya, while in Nihon University College of Art. His first 8-mm work Koko dai panikku (Panic in Highschool) drew public attention. In 1980, he shot a 16-mm film Kuruizaki sanda rodo (Crazy Thunder Road). Without an experience in the studio system, he has played an active role in revitalizing Japan’s film industry. Filmography: Kuruizaki sanda rodo (Crazy Thunder Road), Gyaku funsya kazoku (The Crazy Family), Mizu no naka no hachigatsu (August in the Water), Gojo reisenki (Gojoe), Electric Dragon 80000V 3 Isao Yukisada (Juror of Kadokawa Off-theater Competition) Born in Kumamoto in 1968. After gained experience as an assistant director in TV dramas, he took an active part as an assistant director in filmmaking of indies such as Kaizo Hayashi, Daisuke Tengan and Masashi Yamamoto. Involved in a number of films directed by Shunji Iwai, such as Love Letter, Swallowtail　Butterfly and Shigatu monogatari (April Story). Won the Mystery Film Festival Incentive Prize for First-time Director in 1998 for his debut work Open House. In 2001, the film GO was awarded various prizes including Japan Academy Award for the Best Director. Filmography: Himawari (Sunflower), Tojiru hi (Enclosed Pain), GO Guests from Abroad (Korea) 1 BAE Chang-Ho (director) BAE’s basis for leading the Korean film arena was that he was in touch with the public, the audience, unlike the directors in the 90’s who were mostly working on the basis of authoritarianism. He was the very director who overcame the conventional film style of those days, in which incoherent and irrelevant reversal of improbable storylines and overuse of emotion without properly building the characters ran rampant. He tried to use the longtake technique for the first time in the Korean film history when he was in the making of <HWANG Jin-yi> and has established his own directing style ever since. 2 KIM Dai-Seung (director) While the film industry’s apprentice system has slowly broken down recently, director KIM Dai-Seung has been an assistant director for over 10 years and has built up ample experience over this time. After starting his experience as an assistant director for director Ji-youn Jung’s White War, he went on to become a solid first assistant director for renown director IM Kwon-Taek in internationally-acclaimed films such as sopyonje, Taebaek Mountain (official Competition at Berlin Int’l Film Festival), Festival, and Chunhyang (Official Competition at Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at Hawaii Int’l Film Festival). By being an apprentice under Director IM, he learned such traits as devotion and persistence, and has finally waited for his opportunity in a system that fits him most. 3 LEE Eun-Ju (actress) Born in 1980. After becoming a household name in a popular TV show, Kaist, she took part in critically-acclaimed films, such as Trout in 1999 and Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors in 2000, and she instantly became a star. Invited Actress 1 Mitsuko Baisho Born in Tokyo in 1946. Entered Shochiku dance and music school in 1962, joined SDK in 1965, and Shochiku Co., Ltd. in 1968. Being indispensable actress in films, she won the Best Actress Award of Mainichi Film Competition and the Golden Arrow Award for Koibumi. Acted in various films directed by Akira Kurosawa, Syuhei Imamura, Hideyuki Hirayama and others. Also, acted in a film Tomoyo shizukani nemure written by Kenzo Kitakata, the special advisor of this festival. Invited Actor 1 Takaaki Enoki Born in Kagoshima in 1956. Joined Shiki Theatre Company. Acted in an NHK morning telenovel, Romance, by which he received popularity. In 1989, he played the role of Uesugi Kenshin in Ten to chi to (Heaven and Earth) by taking it over from actor Ken Watanabe due to his sickness. Has been playing an active role in films, stages and dramas. His paintings have been very popular. 2 Masahiro Toda Born in Shizuoka in 1968. He has been making his mark as an actor in films, TV and stages, and acted in 5 films expected to be released in the near future. Filmography: Go (2001), Gai-cyu (Harmful Insect) (2001), Glowing Growing (2001), Rock’n’Roll Mishin (2002) Directors Nominated for the Incentive Prize for First-time Directors 1 Junji Hanado Film Title: The Lament of a Lamb Born in Kagoshima in 1955. While in Nihon University of College of Art, he started his experience as an assistant director in filmmaking in 1977. In 1984, he made his debut as a director for a TV drama, Ai no Arashi. His other work includes Eien no Ko and Wakare-sase Ya. The Lament of a Lamb, his debut work as a film director, is a story of delicate human relationship, which he is clever at rendering. 2 Kei Horie Film Title: Glowing Growing Born in Tokyo in 1978. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art in 2001. While in college, he entered in Tokyo Kandenchi Office, and started his experience as an actor. He appeared in various films and stages, such as Gamera 3 and The Gao Ranger (as the Gao Yellow). He has directed a number of short films, and Glowing Growing is his first feature film he directed. 3 Kunitoshi Manda Film Title: UNLOVED Born in Tokyo in 1956. While in Rikkyo Univeristy, he became to know a film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and started to make 8mm films. After dropping out of school, he took part in the production of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s work as a scriptwriter and an assistant director. Meanwhile, he has been active in producing TV dramas and company PR videos, writing cinematic reviews and so on. He wrote a script under a pen name, Kunimi Manda, in collaboration, for a Kadokawa horror Shikoku in 1999. 4 Junichi Mori Film Title: Laundry Born in Tokyo in 1967. Loving to “make something,” he directed an 8mm film that won great popularity at his high school festival, which made him decide to be a film director. A film he was impressed was Melody. He took part in a number of films as an assistant director. Laundry is his debut work as a director, which script won the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award for in 2000. Cineasts 1 Kazuo Kuroi Born in Yamanashi in 1935. As the president of Kinema Junpo, Co., Ltd., he has been coordinating a number of films, making good use of his knowledge about movie business. 2 Kuro Erikawa A movie personality who takes an active part on TV, radio and magazines. She has compered and interviewed various major actors from Hollywood at press conferences, making good use of her great knowledge of Western and Japanese films. She emcees at a theater when screening films nominated for the incentive prize for first-time directors. 3 Rintaro Hosogoe Born in Morioka. Worked as an art director for Shiseodo Co., Ltd. and is currently a movie critic and a travel essayist. He is a commentator of new foreign films for the Mystery Film Festival. 4 Chikayo Tashiro Born in Shizuoka. Worked for IBC Iwate Broadcasting Co., Ltd. as an announcer and is currently a Tokyo-based freelance. Absorbed in Hong Kong movies, she studied a language at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. During that time, fascinated with Korean movies, she wrote 3 books on them. Currently under training to become a scenario writer. She is a navigator for the Mystery Film Festival.