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I spoke with Takeshi Kitano about the queer realities at the heart of Kubi, for the @britishfilminstitute

https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/takeshi-kitano-kubi

Linked in bio

With thanks as ever to @kokof_712 for translating, and thanks to @queereast for their bold programming

I spoke with Takashi Miike about an industry in flux, for @mubinotebook

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/head-on-a-conversation-with-takashi-miike

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With thanks to @kokof_712 for translating, and to @gaga_intl and @iffr for facilitating

A career highlight, I became the first international journalist to speak with Satoko Okudera, the screenwriter behind such classics as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Moving. Her latest credit is Kokuho, a near-unprecedented box-office smash hit that's been selected as Japan's 2026 Best International Feature entry.

A singular force in coming-of-age narratives, Okudera propels her characters forth into their furtive, uncertain, and exciting futures.

https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/satoko-okudera-interview-1235154397/

With many thanks to @indiewire for recognising Okudera's importance, many thanks to Okudera-san for graciously and warmly sitting down with me twice (first in Cannes, then over Zoom a few months later), and to @gkidsfilms for facilitating. And huge thanks to @ninjamik3y for such fluid translation, and to @kokof_712 for translating the extra bits.

In a dream come true interview, I spoke with legendary Studio Ghibli cinematographer Atsushi Okui about the making of my first love, WHISPER OF THE HEART, and remastering Ghibli's classics such as Princess Mononoke and Arrietty in 4K for IMAX screens.

Over the course of an hour, we discussed the process of constructing key sequences in Whisper, location scouting at the crack of dawn, the directorial style of the late Yoshifumi Kondo, and much more. I conducted this at 3am in a Cannes hotel room and it was every bit as magical as I'd hoped.

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/whisper-of-the-heart-cinematographer-atsushi-okui-interview-260963.html

ARRIETTY is back in US cinemas now in IMAX from @gkidsfilms

@janedoesnotknow's TV Glow follow-up TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA is a surprisingly sweet and sensitive film about the validity of sexual fantasy and the cinema that sparks it. In short, it fucks.

I penned prettier words than these for @sightsoundmagazine, which you can read online now and linked in bio.

To review this film is a trap that I did my best to navigate — the initial instinct is to not try and put it into words at all — one of many things that makes this experience so singular.

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/teenage-sex-death-camp-miasma-jane-schoenbruns-open-hearted-slasher-playful-about-sex-cinema

My immense gratitude to editor @kmccabie for trusting me with this one!

I've never met an interviewee quite as thoughtful as Hirokazu Kore-eda. At one point in our conversation about his Cannes Competition contender SHEEP IN THE BOX, he sits back in his chair for a moment and stares at the ceiling in thought before returning to microphone range to deliver his answer. If this is how he approaches an interview, I can only think how generous he must be in his collaborations on set.

You can read our conversation — which spans AI, architecture, children, and the cycles of life — in @variety, both online, linked below and in bio, and — if you're on the ground here in Cannes — in Variety's Day 2 Cannes daily.

SHEEP IN THE BOX premieres in competition today in Cannes.

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/sheep-in-the-box-kore-eda-hirokazu-1236738394/

I've never met an interviewee quite as thoughtful as Hirokazu Kore-eda. At one point in our conversation about his Cannes Competition contender SHEEP IN THE BOX, he sits back in his chair for a moment and stares at the ceiling in thought before returning to microphone range to deliver his answer. If this is how he approaches an interview, I can only think how generous he must be in his collaborations on set.

You can read our conversation — which spans AI, architecture, children, and the cycles of life — in @variety, both online, linked below and in bio, and — if you're on the ground here in Cannes — in Variety's Day 2 Cannes daily.

SHEEP IN THE BOX premieres in competition today in Cannes.

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/sheep-in-the-box-kore-eda-hirokazu-1236738394/

I enjoyed a brief chat with Katsuhito Ishii, whose cult classic THE TASTE OF TEA is restored and in US theatres now from @filmmovement. I also asked him how that Funky Forest sequel is coming along.

https://screenanarchy.com/2026/05/pending-the-taste-of-tea-interview-katsuhito-ishii-talks-family-dramas-and-funky-forest-2.html

With thanks to @uchi.yama for her ever-sharp interpreting — incredible things were achieved in a ten minute slot!

In the wake of record-breaking box-office success, I spoke with KOKUHO director Lee Sang-il one last time. We discuss his unexpected journey with the film, the queerness of onnagata, and what's next for him.

https://desperatelyseekingsubtitles.substack.com/p/curtain-call-lee-sang-ils-final-thoughts

Linked in bio. KOKUHO is in UK cinemas now from @vue.lumiere. With thanks to @fareastfilm for facilitating.

Find me in the new issue of @sightsoundmagazine reviewing QUEER AS PUNK, a quietly urgent and remarkably charming documentary that follows a Malaysian punk band and the community they represent on the road, at home, and abroad. Plus, the songs slap.

For the @financialtimes, I explored the domestic box-office success of lavish kabuki drama KOKUHO, and what that success means for the industry at large. With many thanks to @markschilling3 and @chiaki_here for contributing.

https://www.ft.com/content/ada9725c-479e-4604-8267-260310f81a3b

Online with subscription and in print this weekend.

"My best ideas come to me on walks"

I had a wonderful conversation with Sho Miyake about his delicate, gorgeously picturesque TWO SEASONS, TWO STRANGERS for @thefilmstage

https://thefilmstage.com/my-best-ideas-come-to-me-on-walks-sho-miyake-on-two-seasons-two-strangers/

Linked in bio. With thanks to @uchi.yama for interpreting

Meiko Kaji's recent New York appearance flooded my social media timelines with clips and words of admiration. You were all equally complimentary of her interpreter!

In a fascinating Substack deep-dive, I spoke with beloved Japanese-English interpreter Monika Uchiyama (@uchi.yama) about the craft in speaking for others

https://desperatelyseekingsubtitles.substack.com/p/interpreting-japanese-cinema-monika

Linked in bio