Film Techniques for Audiences by Japan's Leading Screenwriters

The "On-Set Film Lecture" series offers a rare opportunity to delve into the creative secrets and unique narrative and visual sensibilities of film and drama professionals, going beyond what is typically revealed in media appearances or stage greetings. Through direct encounters between Japan's foremost screenwriters and the audience, this event aims to explore the essence of filmmaking as a collaborative art form.

Schedule for "On-Set Film Lecture: Screenwriting Edition"
Screenwriter Yōzō Tanaka
Date: Friday, January 23rd
Moderator: Kōichirō Igawa (Screenwriter / Film Director)
18:30 Screening: "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun" directed by Shinji Sōmai (1981, 112 min)
20:30 Talk: Yōzō Tanaka x Kōichirō Igawa

Screenwriter Haruhiko Arai
Date: Saturday, January 24th
Moderator: Kōichirō Igawa
14:00 Screening: "Kamumujyo" directed by Tatsumii Kamishiro (1988, 102 min)
15:30 Talk: Haruhiko Arai x Kōichirō Igawa

Screenwriter Takuya Nishioka
Date: Sunday, January 25th
Moderator: Shinji Aoyama (Film Director / Novelist)
14:00 Screening: "Gaki Teikoku" directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu (1981, 115 min)
16:00 Talk: Takuya Nishioka x Shinji Aoyama

Screenwriter Taichi Yamada
Date: Monday, January 26th
Moderator: Tokuki Ishibi (Asahi Shimbun Editor)
18:30 Screening: Film to be announced (See official website for details)
20:30 Talk: Taichi Yamada x Tokuki Ishibi

Screenwriter Yoichi Takahashi
Date: Tuesday, January 27th
Moderator: Kōichirō Igawa
18:30 Screening: "Ringu 2" directed by Hideo Nakata (1989, 95 min)
20:15 Talk: Yoichi Takahashi x Kōichirō Igawa

Yōzō Tanaka
After joining Nikkatsu, he became part of the script group "Gurū Hachirō" centered around Seijun Suzuki, debuting with "Branded to Kill" in 1967 and supporting the golden age of Nikkatsu Roman Porno. He wrote numerous works for directors Seijun Suzuki (e.g., "Tzigane," 1980; "Fires on the Plain," 1981) and Shinji Sōmai (e.g., "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun," 1981; "The Drifting Net," 1983; "Yumeji," 1991). More recently, he received the Japan Academy Prize for Screenplay for "Wife of a Man Called Cherry Blossom" (2009, directed by Yoshitaro Nomura) and "Mōryō no Hako" (2010, directed by Naruhide Sugita).

Haruhiko Arai
In the 1970s, he wrote screenplays under Kōji Wakamatsu, a master of "Red Pink Films." Debuting with "Shinjuku Midaretsu Ikumade Matte" in 1977, he became one of Japan's leading screenwriters with works like "Akai Kami no Onna" (1979, directed by Tatsumi Kamishiro), "Enrai" (1981, directed by Yoshitaro Nomura), and "W no Higeki" (1984, directed by Shin'ichirō Sawai). He has since won numerous screenplay awards for films such as "Revolver" (1988, directed by Toshiya Fujita), "Vibrator" (2003, directed by Ryuichi Hiroki), "Ōshika-mura Sōdōki" (2011, directed by Junji Sakamoto), and "Kyōkō" (2013, directed by Shinji Aoyama). He is currently preparing his first directorial work in 17 years, "Konokuni no Sora."

Takuya Nishioka
Debuted as a screenwriter in 1979 with "Bōkōma Shinjuze me." He subsequently wrote a string of notable films, including Kazuyuki Izutsu's "Gaki Teikoku" (1981), Shinji Sōmai's "Shōben Rider" (1983), and Takaaki Tomioka's "TATTOO<Shisei>ari" (1982). He propelled Sho Aikawa to V-cinema stardom with the direct-to-video film "Neochinpira Teppōdama Pyū." For television, he received the Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Festival Award for "Kitarō ga Mita Gyokusai: Mizuki Shigeru no Sensō" (2007). Recent works include "Taiheiyō no Kiseki - Fox to Yobareta Otoko -" (2010, directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu) and "Taiheiyō no Kiseki - Fox to Yobareta Otoko -" (2010, directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu).

Taichi Yamada
Joined Shochiku's Ofuna Studio. As an assistant director in the directing department, he studied under director Keisuke Kinoshita. He received the New Artist Award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for "Sorezore no Aki" (1973). In 1976, his NHK series "Otokotachi no Tabiji" became a hit and continued intermittently until 1982. For nearly half a century since, he has written acclaimed works such as "Kishibe no Album," "Shoshun Sketchbook," "Fuzoroi no Ringo-tachi," and "Kiruto no Ie." He has also published plays and novels, receiving the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize for "Ijin-tachi to no Natsu" (1988) and the Kobayashi Hideo Prize for his essay collection "Tsukihi no Zenzō" (2014).

Yoichi Takahashi
Debuted as a screenwriter in 1990 with director Azuma Morizaki's television drama "Rikon, Kyōkon, Renkon." He later collaborated with director Hideo Nakata on the screenplays for "Joyūrei" (1996), "Ringu" (1998), and "Ringu 2" (1999), becoming a key figure in the global J-horror boom as a supervisor for "Ju-on." "Joyūrei" was also remade in Hollywood. His other screenwriting credits include Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Serpent's Path" (1998), Yukihiko Tsutsumi's "Shinsei Toilet no Hanako-san" (1998), and Norio Tsuruta's "Orochi" (2008).