Ashizawa Akiko, a veteran of more than 70 features and one of the most accomplished cinematographers in the history of Japanese cinema, delivered a wide-ranging masterclass at the Cannes Film Festival, tracing her career from an unlikely entry into the industry through features spanning horror, comedy, drama and historical epic. The session preceded her receipt of the Pierre Angénieux Tribute.
Her breakthrough into sustained international recognition came in 2005 when she began working with Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Japan’s foremost practitioner of atmospheric unease. She told the audience she pitched herself for the collaboration after hearing Kurosawa was searching for someone who could shoot overcast skies and gloomy weather – the inverse of what she described as most Japanese directors’ preference for bright, sunny conditions. Eight features followed, among them “Tokyo Sonata,” which won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2008, and “Journey to the Shore,” which took the section’s directing prize in 2015.
Her broader philosophy toward digital technology emerged as a consistent thread. “If you think you can do anything later, it means you can’t do anything at the moment,” she said, describing a preference for committing fully to tone and image during pre-production rather than deferring to the color suite.
On the question of how the industry has shifted for women since she entered it, Ashizawa was direct. “It has changed dramatically,” she said, citing the growth in female cinematographers and assistants and pointing to Toho Studio’s addition of a daycare facility as evidence of structural change.
Source: variety.com