B I G R I V E R A F I L M B Y A T S U S H I F U N A H A S H I BIG RIVER 1

Transcription

1 B I G R I V E R A F I L M B Y A T S U S H I F U N A H A S H I BIG RIVER 1

2 BANDAI VISUAL TOKYO FM TV ASAHI TOKYO THEATRES AND OFFICE KITANO PRESENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH BIG RIVER FILMS

3 B I G R I V E R A F I L M B Y A T S U S H I F U N A H A S H I STILLS BY ERIC VAN DEN BRULLE

4 I N T E R N A T I O N A L S A L E S Celluloid Dreams In Berlin EFM Stand 114 T: F: In Paris 2 Rue Turgot, Paris France T: F: info@celluloid-dreams.com I N T E R N A T I O N A L P R E S S Celluloid Dreams In Berlin Hotel Madison Suite no. 631 T: F: In Paris Magali Montet E: magali@celluloid-dreams.com M: Gordon Spragg E: gordon@celluloid-dreams.com M:

5 P R O D U C T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N Title: Big River - Original Title: Big River A film by Atsushi Funahashi Starring Joe Odagiri, Kavi Raz, Chloe Snyder Japan-USA / 2005 / 105min / Colour / 2.35:1 / Dolby SRD / English / Drama BANDAI VISUAL TOKYO FM TV ASAHI TOKYO THEATRES AND OFFICE KITANO PRESENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH BIG RIVER FILMS A FILM BY ATSUSHI FUNAHASHI «BIG RIVER» JOE ODAGIRI KAVI RAZ CHLOE SNYDER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ERIC VAN DEN BRULLE PRODUCTION DESIGN JEFF BERCUME CASTING ALYSSA JO BLACK COMPOSER JANEK DUSZYNSKI SOUND MIXER SERGIO SANMIGUEL SOUND DESIGNER JUSTIN KAWASHIMA EDITOR STEVE HAMILTON LINE PRODUCER JILL SCHNEIDER CO-PRODUCERS MOHAMMED NAQVI ALYSSA BLACK PRODUCERS MASAYUKI MORI TAKIO YOSHIDA SHOZO ICHIYAMA WRITTEN BY ATSUSHI FUNAHASHI AND ERIC VAN DEN BRULLE DIRECTED BY ATSUSHI FUNAHASHI 2005 BANDAI VISUAL, TOKYO FM, TV ASAHI, TOKYO THEATRES & OFFICE KITANO BIG RIVER 5

6 S Y N O P S I S Soon after he lands in America, Ali, a Muslim man from Pakistan, begins his search for his estranged wife, Nadia. Picking up Teppei, a Japanese traveler hitchhiking his way across America, and Sarah, a local trailer park girl, who help him in his search. The three of them succeed in finding Nadia, who, to Ali s dismay, is living a new life in Phoenix with another man. Anxiously wondering where his life is leading, Ali decides to spend the rest of his stay in America with Teppei and Sarah. In the brief time they are together, the three companions commit to helping one another. Ali, Teppei, and Sarah begin a new journey, through the American South west to find their own individual identities. 6

7 BIG RIVER 7

8 D I R E C T O R S S T A T E M E N T Throughout the world, hostility and resentment against the USA on the media has become almost a daily part of life, not only on TV or in newspapers but also in documentaries and narrative films. The unstoppable chain of violence, contradictory social issues, conflicting ideologies, never-ending wars,... these are always spoken in the context of the gaps between races, cultures, and religions. Often it seems that today s works of cinema perpetuate one side of these conflicts rather than explore ways to promote understanding of our differences. Is there anything else cinema can do besides reaffirming the acrimony of our world on celluloid? Rather than describing human beings in the frame of power politics, cultural clashes, or religious conflicts, there should be films which blur and subvert those superficial gaps and differences. 8

9 In Monument Valley, Utah, the traditional homeland of Western movies, three people from Pakistan, Japan, and a local American trailer park meet through mishaps and discover each other s humanity. The beautiful landscape of South West -- an eternal sky spread over solemn & peaceful rock formations -- produces an abstract cosmos in which the three people face each other in the purest manner. Big River is a metaphor of America. As tiny currents gather together to become the Rio Grande, people feed into America from all over the world. The title also reflects my aspiration to make a profound but simple film as the cannon of Western films used to do. In the eyes of many across the world, America has reverted to the wild, wild West of its violent past. People throw suspicious gazes at each other, judge by appearance, and eventually attack each other s beliefs. In this dark, hostile era is the only option left for us to live in solitude? Is there something else we can expect? It is my hope that this film opens up a new future for our thinking. P R O F I L E Atsushi Funahashi was born in Osaka, Japan and graduated from Tokyo University with a B.A. in cinema studies. Utilizing his background cinema criticism, he wrote and directed short films and documentaries in Tokyo. After receiving a scholarship, he went to study directing at the NY School of Visual Arts in 1997, where he made a couple of narrative films. In 1999 he established Village Productions with Alyssa Jo Black and Eric Van Den Brulle. His debut feature ECHOES was well-received by critics & film festivals including three Jury & Audience Awards at Annonay International Film Festival in France and the High Hope Award at the Munich International Film Festival. The film was distributed in the US by Arrow Entertainment and in Japan by Slow Learner, Inc, Tokyo. Atsushi has also directed several HDTV documentaries for Japan s NHK broadcasting, on social issues and the ethnic culture of New York City. He was selected by the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs for its 2-year overseas grant program to develop his 2nd directorial feature Big River. This project was also selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market at the Berlin Film Festival and for the Project Involve, a support program for minority filmmakers by the Independent Feature Project, New York. Also as a film critic Atsushi has been enthusiastically writing articles for Japanese film/art critic magazines such as 10+1, Kinema-Junpo, and Eureka. BIG RIVER 9

10 S E L E C T E D F I L M O G R A P H Y Documentaries 2003 Jazz on Sundays On Marjorie Eliot, the great jazz pianist of New York City s famed Harlem. Feature Films 2005 Big River 2002 Echoes 2002 One Year from the Day - Annual Commemoration of September After-School Education On the after-school education in New York s public schools. 10

11 2002 New Yorkers Comedy Special On stand-up comedians and the underground comedy-club scene in New York New Yorkers Fort Greene Special Fort Greene, the frontier of gentrification and New York cultural mix New Yorkers Broadway Special Backstage at the Broadway shows. (NHK, Japan, HDTV documentary, 50 minutes) BIG RIVER 11

12 C A S T C R E W 12

13 Teppei Joe Odagiri Ali Kavi Raz Sarah Chloe Snyder Director Atsushi Funahashi Director of Photography Eric Van Den Brulle Production Design Jeff Bercume Casting Alyssa Jo Black Composer Janek Duszynski Sound Mixer Sergio Sanmiguel Sound Designer Justin Kawashima Editor Steve Hamilton Line Producer Jill Schneider Co-producers Mohammed Naqvi & Alyssa Black Producers Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida & Shozo Ichiyama Written by Atsushi Funahashi & Eric Van Den Brulle Production Companies Bandai Visual, Tokyo FM, TV Asahi, Tokyo Theatres, Office Kitano & Big River Films. BIG RIVER 13

14

15

16 16 Celluloid Dreams, the directors label 2 Rue Turgot, Paris, France T: F: info@celluloid-dreams.com