People Landscape in KANAGAWA | “Zushi Coast Film Festival”
Interview & Text: Akiko Inoue Photo: Masamasa Nishino Release date: April 1, 2014
A huge screen will appear on Zushi Beach during Golden Week!!
Outdoor theaters, where you can watch movies shoulder to shoulder with a group of people while feeling the infinite expanse of sky and sea, provide each visitor with an experience that goes beyond just watching a movie.
This year marks the fifth time that the Zushi Coast Film Festival, which gives us such unpredictable emotions, is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. To find out the answer to the question of what kind of people make this film festival, which is held during Golden Week from late April to early May every year, a visit to the CINEMA CARAVAN office near the Zushi coast. I came to visit. “CINEMA CARAVAN,” a mobile movie theater created by photographer Rai Shizuno, musician Gen Nagashima, and others, is a project that led to the start of the Zushi Coast Film Festival. Below the office is CINEMA AMIGO , a movie theater and cafe, which fosters various connections between people involved in the film festival and people living in the area.
MAGCUL.NET spoke to Mr. Shizuno and Mr. Nagashima about the "Zushi Coastal Film Festival" and "CINEMA AMIGO."
Photo: Zushi Kaigan Film Festival Past scenes
■ The beginning of the Zushi Coast Film Festival
- First of all, please tell us why you started the Zushi Coast Film Festival.
Mr. Rai Shizuno (hereinafter referred to as Shizuno) : First, we started CINEMA AMIGO here with Gen, myself, and one other person. Gen will run CINEMA AMIGO that will take root in the local area, and I will create traveling photos. Since it's my home, I'm running a mobile movie theater called CINEMA CARAVAN (a mobile movie theater based on the concept of ``playing with the earth'' that allows you to experience it with all five senses. It shows movies in all parts of the world). So, I decided to try it on the local coastline first. At that time, there were a lot of things going on at a rapid pace, including 3.11, and there were some things that started out with a lot of momentum. Without thinking about the future, I decided to do the first one about two months ago.
- Did you prepare for the first one in two months? ! It seems like it would be difficult just to assemble the intro and make the screen...
Shizuno : It was tough. I have no experience with it and don't know if it's okay or not...
Gen Nagashima (hereinafter referred to as Nagashima) : At that time, I had intended to be part of all the projection staff, but when I opened the lid, I couldn't do it at all, so I asked a friend of mine who happened to be working closely with me during that time. I feel like I was able to do it miraculously with the help of those who joined in the middle of the process.
- That's right. Who are the people running the Zushi Coast Film Festival, including Mr. Shizuno and Mr. Nagashima?
Shizuno : Our members are painters, chefs, artists, musicians, carpenters, people who specialize in sports, and other people with unique personalities.
- Are you all from Zushi?
Nagashima : Mainly people from Zushi, Hayama, and Kamakura.
Shizuno : It's the same with the female team, but there are many people who live original lives with antennas in their heads, and even though they have children, they each do what they can in their free time, mobilizing everyone's knowledge. I'm doing.
- It gradually expanded through horizontal connections.
Shizuno : That's really all there is to it (lol)
■ Future challenges/connecting generations
- Isn't the Zushi Coast Film Festival the only place where you can experience watching a movie on the coast?
Shizuno : We do a lot of work overseas, so I don't think there's anything we can do about it, but I think there may not be that many teams that can attract customers and go this far.
- I see. I'm sure you've faced a lot of hardships in continuing to hold film festivals, but what motivates you to continue doing so?
Shizuno : Since everyone lives in the same area 365 days a year, the Zushi Coast Film Festival has become a yearly goal for everyone involved, including myself. For example, I'm a photographer, so when I travel, I think about how I can bring back to May what I've seen while traveling. The fact that there is such an output, and that it is a common goal for everyone, is a source of motivation for me.
- It's been really hard, but what's the secret to being able to keep going this far?
Shizuno : When I create a film festival, it's almost like playing music for me, and the closer I get to it, the more I get a sense of groove, including improvisation, responsiveness, and interpersonal skills. There are so many things like that. Also, as I said earlier, the balance of being able to go home once a year makes me feel fresh again.
Nagashima : Every year I finish it, so I finish it this year too and get to the point where I'm like, ``If it's over, it's over, right?'' But in the end, I'm like ``Let's do it again.'' (laughs)
- Please tell us about your future prospects as a film festival.
Nagashima : We are getting older, so the challenge will be for the younger generation to play an active role in the future.
Shizuno : Honestly, I hope the next generation will take over. It doesn't matter how many times this year happens each year, it's fine if it happens once every three years, so the next generation will think, ``Those old guys did it this way before, so let's do it this way.'' And I don't mind if you turn the screen over and do it.
Nagashima : Also, it would be nice if people were inspired by us to do something that wasn't really a film festival. I think it would be interesting if the children who are watching it now could revive it in the future and think, ``This happened, right?'' I am conscious that generations are connected in this way. When we started the Zushi Coast Film Festival, one of our members remembered the outdoor movie screenings he had experienced at Zushi Beach when he was a child.
