The most important thing for me in movie making is to love the characters of the movie, so even though you only have a few seconds with a character, that person has to have his own life. Therefore, I want to respect it, I want to make movies where each character has his own Individuality.
― Masayuki Suô
Like many of his contemporaries, Masayuki Suô began his career in the 1980s making ‘pink’ films, also known as erotica. He later moved on to making a documentary before making what Western critics would view as his first legitimate feature in 1989. This feature was Fancy Dance, a comedy about a rock star who inherits a Buddhist temple, but must first live as a monk for a year in order to claim it.
The film was a hit, as was its successor, Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t (1992), a hilarious underdog comedy, but neither could hold a candle to Shall We Dance (1996). Shall We Dance is one of the most popular Japanese films of its era and the winner of 14 Japanese Academy Awards. Since then, Suô has continued to make a comedy every five or six years; films with both warmth and wit.
Shall We Dance?
Masayuki Suô's delightful and charming 1996 film was a box office smash and won 14 Japanese Academy Awards including Best Film. It's the story of a married salaryman who falls in love with... dance.
Fancy Dance
Shall we meditate? Masayuki Suô's second film is a comedy about a punk rock star (Masahiro Motoki) who agrees to become a Buddhist monk for a year in order to inherit his family's lucrative temple.
Chen Baker Play J-Pop
Jeffery's Chen Baker band is back (and bigger than ever) to present a set of city pop and jazzy J-pop by the likes of Miki Matsubara, Taeko Ohnuki, Lamp, before the screening of Masayuki Suô's hilarious underdog comedy Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992).
Sumo Do, Sumo Don't
This hilarious sports underdog story from the director of Shall We Dance won 5 Japan Academy Awards including Best Film, and was the inspiration for the recent Disney+ spin off series.