A Claude Gagnon Film (Canada, 100 min, 2012) DISTRIBUTION Métropole Films Distribution 5360, boulevard St-Laurent Montréal, Québec H2T 1S1 t: 514.223.5511 f: 514.223.6111 e : info@metropolefilms.com PRESS Ixion Communications 190A, de l’Épée Outremont, Qc, H2V 3T2 t : 514.495.8176 f : 514.861.7850 henry.welsh@ixioncommunications.com Full press kit and high-resolution pictures at www.metropolefilms.com/press www.facebook.com/karakarafilm Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 1 Pierre, a retired professor in his early sixties who ends up making a short, unsettling trip around Okinawa with Junko, a 40-year-old runaway wife. The confused intellectual would rather not get involved with this unlikely and unexpected lover but decides to follow his destiny, wherever it (she?) may take him. Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 2 About the Director CLAUDE GAGNON Born in Quebec, Canada, Claude Gagnon lived throughout the 1970s in Japan, where he became the first foreigner to be awarded a New Director Award from the Directors Guild of Japan for his first feature Keiko. In 1987, he directed Kenny (aka. The Kid Brother), a film featuring a boy born without legs. The first Canadian film to receive a Grand Prize of the Americas at Montreal World Film Festival, Kenny also won a UNICEF Special Mention and a UNESCO Award (the top award at Kinderfest) in Berlin International Film Festival, as well as the top three prizes in Moscow International Children and Youth Film Festival. The film had a total attendance of over 500,000 in France, recording a big box-office hit and subsequently being distributed worldwide. In 2005, his seventh feature Kamataki won five awards including Best Director, People’s Choice Award and FIPRESCI Award at Montreal World Film Festival, and a Special Mention of the Jury at Kinderfest in Berlin International Film Festival. Gagnon's films are well known throughout the world, especially in Japan, North America and Europe. Four of his films (including Kenny and Kamataki) have been presented at Berlin International Film Festival and his 1985 film Visage Pâle has been nominated for the prestigious César Award for Best Foreign Film in France. Made from an original screenplay that Gagnon wrote after his two-year stay in Okinawa, his latest film Karakara is a road movie with a unique perspective on mature individuals. Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 3 Cast GABRIEL ARCAND as Pierre Winner of a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in the international box-office hit The Decline of the American Empire, Gabriel Arcand is an accomplished actor who has been active in theater and film. Recently, he won a Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actor for Congorama. PIERRE is a good-hearted French Canadian who lost his best friend a few years ago. Approaching the age at which his parents died, Pierre begins worrying about his unsuccessful life. To find spiritual solace, he comes to Okinawa where he meets Junko, who upsets his plans for a 'spiritual journey'. YOUKI KUDOH as Junko Known for her memorable performance in films by Jim Jarmusch, Youki Kudoh is a world-famous actress who has worked in the United States, Australia and Japan. She has played striking roles in a number of Hollywood films including Snow Falling on Cedars (with Ethan Hawke), Memoirs of a Geisha (with Ziyi Zhang) and Rush Hour 3 (with Jackie Chan). JUNKO is a housewife who came to Okinawa with her husband and her only son. Her domestic life almost on the rocks, Junko leaves her husband after a big row with him. Because she studied in the US when she was young, she has a good command of English. Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 4 Producers TAKAKO MIYAHIRA Born in Naha in 1979, Takako worked as assistant camera operator on Gagnon’s Revival Blues and as assistant director on Kamataki. Her directorial debut, Looking for Anne, won Best Film and Best Director at the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore. In 2011, Takako established her own film company Kukuru Vision Inc. in Okinawa. Karakara is Kukuru Vision’s first feature-length production. SAMUEL GAGNON Having started his career as film distributor, Samuel worked for Aska Film for five years and distributed such films as Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express and Happy Together, and Shohei Imamura’s Palme d’Or winner The Eel (Unagi). In 2001, he founded Zuno Films, an independent production company based in Montreal. Karakara is Zuno Films fifth feature films in 10 years since its foundation. Samuel is also a member of the ACE Network (Ateliers du Cinéma Européens). Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 5 About Karakara KARAKARA is a traditional container for Okinawan liquor awamori. The name is said to derive from sounds that the original form of the container would make when it became empty. The karakara symbolises Pierre and Junko's empty lives, which they wish to 'fill up' again. About Bashofu BASHOFU is Okinawa's textile handicraft made from banana fibre. The craft is recognised as one of the Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan. Toshiko Taira (1920-), an Okinawan weaver who appears in the film, has dedicated herself to the revival of bashofu craft devastated by World War II. Today, she is a Living National Treasure of Japan. Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 6 Interview with the Director In Karakara, the central character has the fear of ageing and death. What is your idea about growing old? Karakara emerged out of the death of one of my best friends. His death influenced my perception of death, for it forced me to face my own mortality. After he died, I tried to go back to my hometown but I could never make it. Something in my mind prevented me from revisiting any of the places where I used to go out with him. The first thing I did after Karakara was made was to go back to my hometown again, which I was able to do. I feel the film fixed something within me and helped me come to terms with the idea that I’m getting old. I hope it will have the same effect on people who watch it. Karakara follows a journey of the two main characters from very different social and cultural backgrounds. What do you think of Pierre and Junko? Pierre is very different from me in every aspect, from his background to personality. But he shares some of the incidents that happened in my life, some of the things that inspired me. My love for Okinawa is important among them. Also, I wanted to portray Pierre as one of the many Westerners I have met who come to Asia with all sorts of preconceived, ridiculous ideas about how they can find a spiritual enlightenment there. Asia shouldn’t be seen as such an easy way out. The place doesn’t matter as long as you open up your eyes at one point. I had Gabriel in mind when I wrote the role. I knew very well what kind of guy he is, and I was able to write the role in relation to it. And did you have Youki Kudoh in mind for the role of Junko? When I came up with the second or third version of the screenplay, I was already in touch with Youki and writing became easier since then. I liked the idea of contrasting Youki and Gabriel. They are very different in their physique, age and personality. Played by Youki, Junko is a woman who becomes a victim of daily abuse and forgets who she really was. Home means security to her and she clings to it even if her husband beats her up every day. So she needs something like a push from behind that makes her ask, ‘Is it really what I want?’ We make many choices in our lives and believe that those are ours, but in fact they are not. Our choices are influenced by people around us as well as by fear. Sometimes we make certain choices to impress our Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 7 friends. Sometimes fear prevents us from doing what we truly want to do. That’s why I constantly ask myself, ‘Is it really what I want?’ What made you decide to make a film in Okinawa? That’s probably because I may be feeling empathy for Okinawa’s history. Both Quebec and Okinawa have been invaded. Although they became part of larger states, they preserved their cultures. I think this experience shaped the mind of the people. The Okinawans and the Japanese perceive Japan differently. They belong to the same country, but they are not really the same. The Okinawans feel the difference, just like many Quebeckers who strongly feel their difference from the rest of Canada. Karakara seems to offer a variety of Okinawa’s traditional music. What do you think is special about the film’s soundtrack? I wanted to have a local colour in the film, but I was also very worried about having something that would be too traditional. What pleases me most with local musician Ara’s approach was that he is very contemporary and his sanshin is unobtrusive, and yet adds a unique colour to the film. Although I respect the cultures of the places I use for the settings of my films, I don’t want to put my films into any national mould. To me, Karakara is neither a Japanese nor Canadian film. It’s not even a Quebec or Okinawan film. Toshiko Taira, a master weaver recognised as Japan’s national living treasure, appears at the pivotal point in the film. What fascinates Pierre, or you, to her bashofu factory? I’ve been interested in Toshiko’s very unique bashofu textiles, but I’m also interested in the whole thing she did as a human being. Giving jobs to the widows after the war and providing them with reasons for living, she created a very fascinating community. I think the charm of her factory comes from each member who are getting old healthily and playing valuable roles in working together. For Toshiko, it’s never too late to readjust our lives. It’s never too late to make a move. It’s never too late to do something we want to do. Her scene plays an important role in the film, and that’s the part I really like. Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 8 A KUKURU VISION AND ZUNO FILMS PRODUCTION ククルビジョン ズノフィルムズ 制作 PRODUCERS 製作・プロデューサー TAKAKO MIYAHIRA 宮平貴子 SAMUEL GAGNON サミュエル・ガニオン CLAUDE GAGNON クロード・ガニオン EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GAGNON エグゼクティブプロデューサー ユリ・ヨシムラ・ガニオン WRITER AND DIRECTOR 脚本・監督 CLAUDE GAGNON クロード・ガニオン DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY 撮影監督 MICHEL ST-MARTIN ミシェル・サン=マルタン LIGHTING DIRECTOR 照明技師 MOTOSHI KINJO 金城基史 SOUND 録音 ART & PROPERTY 美術/装飾 MASAHIRO YOKOZAWA 横澤匡広 LOUIS COLLIN ルイ・コリン GAVIN FERNANDES ゲビン・フェルナンデス TOMOYUKI HAMADA 濱田智有希 COSTUME 衣裳 YUKO ARAI 荒井ゆう子 ORIGINAL MUSIC オリジナル音楽 YUKITO ARA 新良 幸人 ”TUMI DUMI” (THEME SONG) meeting テーマソング『トゥミドゥミ』 LE FLEUVE ST-LAURENT Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films YURI YOSHIMURA Performed by SAKISHIMA 作:サキシマミーティング PIERRE LÉTOURNEAU 9 CAST キャスト Pierre ピエール GABRIEL ARCAND ガブリエル・アルカン Junko 純子 YOUKI KUDOH 工藤夕貴 Akemi 明美 MEGUMI TOMITA 富田めぐみ Kenichi 健一 ATTA YUICHI あったゆういち Grandma Mekaru 銘苅おばあちゃん TOSHI MOROMI 諸見敏 Brian ブライアン JOHN POTTER ジョン・ポッター Qi Gong Master 気功の師範 TENYU OKUDA 奥田天遊 Rental Car Clerk I レンタカーの店員 II TAICHI SHIROMA 城間太地 Rental Car Clerk II レンタカーの店員 II ASUKA TOKUZATO 徳里明日香 Hotel “Mishima” lady 伊是名民宿美島の主人 TAMIKO NAKA 名嘉民子 Lady at Iheya Kanko Hotel 伊平屋観光ホテルの主人 TAMAE MAEDA 真栄田玉枝 Boat Captain 渡し船の船頭 TAKUYA MAEDA 前田拓也 Sanshin Musicians in Izena Bar CLUB” 伊是名島の三線グループ Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films “SHOMI MINYO “諸見民謡倶楽部” MASAMU NAKADA 10 仲田正務 MUNEHIDE KANDA 神田宗秀 YOSHIAKI MOROMI 諸見嘉彰 YUKIO SHINGAKI 新垣幸雄 AKIMI NAKA 名嘉秋美 Sanshin Musicians in Iheya Kanko 伊平屋島の三線奏者 TERUMITCHI AGARIE 東江輝光 TSUKASA MAEDA 真栄田司 Police Officer 警察官 TAKAYUKI ICHISE 一瀬隆之 Bashofu Factory Director 芭蕉布工房の女性 MIEKO TAIRA 平良美恵子 SPECIAL APPEARANCE 特別出演 Toshiko Taira(Living National Treasure) 平良敏子(「芭蕉布」人間国宝) AND SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE WOMEN WORKING IN THE BASHOFU FACTORY FOR THEIR GENEROUS PARTICIPATION. 撮影にご協力いただいた喜如嘉芭蕉布事業協同組合のみなさま 沖縄ロケサポーターズ・ヒューマンアカデミー・ 気功教室の生徒・百名伽藍のスタッフ・北谷町・今帰仁村・伊是名村 伊平屋村・大宜味村喜如嘉 のエキストラのみなさま Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 11 With the Financing Participation of Telefilm Canada Canadian Federal Tax Credit Quebec Provincial Tax Credit Mongrel Media Zuno Films in Japan Okinawa Contents Fund(OCF) JCC Ryukyu Shimpo Co., Ltd. Radio Okinawa Corporation Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau Karakara - A Claude Gagnon Films 12