Program Note
Legendary Japanese actress, Chiyoko, tells a documentary team about her life after 30 reclusive years. Born during the Great Kanto Earthquake, she became an actress at 17 to find a painter she once encountered. Playing diverse roles, from the Sengoku period to the age of space exploration, she is destined to find her love. Her narrative is interspersed with memories and clips from her films, revealing not only her own story but also the history of Japanese cinema, using references to classic films and monster movies. When the boundaries between reality and fiction blur, it seamlessly takes us to another world. When his film-making journey abruptly ended in 2010 at the age of 46, Kon Satoshi’s fans and fellow filmmakers were shocked and saddened that they would never be able to see him complete another film. He had a great influence on many of his peers, including Hollywood directors, and is set to be the next master artist who is expected to introduce new era of Japanese animation. The screening of this remastered version of Millenium Actress will be a great opportunity to his fans who have been missed Kon’s existence. (Creta D. KIM)