’89 domande a Eda Yuuka – Film Director

Name? Eda Yuuka (@edmm32).

What’s your job? Film director, photographer.

When did you start your job?  I was 22 when I made a director into a proper job.

How did you start? I directed a film and released it in cinemas.

Your favorite style icons? I may have more iconic figures in fiction than the people who actually exist, such as Clementine Kruczynski from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, which Kate Winslet acted as. 

If you can choose 5 celebrities for a photo shoot who they would be? This is a very difficult question. Essentially, I don’t have a sense to adore or worship others as I think we are all the same humans. But I do have a plenty of people who I’m interested in, and those individuals in the cluster keep changing daily. So, I would like to mention here the people that I found interesting and attractive lately. Forece Pugh; Caleb Landry Jones; Lee Joo-young; Kim Namjoon and Matthew Healy form The 1975.

If you could speak in world vision for 15 minutes what would you say? I guess I would talk about loving yourself. Also, I would talk how exciting that we have a lot of things that we don’t know yet.

Do you have any political orientation? Though I don’t particularly have a strong opinion, you can’t deny there is a very deep connection between politics and society, and everything that forms you now. So, I would always like to be aware about a society in my works. In that sense, I am aiming for a society in which more and more people feel less suffocating. 

A model you would like to work with? There are numerous, but at this moment, I am interested most in the five figures I mentioned earlier.

What is the night you spent the most money to have fun? Well…when I went out all night long in Cambodia, or when I had a big night out after having spent time at a steakhouse after a Broadway musical in New York.

If you could live in one historical era, which one would you choose? Hmmmmm, I had thought it looked nice around 40 years ago, but I like now.

If you could spend a day with an historical figure who would you choose? Though I am non-religious, I would say Jesus Christ. I want to know how he felt during his lifetime.

Who are the people that inspired you the most? There are a countless number of people here as well, but top one is my grandpa. He has passed away so I can’t see him anymore, but that is the most precious memory in me still now.

If you can choose a famous man or a woman for a night, who would it be? A man. I want to experience everything I can’t enjoy now.

What do you do for fun? Making a meal while listening to music, as one of my hobbies is cooking, or going to a cinema. Recently, I have been exercising quite a bit. I have many hobbies.

What’s your best shot? I always feel a photo looks the best when you have just developed it, then you become unsatisfied with it over time. So, I don’t think there will ever be the best shot in my life.

And the one you are most proud of? My stance that I try to face to anyone and anything genuinely. I’m only interested (and I think it’s important) in who the person actually is, instead of job titles or name cards. I only see people without prejudice.

What people don’t know about your job? I guess most of the people don’t know what a film director actually does. I myself don’t know well about it yet as well.

Where have you been on vacation when you were young? I miss the time I saved money and traveled abroad all the time.

Where are you going on vacation now? I rather stay at home lately, cooking, watching movies, or listening to music. Now I start to get a little bit bored of it.

What’s the topic you are most expert in? Original footage and photos.

What’s the most exciting part of your job? And the most boring one? It’s super fun that this job requires multiple skills. There are two parts: one is when I’m thinking about stories alone. I usually think about stories in a family restaurant or in bed, those times are supreme as if I’m in space. Another one is when I’m shooting a film with numerous staff. I enjoy the feeling very much that space I created alone becomes a galaxy. The boring part is the moment somebody forces me to do something that doesn’t have to be done by me.

Have you ever been in love? Yes.

Did you fall in love with some models you worked with? I always shoot them with as much emotion as the one in love, but it’s different from actual love.

What was your job before becoming a professional photographer? An acting coach.

Have you ever had a homosexual experience? No.

Where do you live? Japan.

Where are you from? Gunma Pref.

Which languages do you speak? Japanese. A little bit of English. I can read Korean a little…I’ve been studying it.

Which are your favorite places in your city? Places where there is nothing. I’m not a huge fan of big cities.

Favorite songs? There are a lot as well. I always listen to music in shuffle mode on Apple Music, so I often miss the names of tracks…but recently, I have been repeatedly listening to the album from The 1975. 

Favorite bands? All the answers become something countless…The 1975, HYUKOH.

Favorite books? I don’t read books that much. I like going through pages on art books.

Favorite authors? Eric Carle, Fujiko F. Fujio. 

The craziest experience you’ve ever had? Since before, I’ve been many times involved in incidents that no one could imagine, so I really have a countless number of wired experiences, like films! At its worst, I got taken away in an ambulance for 5 times within one year. I can’t talk about them here!