- It leaves a strong impression on my memory.
Shizuno : Rather than conveying the content of the movie, I would say that the emphasis is on one scene, like a scene of a town where a candy store used to be.
Nagashima : Also, last year we had a merry-go-round on the beach, and some elderly customers came and said that it reminded them of when there was an amusement park called Coneyland on the Zushi coast.
- I am always reminded that even if you watch the same movie, it can be so different if you change the location. The sound of the wind and waves, the feel of the sand...
Shizuno : It includes things like that.
■ This year's Zushi Coast Film Festival - Local to Global -
Note) Information on the 2014 Zushi Coast Film Festival
- Please tell us about the concept and lineup of this year's Zushi Coast Film Festival.
Shizuno : This year is the fifth time we have held the event, so with the concept of "from local to global," we are planning to give it a strong global feel so that people can experience foreign culture in Zushi. Usually we have food days, skateboarding days, and music days, but this year it seems like it's a certain area of this country, and the customers who came all day long didn't go all the way around the world. But I think it would be great if we could take short trips to the music, smells, and movies of various countries.
Nagashima : For example, for India Day, it's " It'll be fine ," for Japan Day, it's " And Become a Father ," for Argentina Day, it's " Motorcycle Diaries ," for Children's Day, it's " ET ," and for Basque Country Day, it's " Blanca. " Nieves " or something like that. This year, we will have Mr. Peter Barakan as the music selector, and we are planning to enjoy the sunset while listening to Caribbean music.
- Come to think of it, Naoto Takenaka appears on the show every year. What is the connection?
Shizuno : It just so happened that the day after we talked about wanting someone like Takenaka to appear, Takenaka came to CINEMA AMIGO, and it was quite a fateful encounter.
- That's right! ! Mr. Takenaka will be appearing on the show again this year, so I'm looking forward to that as there's always plenty of music and food as well as movies.
Nagashima : This year, I think the food will be tailored to the theme of the country that day.
Zushi Kaigan Film Festival Past Scenes
■ A place where various communities are born - About CINEMA AMIGO
- How will CINEMA AMIGO collaborate on the day of the film festival?
Nagashima : Usually there are movie screenings and a cafe, but during the film festival period, there will be no screenings here, but rather a cafe space for people who are tired of the beach.
- So, what kind of concept does Cinema Amigo normally operate under?
Nagashima : The concept here is to feature local people, food, and products, and to connect various people here and disseminate information originating from here. So even though we have a daily lunch, it's not so much the lunch itself, but the person making the lunch that changes each day, and we want that time to be a place for that person's expression.
- How many people are making the food on a daily basis?
Nagashima : The members change from time to time, but currently there are five of us. Sometimes we have guest chefs. In addition to food, we also sell herbal tea grown by our friends nearby, original blend coffee, and accessories made by locals.
- In addition to movie screenings and a cafe, CINEMA AMIGO also hosts music events from time to time.
Nagashima : One thing about movies is that you can mix a lot of different things together. The audience is completely different depending on the movie being screened, and by having a variety of people in the same space, it feels like we can mix things up. Also, disseminating information from a cafe may have certain limitations, but with movies you can also disseminate information more directly.
- Nowadays, with the number of tasteful single theaters going out of business, I think the existence of CINEMA AMIGO is an important presence for many people, including locals.
Nagashima : I'm really grateful to hear people say, ``This is something we shouldn't lose.''
■ Charm of Zushi Coastal Film Festival/Charm of the town
- Returning to the topic of the film festival, if you were to describe the appeal of the Zushi Kaigan Film Festival in one word to the customers who come on the day, what would you say?
Shizuno : I guess you're saying, "Please look at our way of life," not just the movies. I hope that these people will realize that they can do something with just a little effort, and that it will really take shape, and that what they feel will spread to other areas. I would be most happy if it resonated with me in that way, and it would be best if it remained in my memory as a scene from my life.
- Thank you very much. Lastly, please let us know if you have any favorite spots or scenery in Zushi.
Shizuno : There's a new skateboard shop called UNOWN that I highly recommend. Hitoshi Takayama, a professional skater from Zushi City, runs this shop, and it's not just a shop, it's like a village centered around him. He also built the sandy beach ramp (slope for skateboarding) for the film festival, and thanks to that, local junior high school students, who had not been able to do so before, started coming to play, and in that sense, the film festival became more popular. It has spread a lot.
Nagashima : I personally like the Zushi coast the most during the sunny season in May. I like Zushi Beach, where you can swim before the beach gets crowded with bathers and there are no lifeguards.
- Thank you very much for today!
(Editor's postscript)
A huge screen will appear on Zushi Beach during Golden Week for 11 days this year as well. During the day, there are a variety of activities such as a merry-go-round, skate ramp, and bouldering. And when the sun sets, music and movie time begins. These 11 days are like a dream that suddenly appears and then disappears, but it goes without saying that there is a drama that unfolds endlessly from there. Please take a trip to the Zushi coast to discover some of the most important scenery.