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Filmmaker Reiko Kondo came to Hong Kong in July 2016 to promote her films which will be shown on PUFF online channel.  If you want to show your films on our channel, which is available in Hong Kong & Macau region, please contact our team. This service is only for our past official selection films.  

 

Showing your films on our channel will increase your fan base in this part of the world.  It is also suitable for filmmakers who are looking for new funding for their next film project.   PUFF will help the films shown on our channel to have an opportunity to present their new film project to film studios in Hong Kong.

 

Please tell the Hong Kong audience about the films you are screening in HK.

 

MÄCHEN II is my second experimental short. It was a lind of challenge for what I wanted to do, "silent film" and "animation". I am always looking for the fusion between Asia and Europe. With this film, the crew was French-Japanese and I used Origami and Chiyogami on the boards. During about a year I consecrated to the post-production, "original music", "original boards", "animation" etc.

 

From Her To Eternity is my first international casting.
That was a beautiful adventure. This film as well, I worked with French-Japanese crew. The technical team was French and artistic team was Japanese. I am really satisfied the result. This is my world, this is Reiko.

 

 

How did you begin to study film ?  And how is film studies taught differently in Tokyo and Paris ? 

When I worked as part time job in a cinema, Eurospace in Tokyo, the president of Eurospace made a Film School in Tokyo. His name is Kenzo Horikoshi (堀越謙三), who is producer of the films of Leos Carax, Kiyoshi Kurosaza, Wayne Wang and Abbas Kiarostami. I began to study there during two years. 

Film School of Tokyo was not full-time school and at that time, the majority of the teachers worked for Japanese horror movies and there was no female teacher. That was interesting, mostly how to compose and write a script.
 

On the other hand, EICAR, a film school is Paris is full-time school and international. There were several sections as "Director & Script", "Sound & Music", "Image", "Edit", "Production", "Animation" and "Actor". I was in the Director's section. I could learn whole thing I need how to make a film.
 

There were lot of practice for video, Super16mm and 35mm. There were neither discrimination nor prejudice nor hierarchy. Even if the students were still amateur, their way to think, their way to work were already professional.


What motivated you every day ? 

It's a quite difficult question for me. Because if I answered this question, I would have to reveal my secret and my obscurity. But I can tell why I am finally motivated to make my feature film.

Last year, a friend of mine left us. She was only forty years old. We met in the Film school of Tokyo and when I was student of EICAR, she was in Paris, too as a student of Sorbonne. After she became a Associate professor of Tsukuba Univercity and she taught a theory of film. She was also a film critic and published few books.
Since more than fifteen years she had encouraged me. When I heard of her death, I thought that I will never proud of myself in front of her if I abandon this project. I dedicated the first example of the script to her when I met her husband. 


What is your life like in Paris ?  It is a romantic idea for many people in Hong Kong to study film.

The life in Paris is not as romantic as the people imagines.

Paris is quite closed and French people are individualist.  Not convenient like Hong Kong or Tokyo, not clean like Hong Kong or Tokyo, either. But once you get used to and start speaking French, the world would change for you. They become open and nice. There are lot of exposition anytime, anywhere.

Everyday we enjoy an apéritif and even during the shooting, we drink when we have lunch ! Many people love the Asian culture. They are very curious about it and also generous of it. It's interesting to have a discussion with them.

If you want to go to France to study film, I am sure that you will meet good friends, you enrich your life and your personality. There are lot of good film school in France and as soon as you finish your study, you could work with real professional. But I have to say, the most important thing in Paris is to speak French...before everything...


You are in HK this time also to discuss about your new feature film.  Could you tell us in your own words about your new project ?  

The title of the film is "Spaghetti Eastern Story" and this is a fantasy love story.

First, I wrote it as a short story and then I did auto-adaptation for a script. I had four ideas for my first feature film. As I was not capable to chose, I told them to my close friends. All of them said, "start from spaghetti !"

The first inspiration I got is from "The Pine and The Palm" which appeared in an anthology of Heinrich Heine.  I was also inspired by a short story of Haruki Muramami "The Year of Spaghetti", appeared in "A Perfect Day for Kangaroos".  the story starts on the cruising ship and there are the international characters. I don't mean to brag about myself but it must be interesting visually and it is original and unique.  

 

For the moment, I cannot talk about the detail but this is a story of the people who are the prisoner of the past love, who cast a curse on themselves, and are still happy to live and silly. Of course, we can find a variety of spaghetti during the film. This film is an homage to the film "El Sur" by Victor Erice.


What is the best tip for someone who wants to make a first film ? 

"Motivation", "Determination", and "Simple script".
Today, to make a film is not more difficult than in the past.
We have a smartphone, we can get the digital camera and we have a computer to edit. It is so easy to try that you have to be careful. That is a trap. The simplicity is the most profound thing.

What is the most important thing for the film is the quality of script, the image becomes after. If the story is good, that covers everything but if the image is good solely, that is no longer a film.

Be original, find the friends who have the same sensibility and the same world view.
Forget the good materials at first, concentrate on the script. Someone who wants to make a film today is really lucky. They don't need to think about a budget and materials like before. So that's why they have to spend a lot of time for their script.


Is there anything you would like to say to LeEco fans ?   We took you to meet with the Head of Acquisition of LeEco in Hong Kong,  did you have a chance to pitch your new film project to them ? 

I am really happy to come again to Hong Kong and glad to have an occasion to share the time with LeEco fans. I am looking forward to meeting you in Hong Kong. It must be unforgettable time.   Yes, I enjoyed visiting their office and to meet with their team.  I told them about my new project and am very happy that they seemed to like it.  Fingers crossed.