What do you think about influencers? Time and desire of people. I don’t know what will become of this trend.

Do you consider yourself an influencer? I might look like one from a certain standard, but I don’t consider myself as such. 

How the advent of the smartphones and socials media affected the job of professional photographers? A lot of opportunities. Also lowering the bar on various areas. Reduction of respects.

What’s your favorite historical character? Debussy.

Can you define yourself with an adjective? Naïve. 

One you don’t like? Unfaithfulness.

Favorite TV series? I don’t watch TV.

Do you have some regrets about things you wanted to do but you didn’t do? If so which ones? Maybe none. I do everything that I want to try, even if I haven’t done certain things, I will definitely try them in the future. I believe there are only few things that you can’t try as long as you live.

Do you have some remorses for something you did but you should have done differently? If so which ones? None, as well. For we should live now to the fullest to prove that those times will not be in vain, even if you had regrets or remorse at a certain moment.

Do you have some dreams that you are trying to realize? If so which ones? I have plenty. I want to share my works with people in countries that I haven’t been. Then I want to start a dialogue from there. Also, I want to collaborate with MacDonald on some stylish project as I love MacDonald!  

What time do you usually go to sleep? 23:00.

What time do you usually wake up? Between 5:00 and 6:00.

What’s your favorite city in the world? N/A. Too many countries that I haven’t been yet.

Do you believe in some religions? I don’t. I AM the religion.

Do you have many friends? I wonder what the definition of friends would be. Maybe I have relatively many. 

What’s the first thing you would do if you win the lottery? Oh, I don’t know…I might buy a car.

The richest person you know? My dog. She’s been loved by everybody and living sound and healthy. She is the richest.

What’s the thing you like most? Freedom.

Your favorite dish? Too many! But I love Asian dishes with rich broth.

Do you have some phobias? I’m afraid of height…it’s impossible for me to ride a roller coaster.

The most precious material thing you own? I’ve started to go to the orthodontist lately and the costs were extremely high, so the most precious material things could be my own braces and the future of them!

What do you usually drink at the bar? Though I’m not so much fond of alcohol, I usually drink Highball (whisky or scotch with soda). I would also drink Piña Colada as I like coconuts.

What do you usually have for breakfast?  Sweet potatoes, fruits, yogurt and coffee, these days.

An advice you can give to someone that want to do your job? To sharpen your vision till the end without stopgap measures. 

Best party you’ve been to? The party at a film festival in Hong Kong. I was genuinely moved by the love to films that people from Hong Kong possess. That was a great night I would like to experience again and again. 

If you had the chance to document an historical event, which one would it be?  The day my work was released in cinemas.

What’s your best talent? To be able to chase my dreams without denying them at any time.

What’s the item of clothing you spent the most money on? Watches or jeans.

Your ideal holiday? Having breakfast, exercising, watching movies, then cooking, taking a nap, going for a walk with my dog, and listening to music with eating ice cream, and going to bed. Spending my time normally.   

How the advent of Netflix and other platforms affected the job of filmmaker? Lots of opportunities and feeling rushed. The question on the necessity of movie theaters.

The best filmmaker in history? This changes every day as well. “The best” would change depending on the conditions of my life.

What makes a filmmaker better than another? Though I don’t think people can say one film is better than others, the amount of things that you have to do or you have to be able to do in order to create a film is overwhelmingly a lot, comparing to the other occupations, I guess. It requires time as well. You need to have great concentration.

What’s the weirdest thing happened on set? Occasionally, psychic phenomena (laughs). I don’t believe ghosts or spiritual matters that much, yet still, things would sometimes happen so I can’t deny them… 

Your favorite classic movie?Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu and

Les Quatre Cents Coups by François Truffaut.

What do you think about who says that old films are better than the new ones? I guess it depends on where we set the criteria of superiority. For instance, talking about the quality of image or CGI technology, films nowadays are better. So, if you slide this criteria little by little, I guess we will start to see some inferior points or some superior points anyway, so I don’t judge which one is what. I think it’s more important that you have a sense of integrity so that you can choose appeals that you think you need for now from both classics and contemporary films.  

Don’t you think that if old movies could be done with modern technologies they would be better than the new ones? I wonder. I don’t think that is the case at all as works could be most meaningful when they possess certain inevitability that they had been able to be created only at that moment.

Do you think that today actors are better than the actors of the past? It depends on individuals. I found somebody who can always stand there without changing his/her core is most attractive.