I spoke with Takeshi Kitano about the queer realities at the heart of Kubi, for the @britishfilminstitute
.uk/interviews/takeshi-kitano-kubi
Linked in bio
With thanks as ever to @kokof_712 for translating, and thanks to @queereast for their bold programming
I spoke with Takashi Miike about an industry in flux, for @mubinotebook
/en/notebook/posts/head-on-a-conversation-with-takashi-miike
Linked in bio
With thanks to @kokof_712 for translating, and to @gaga_intl and @iffr for facilitating
A career highlight, I became the first international journalist to speak with Satoko Okudera, the screenwriter behind such classics as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Moving. Her latest credit is Kokuho, a near-unprecedented box-office smash hit that's been selected as Japan's 2026 Best International Feature entry.
A singular force in coming-of-age narratives, Okudera propels her characters forth into their furtive, uncertain, and exciting futures.
/features/interviews/satoko-okudera-interview-1235154397/
With many thanks to @indiewire for recognising Okudera's importance, many thanks to Okudera-san for graciously and warmly sitting down with me twice (first in Cannes, then over Zoom a few months later), and to @gkidsfilms for facilitating. And huge thanks to @ninjamik3y for such fluid translation, and to @kokof_712 for translating the extra bits.
I've never met an interviewee quite as thoughtful as Hirokazu Kore-eda. At one point in our conversation about his Cannes Competition contender SHEEP IN THE BOX, he sits back in his chair for a moment and stares at the ceiling in thought before returning to microphone range to deliver his answer. If this is how he approaches an interview, I can only think how generous he must be in his collaborations on set.
You can read our conversation — which spans AI, architecture, children, and the cycles of life — in @variety , both online, linked below and in bio, and — if you're on the ground here in Cannes — in Variety's Day 2 Cannes daily.
SHEEP IN THE BOX premieres in competition today in Cannes.
/2026/film/news/sheep-in-the-box-kore-eda-hirokazu-1236738394/
I enjoyed a brief chat with Katsuhito Ishii, whose cult classic THE TASTE OF TEA is restored and in US theatres now from @filmmovement . I also asked him how that Funky Forest sequel is coming along.
/2026/05/pending-the-taste-of-tea-interview-katsuhito-ishii-talks-family-dramas-and-funky-forest-2.html
With thanks to @uchi.yama for her ever-sharp interpreting — incredible things were achieved in a ten minute slot!
In the wake of record-breaking box-office success, I spoke with KOKUHO director Lee Sang-il one last time. We discuss his unexpected journey with the film, the queerness of onnagata, and what's next for him.
/p/curtain-call-lee-sang-ils-final-thoughts
Linked in bio. KOKUHO is in UK cinemas now from @vue.lumiere . With thanks to @fareastfilm for facilitating.
Find me in the new issue of @sightsoundmagazine reviewing QUEER AS PUNK, a quietly urgent and remarkably charming documentary that follows a Malaysian punk band and the community they represent on the road, at home, and abroad. Plus, the songs slap.
For the @financialtimes , I explored the domestic box-office success of lavish kabuki drama KOKUHO, and what that success means for the industry at large. With many thanks to @markschilling3 and @chiaki_here for contributing.
/content/ada9725c-479e-4604-8267-260310f81a3b
Online with subscription and in print this weekend.
"My best ideas come to me on walks"
I had a wonderful conversation with Sho Miyake about his delicate, gorgeously picturesque TWO SEASONS, TWO STRANGERS for @thefilmstage
/my-best-ideas-come-to-me-on-walks-sho-miyake-on-two-seasons-two-strangers/
Linked in bio. With thanks to @uchi.yama for interpreting
Meiko Kaji's recent New York appearance flooded my social media timelines with clips and words of admiration. You were all equally complimentary of her interpreter!
In a fascinating Substack deep-dive, I spoke with beloved Japanese-English interpreter Monika Uchiyama (@uchi.yama ) about the craft in speaking for others
/p/interpreting-japanese-cinema-monika
Linked in bio
Major Japanese film studios are bringing liminal horror indie games to the big screen, with more than adaptation on their minds. I spoke with EXIT 8's Genki Kawamura and THE CONVENIENCE STORE's Jiro Nagae for @filmmakermag to find out more
/133576-interview-genki-kawamura-and-jiro-nagae-exit-8-and-the-convenience-store
Linked in bio
EXIT 8 is in cinemas now from @neonrated
I am honoured, moved, and excited to share that I have been awarded a 2026 Daiwa Scholarship for my work writing on Japanese cinema.
In September, I'll be moving to Tokyo, where I'll undertake intensive language study and work placements in my field. I'll also be laying the groundwork for my first monograph.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported and shared my writing so far. Equally, thank you so much to everyone who has platformed and facilitated my writing. Without the generous editors who say yes to my niche pitches and the exceptional translators who interpret for my interviews, I wouldn't be where I am today. Cinema to me is about people, and I feel lucky every day to know so many wonderful individuals in this field.
From falling head over heels for Whisper of the Heart as a kid, to my obsession with Third Window Films' releases in my teens, to forging a career interviewing a cornucopia of filmmakers from Japan — my love for contemporary Japanese cinema has only grown. I have been continually surprised and delighted over the past two years that Japanese cinema — in all its multitudes, quirks, and invigorating variety — appears to feel the same about me.
I can't wait to advance my writing, meet more people, and bridge the breadth of contemporary Japanese cinema further with the wider world.
I'll see you in Tokyo. :)
.uk/scholarships/daiwa-scholarship/scholars
