Under Koreeda’s direction, this masterclass featured CHANEL ambassador and actress Tilda Swinton, and friends of the House, director Miwa Nishikawa, actor Koji Yakusho and actress Sakura Ando as speakers. It served as a unique learning space designed to support the creativity of young filmmakers and directors.
During the ‘Talk’, directors Koreeda and Nishikawa invited each of the speakers to join them in conversation. Reflecting on their careers as actors, they shared thoughtful insights into their approach to acting, character development, and how they build relationships with directors – offering valuable perspectives from actors working at the top of the film industry.
In the ‘Workshop’, young directors and actors performed scenes based on scripts specifically written for the event. At times, the instructors also participated, exploring the collaborative aspect of scene creation between directors and actors. The session was a truly hands-on, interactive experience and included a lively Q&A.
On the evening of 28th November, a celebratory dinner was held to mark the completion of this inaugural masterclass. Guests included Koreeda, Nishikawa, Swinton, Ando, as well as CHANEL ambassadors Nana Komatsu, Fumi Nikaido, Ai Hashimoto, Hio Miyazawa, and close friends of CHANEL Natsuki Deguchi, Hiroya Shimizu, Mizuki Kayashima. Leading directors and creators from the Japanese film industry were also present, making it a most memorable evening celebrating creativity.
Participants who attended all the sessions of the two-day masterclass are now eligible to apply for the next phase of the CHANEL AND CINEMA – TOKYO LIGHTS program: the Short Film Competition. In this competition, aspiring directors are invited to submit screenplays for an 8-minute short film. Through an initial document-based review and subsequent interviews, three projects will be chosen. The selected winners will receive support from CHANEL and acclaimed directors to bring their short films into production. The winning entries will be announced in the spring of 2025 and, after a production period, will premiere in both Tokyo and Paris in 2026.
The CHANEL AND CINEMA – TOKYO LIGHTS program, launched in July 2024, will reach its first cycle finale in 2026, after the masterclass, short film competition and film screenings. From 2026, a new cycle will begin, including another masterclass and short film competition. Through this long-term program, CHANEL reaffirms its commitment to fostering creativity and supporting the development of artistic communities in Japan and around the world, continuing Gabrielle Chanel’s own legacy of connection with cinema.
Comments are off this post!