Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director

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

Linda Miller

Actress

Shinji Higuchi

Co-Director of Shin Gojira

Tomoo Haraguchi

Special Effects Modeler

Naofumi Higuchi

Critic and Film Director

Shinsuke Nakajima

Member of Kaiju Club

Stuart Galbraith IV

 Film Reviewer

Steve Ryfle

Author

Ed Godziszewski

Author

Atsushi Kobayashi

Author

Atsushi Kobayashi

Author

Other interviewees include Yuuko Honda-Yun (granddaughter of Ishiro Honda), author 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.

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 and Rental Kinkan

(L-R): Ségolène Lacourte, Jonathan Bellés, Shinji Higuchi, and Óscar Rivero