The 11th Saudi Film Festival has delved into the cinematic parallels and connections between Japan and Saudi Arabia during an important panel, according to Arab News.
The panel highlighted the participation of US-based Japanese director and photographer Ken Ochiai, Oscar-nominated Japanese animator Koji Yamamura, and Ithra’s Japanese-fluent Saudi film expert Majed Z. Samman.
Moderated by Zohra Ait El-Jamar, head of Hayy Jameel Cinema, the session played a central role in enhancing cultural exchange.
Yamamura’s Masterclass
Oscar-nominated Japanese director Koji Yamamura amused animation lovers with an exclusive masterclass about his career.
Titled “Giving Shape to Invisible Light,” the masterclass grasped the attention of animation enthusiasts on Saturday, April 19.
The Japanese director and filmmaker showcased his process and offered attendees fruitful insights into his unique approach.
“I’m very interested in Arabic culture. It is my first time in Saudi Arabia — I would like to sketch it. I think the landscape is very different from Japan,” Yamamura told Arab News after the session.
Similarities between Japan & Saudi Cinema
Meanwhile, Ochiai praised the Saudi film “Hobal”, noting the similarities between Japanese and Saudi cultural expressions in cinema.
“Less is good, if you can convey feelings through facial expressions,” Ochiai said.
Meanwhile, Samman stated that Saudi audiences have favored three main film categories for decades: “Hollywood, Bollywood, and anime.”
“Saudis grew up on anime that was mostly dubbed into Arabic. If you’re not into it (Japanese storytelling style), or if you’re not going to research it, you might think it’s stupid or cheesy — or, what’s happening here? I think we need to bridge that gap between the culture and the visual language,” he said.
As for the differences between Hollywood and Japanese cinema, Ochiai mentioned that in Hollywood, several takes are shot, and editing comes later. In contrary, Japanese filmmakers usually tend to edit in real time in order to minimize extra work.
“What we really need to focus on is the message of the film. How you learn is not on YouTube, but how you learn is from the past, like the movies from the past, because everything is coming from the top,” Ochiai added.
Interestingly, the Japanese cinema maintains a deep minimalist sensibility that may sound confusing to foreign audiences. This is mainly due to the fact that Japan’s film industry has traditionally focused on domestic audience, without paying attention to background details that international audiences may need to know.
“Art is a copy of something. So, if you copy the copy of the copy of the copy, it just gets watered down — the quality — so you should learn the history of the cinema so that you can also bring something new to the table,” he said.
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