Director Takeshi Kitano held a press conference on the 6th local time at the 81st Venice International Film Festival currently being held in Italy, prior to the official screening (Out of Competition Section *Special Invitation Film) of his new film “Broken Rage.”

Stills from the Amazon Original film “Broken Rage”

At the official press conference, which was packed with more than 100 journalists from around the world, Director Kitano recounted the background to the creation of the film in his typical Kitano style, saying, “I tried out something I’d always wanted to try, not for people in a theater, but for people watching on a TV screen. I shot it casually, and never expected it to end up like this (coming to Venice). I should have taken it more seriously.” The audience was thrilled.

Regarding the 62-minute film, which is divided into two parts, he said, “I actually watched it as it looked like the internet, and the restrictions were surprisingly loose, and I enjoyed watching it, thinking, ‘I can’t believe people are saying such nasty things,’ but perhaps I was swept up in the sense of speed, and (in editing this film) it became the ‘space’ of the internet rather than the ‘space’ of a movie,” describing it as an experimental work.

While this film feels like a new challenge from Director Kitano, he explains the theme of the film, “comedy in violence,” saying, “Both violence and comedy stir emotions. In the sense that it shocks people, comedy is also violent. With art such as movies and paintings, what differs from viewer to viewer is whether it is violent, loving, or something everyday. I think it’s important to pick out things that people don’t notice and say this is violence or this is love.”

The film leaves an impression that only Kitano, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, rose to the pinnacle of the comedy world, and is still active today as one of the world’s leading film directors, could have made this film.

Actor Tadanobu Asano commented on working with director Kitano, “I feel like someone like Takeshi, who has been active in other fields, comes to the film and faces us with a straight gaze. As a result, he makes demands that are completely different from other directors, so I realized that Director Kitano would not accept my requests unless I put in the work on set to respond to the role, and so I think that changed the way I approach my roles. Whether it’s his previous film, ‘The Neck’, or this time, ‘Broken Rage,’ I’ve learned a lot as an actor, including his attitude of always challenging himself with new things.”

Regarding the filming of Kitano’s group, Omori Nao reminisced, “I was able to be next to Takeshi the whole time and act with Asano-kun, so I really enjoyed every day of filming. (When filming the parody part in the second half) I approached the shoot in a cheeky way, hoping that ‘I want Takeshi to laugh a little,’ but it was difficult to make that happen.”

Regarding Asano and Omori, who accepted his new challenge, Kitano appealed to the overseas media, “I have high hopes for the future from these two, so I ask them to work very hard and I believe they will one day become Japanese actors who will lead the film industry, so I hope you all keep that in mind,” to which the audience erupted in applause.

After the press conference, Kitano was bombarded with autographs from reporters, and was greeted by enthusiastic Kitano calls on the red carpet. The main venue, SALA GRANDE, where the official screening took place, had 1,032 seats filled with fans eagerly waiting for Kitano’s new work.

During the screening, there was a flurry of laughter and applause, and after the screening, the enthusiastic audience gave a rousing round of applause and cheers. After the six-minute standing ovation, Director Kitano seemed embarrassed and had to stop it.

Director Kitano seemed relieved, saying, “I’ve been to the Venice International Film Festival many times, but this time the response was so good that it’s in the top three. The standing ovation was longer for this film than for ‘HANA-BI,’ and in terms of area and volume, I think this one was the best. ‘Broken Rage’ is a very un-filmy, adventurous film, so I wondered if it would be okay, but the response was really good.”

Director Kitano wrote and starred in the film, which was produced with the theme of “comedy in violent films.” The first half is a solid crime action film set in the underworld, in which a hitman caught between the police and the Yakuza struggles to survive. Meanwhile, the second half is a comedic self-parody that follows the same story as the first half, although it is the same story. Beat Takeshi plays the main character, the hitman Nezumi.

“Broken Rage,” the first Japanese streaming video title to be officially selected for the Venice International Film Festival, is scheduled to be released worldwide in 2025 on the video streaming service Prime Video.

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