Japan is the sixth largest c
ountry of export for French cinema, with 49 films having been released in the country in 2009. For five years, aside The Emperor’s Journey and Taxi 4, the most watched films have all been historic, such as Coco before Chanel, La Vie en Rose, Les Choristes, etc. Might this be because Japanese film goers are interested in seeing a certain period in France’s history between the 50s and 70s?
Unifrance Tokyo: The general image of France held by the Japanese is indeed a rather classical one, related to art, fashion, elegance and sophistication. These images were particularly instilled by films and popular singers from the 50s to the 70s, and the general public has kept this in their memories. For many Japanese people, when we talk about France, this is the first image which comes to mind and is one which makes them dream.
What differences have you noticed between Japan and other neighbouring countries in the choices made by film goers?
Unifrance Tokyo: Aside the blockbuster films such as the “Taxi” collection for instance, popular throughout Asia, Koreans seem to favour French comedies much more than other Asian viewers. In Japan, where those who go to watch French films are primarily female, rom-coms have the greatest amount of success, as well as period dramas and films related in some manner to art such as
Françoise Sagan,
Séraphine,
Summer Hours or even
La Danse, The Paris Opera Ballet.
The Japanese people are fans of latest generation mobile telephones, what is the best way of promoting French films on this medium?
Unifrance Tokyo: In Japan, mobile telephones are widely used to receive breaking news, via
Twitter for instance, and to be first in line for an offer, or sale, etc.
Japanese people also use their mobile telephones to scan a “QR code” or to connect to special terminals to exchange information, receive discounts, free gifts, etc. And especially important, for the Japanese people who spend a lot of time on public transport, is to have a mobile telephone which can provide entertainment. In this respect, an increasing amount of mobile telephones allow users to watch TV, download games, etc.
For distributers and festival organisers, having a site which allows mobile access is always an added bonus, particularly with the possibility of watching film trailers and consulting screening times and venues.
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This interview made by Sebastien Meunier is taken from "MyFrenchFilms.com", the official blog of UniFrance launched last year. Unifrance Films International is an organism responsible for the promotion and the export of French Cinema in the world. This "association" created in 1948 is under the direct supervision of the "CNC" (Centre National de la Cinématographie) and under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With this blog, Sebastien Meunier may be considered as another voice of Unifrance on the web. He belongs to this association, shares its values and objectives and with this example of article that you can find in the blog, you can learn more about the actuality of French Cinema abroad. He surely is credible in what he says, his remarks being based on the several studies conducted by Unifrance itself.
