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Q: Besides the blind climbers you mentioned earlier, are there any others that you are currently covering?
I am currently shooting a film set in Minamata, a place known for Minamata disease, to rave reviews. Minamata is still viewed pessimistically, but it really is a beautiful place. I am currently in my second year of filming, and I plan to continue filming throughout next year.
I heard that you are also planning a documentary film contest.
Documentary is a very niche world. People who like it like it, but the base is not expanding at all. The number of people who are involved in this field is dwindling. So I thought I would do it myself, and decided to hold a surf documentary contest called "Nouvelle Vague.
Can you give us a brief overview?
The theme is "A Surfing Day I Think". The time is 3 to 5 minutes. The grand prize is 100,000 yen, and there will also be prizes for ideas and audience participation. We will start accepting applications from January 1 next year and will continue until the end of June.
No matter if you are an amateur or a professional.
Yes, we do. Of course, any kind of equipment is acceptable, including smartphones, vertical video, and even pranks. And it doesn't have to be a surfing scene. You can just wait for the waves offshore, or you don't have to shoot in the ocean. In the extreme, it could be a surfing day in Harajuku.
Do you usually take pictures with your smartphone?
Looking at golf videos taken with a smartphone, Kiyono says, "Sometimes a smartphone is better than a regular camera.
It's totally there. With a regular internal app. I recently shot a golf video, and it's difficult to shoot this with a serious camera. I can do it because I can put it there. I also use it when I do TV shows. I am confident that I won't be caught (laughs). In fact, I have never been caught.
The hurdle is lowered considerably. Young people without equipment can easily participate.
We also set the age limit to elementary school students and up, so we hope that young people will be exposed to creativity at an early age and that it will become a base for their lives. That's why we keep the Best Film Award under 25 years old.
Conversely, people over 70 years old can send me.
It would be nice to get to that point (laughs). (Laughs.) Like, "Did you take that with your smartphone? Creating something is a way for me to let out my inner angst. So I feel really good when my work is released to the world in any form. I also want people to know that.
