-Who is Ryosuke Handa?

I was born in a small village in Kyoto prefecture surrounded by rich nature. The village had beautiful landscapes but no movie theater. In my childhood, I loved to listen to the sounds of nature like dripping rains, flowing rivers. I also enjoyed looking at wild flowers and animals, as well as stars in the galaxy at night, which inspired my imagination. I was interested in how the cosmos had been created and how it would evolve. Nature brings me the spinning and weaving stories. That was my movie theater.

-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

In my twenties I started painting and printmaking. I also learned photography. Pursuing those techniques, I have learned the differences between two-dimensional and three-dimensional expressions. I created many experimental prints in 1990s. In that process I was gradually interested in the moving images. I came to feel that movies have great potential in presenting my imaginations. You can put everything in a movie. Sergei Parajanov has been one of my favorite movie directors. Tarkovsky has always inspired me.

-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?

I don’t shoot films with the intention of changing society. Through movies we could meet visions which you were unaware of before. Bio-philosopher Jacob von Uexkülls “Umwelt” is my favorite concept when I look at the world. Eyes beyond human, eyes in the deep nature reflect my approach to cinemas.

-What would you change in the world?

I feel I am a small part of the cosmos which is a continuum. When I change, the world changes. When the world changes, I change. I think the same thing happens in every part of the cosmos.

-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?

No matter what new devices appear, we need a platform, a kind of screen, that swallows them all like a blackhole beyond borders and the differences. Imagination is the key for us to reach and receive messages from the platform.