Film Library picks up 'Yasukuni'
Company takes documentary's int'l sales
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| Li Ying lived in Japan for several years before he made 'Yasukuni.' |
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The Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo, which includes a cemetery for war criminals, is a source of anger among Japan's neighbors China, Taiwan and South Korea. Doc was partially shot within the cemetery and uses the shrine to examine Japanese individual and collective memories.
Pic, helmed by Chinese filmmaker Li Ying, has been presented at festivals including Pusan, Sundance and Berlin, but was unrepresented until now.
Film Library, headed by Alexandra Sun, will screen the pic in the market in Cannes. Company has handled other controversial titles including "Blind Shaft" and "Blind Mountain."
"We originally thought that this would sell mostly to TV companies, but from the reactions at festivals we've seen that there is definitely theatrical interest," Sun said. "The relevance of this film is global."
Li, who lived in Japan for several years before making the pic, says he made it to counter Japanese and western ignorance about Japan's role in 20th century Asian history. "The world only has a partial view of the degree of collaboration between the U.S. and Japan. Responsibility was kept deliberately vague (by the U.S.)."
In addition to the subject and Li's treatment of it, pic sparked outrage in Japan when it emerged that it had received funding from the Japanese state.
"I thought politics and culture were separate, but it seems I was wrong," Li said.
Distributor Argo pressed on with limited release this month despite the cancellation of screenings by several theaters, a legal backlash suggesting that production did not have the necessary shooting permits and death threats against Li.
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