On Friday, November 28 at 8:00 p.m., the event “Directors Michihito Fujii × Hiroto Hara: Teach-In — 15 Years of Journey and Miracles” was held at NTT Cred Hall No. 2.
Fifteen years have passed since the creation of the content studio BABEL LABEL. Despite humbly joking that “we haven’t grown at all,” Director Fujii—now a leading figure in Japanese cinema—and his junior from Nihon University College of Art, Director Hara, filled the session with stories from the company’s founding days to the present. During the Q&A session that followed, many hands shot up, and the room grew lively with energy.
Q: Which actors left you overwhelmed with their performances?
Both directors named Mr. Hiroshi Tachi as the overwhelming acting performer.
Director Hara added: Mr. Toru Nakamura — “He’s just unbelievably cool.”
Director Fujii added: Mr. Hiroshi Abe — “He insists on performing any action scene himself. His discipline is incredible.”
Q: Your thoughts on directing?
Director Fujii: “I respect the pride of actors. I never force them into a fixed way of acting.”
Director Hara: “I don’t do table reads. I build scenes together with actors on set. Maybe that’s a more independent-film style approach.”
Q: What does it take to become a director in the future?
Director Fujii: “Students have unlimited time—use it to try everything, fail a lot, and accumulate those failures. Film knowledge can actually be a burden. The seniors who loved movies the most…not one of them became a director.”
Q: Thoughts on AI in filmmaking?
Director Fujii: “It’s fascinating, but dangerous if you misjudge the distance you should keep from it. With rising set costs pushing more productions toward CG, I would proactively use AI. Personally, I have had ChatGPT give me a daily fortune reading.”
Closing messages from the two directors:
Director Hara: “Being invited two years in a row—last year and this year—makes me happy, but also reminds me to stay humble. If I’m invited again next year, I will definitely come.”
Director Fujii: “Even though it’s been 15 years, I still feel like a newcomer. I’ll be taking a slight step away from filmmaking, but there are so many other things I want to try. I’m excited about what’s next.”
The session concluded on a high note amid enthusiastic applause.
