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WHY YOU CAN’T BE PRIME MINISTER

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Release Date: June 13, 2020
Running Time: 119 minute
Director: Arata Oshim
Producer: Aki Maeda
Cinematographer: Hidenori Takahash
Editor: Aki Miyajim
Music: Nono Ishizaki 
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【Story】


“What are politics/politicians?”
17-year coverage of an active politician from a Japanese opposition party

Junya Ogawa, age 49, is on his 5th term for the House of Representatives, and calls himself a geek who wants to make a difference for Japan.
When the House of Representatives was dissolved on October 10, 2003, the camera was pointed to then-32-year-old Ogawa, who was running for the first time from the opposition the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). In a sincere manner he said that he was “second to none when it came to servicing for the people in Japan”, and since then we took recordings of him whenever possible. In 2005, Ogawa was elected for the first time; and when the DPJ took over in 2009, he enthusiastically said, “Now is our turn to change the Japanese politics”. As a young potential politician, he was very much expected by both conservative and liberal debaters.
However, Ogawa started to suffer when the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) regime, led by the Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, was formed in 2012. As much as he felt the sense of crisis over the populism of the right-wing nationalist Abe, the opposition party was weak, and he could not even succeed in the weak party. He diligently appealed his policies, but his thin desire for power led his family to question his potential as a politician. In the 2017 General election, he was tossed about by the factional disputes in the opposition party. What did the director Oshima see through the 17 years of observing Ogawa - hope or despair? This film questions the future of Japan through Ogawa.

【Director Profile】

大島新監督
Arata Oshima. Born in 1969. After graduating from Waseda University in 1995, he joined Fuji Television and was involved in the production of documentary programs. In 1999 he became a freelance video director. He has directed more than 40 TV programs and produced more than 30 TV programs, focusing on documentaries of various genres such as writers, actors, athletes, musicians, chefs, educators, doctors, and politicians. In 2009, he founded the video production company Netzgen. In recent years, he has been active mainly in movies, and has directed 4 films and produced 7 films. One of his well-known works is "Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister" (2020), which won three film awards. Produced works include Ramen Heads” (2017), which depicts Japanese ramen culture and was screened at the HOT DOCS Canadian International Documentary Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, ”I Go Gaga, My Dear” (2018), which highlights the harsh reality of nursing care for the elderly with dementia and has been screened in five countries.
His father is Nagisa Oshima, a world-famous film director known for “In the Realm of the Senses” (1976) and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” (1983).

 


[ Contact ]
E-mail: film@netzgen.jp

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