Filmmaker Talk: Naotaro Endo, director of Tsukiji Wonderland

Naotaro Endo is a Japan-based filmmaker and director of Tsukiji Wonderland, a documentary featured in this year’s Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme. Following the film's sell-out screening at the ICA in early February 2017, Endo will join us for a special talk to discuss his filmmaking style and the themes explored in Tsukiji Wonderland.

For those who were able to see the film at ICA and even those who have not, it will be a great opportunity to hear about documentary filmmaking in Japan as well as more about Tsukiji, the world’s largest fish market that is currently facing closure -- the topic which inspired this remarkable film.

Endo began shooting at Tsukiji in spring 2014 when speculation of the market's closure began. Shot over the course of an entire year, Endo captures the extraordinary operations of this iconic fish market. Although the future of Tsukiji still hangs in the balance, Endo has ensured that its legacy will never be forgotten.

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TSUKIJI WONDERLAND

The world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji is a place like no other. Known as "the kitchen of Japan", Tsukiji has been at the heart of Japanese cuisine since opening almost 80 years ago. Boasting over 600 wholesalers who have dedicated their lives to supplying quality produce, the incredible scale of trade at Tsukiji is a testament to their pride and determination.

Directed by Naotaro Endo, 2016, 110 min, English subtitles

Tsukiji Wonderland will be shown at Broadway, Nottingham (18 March 2017), Filmhouse, Edinburgh (20 March 2017) and Exeter Phoenix, Exeter (22 March 2017), with all three screenings followed by a Q&A by director Naotaro Endo.

The film was previously shown at HOME, Manchester (5 February 2017), ICA, London (9 February 2017), Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast (11 February 2017), Eden Court, Inverness (19 February 2017), Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee (27 February 2017) and Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal (14 March 2017).

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