Interview with director Mikiko Sasaki | TORJA

"Passion for Documentary: The Challenge of a Female Director"

Director Sasaki before screening at The Japan Foundation

Great Sasuke, a professional wrestler based in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. He is famous as a masked wrestler, but I don't think there are many people who know the actual situation. This time, there was a female director involved in the production of a documentary film focusing on the Great Sasuke. Directed by Mikiko Sasaki. Based in San Francisco, USA, he is active as an editor and producer.

"The Great Sasuke", which has been shown in San Francisco, Watsonville, and Los Angeles, and is attracting attention in various other places. A screening was also held in Toronto with the cooperation of This work, which was made over a period of five years, is his first feature-length film.

Influenced by my older sister who loves movies, I have been a movie otaku since I was little, and have watched many movies regardless of genre, whether it is Japanese, Western, or European. By the time I entered junior high school, I wanted to work in the film industry, and felt that I wasn't the actor type, so I decided to aim for the production side.

When I was in high school, I was very moved when I saw the documentary film “Hoop Dreams” about a high school basketball player in Chicago. Other than that, I like to watch movies that never happen in real life, such as "Terminator," although they're not documentaries. It's a work that makes you feel happy when you watch it, so I want the audience to feel like that too.

I'm not very good at writing stories myself, but when I look at other people, some of them have interesting lives that I can't think of, and I'm more interested in writing stories than making fiction. I came to think that a documentary would be better. Also, in normal movies, you just shoot according to the script that has already been made, but in the case of documentaries, you can see the person's life and story while shooting, and it is difficult to put it together like a puzzle and apply it. But I like it. In addition, documentaries have a gambling-like part where you don't know how it will turn out until you actually shoot it, and I think the thrill of it is also a fun part.

Behind the scenes of The Great Sasuke

When I was working at a documentary production company in the United States, my boss at that time said to me, "There's an interesting guy in your hometown." Since we were both from the same hometown, I thought we might be connected in some way, so I asked a friend about Sasuke. I was able to get

There, I felt like I was going to tell you a little story, and I had no idea what kind of story it would be about the movie. However, when I heard that Sasuke himself was a very unique person and was thinking of running for election again, I wanted to take a peek into his life, and this project began.

There are many. Sasuke himself is a very mysterious person, and at first I didn't know what kind of person he was either, but as we talked a lot between shoots, I found many things that I could relate to and that overlapped with myself. rice field. Sasuke is really serious about professional wrestling, and I knew right away that he didn't want to be famous, he just wanted to have a lot of people enjoy their lives. I wanted you to see that part.

This is my first time making a feature film, and I once again felt that the characters are very important. In particular, Sasuke was loved by the people around him, and thanks to them, the movie became very interesting.

Behind the scenes of The Great Sasuke

Very good. There were a lot of people who came to talk to us after the screening, regardless of whether they liked professional wrestling or whether they were fans of Sasuke. When it was screened at Watsonville, I was very happy to hear that they weren't interested in professional wrestling, but somehow it seemed interesting so they came to see it and found it to be a very good story. As a fan, he also told me that it was an opportunity to see Sasuke's personal side.

I would like to continue making feature films in the future, but until I am ready, I am currently making short films focusing on women living in the United States. Occupations, nationalities, races, and ages are all different. Through the lives of women, I want to convey various aspects of life in America.

If you give up, the dream will end there. No matter how many times you fail, keep moving forward and do your best. I keep telling myself that too. Never give up and keep chasing your dreams.

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He majored in film at the University of San Francisco and received his PhD from UCLA. After that, he worked as an editor/producer mainly in Los Angeles. Her short film “Story of a Businesswoman” won an award and was screened at numerous film festivals. Currently working as an editor at Lieberman Productions.