Artists to Watch

Masayuki Ochiai

Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1958, Ochiai has been known for writing 34 novels of the well-known Japanese horror series “Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari”, and his directorial work for the movies “Parasite Eve” and “Infection”. He is currently working on “Shutter”, his first directorial work that is U.S. based. “Shutter”, originally a Thai film in 2004, is expected to be released in early 2008, casting Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor. This is definitely a big add-on to his history as a director.

STORY: After a tragic accident, a young photographer (Joshua Jackson) and his girlfriend (Rachael Taylor) discover mysterious shadows in their photographs taken by a camera. They at first ignore it, unaware that what it entails is both horrendous and shocking, and that you can not escape your past.

**Reference: Wikipedia, Imdb

Satoshi Kon

Although he originally wanted to be a painter, Satoshi Kon, born on October 12, 1963 in Hokkaido, Japan, is a renowned director of the anime films “Perfect Blue”, “Millennium Actress”, “Tokyo Godfathers” and “Paprika”. He is currently a staff director at Studio Madhouse, where all of the films were created. His films are characterized by their psychological complexity, realistic characters, background designs, and the blurring of dream and reality. His newest work, “Paprika” opened on Friday, June 1st in a few Los Angeles theatres. (See the list here) It has been commented by LA Times, “That the supposed bad guys are actually intent in preserving the sanctity of dreams adds to the disorienting exhilaration of Kon’s best work yet.”

STORY: Dr. Atsuko Chiba works as a scientist by day and, under the code name ''Paprika,'' is a dream detective at night. Atsuko and her colleagues are working on a device called the DC Mini, which is intended to help psychiatric patients, but in the wrong hands it could destroy people's minds. When a prototype is stolen, Atsuko/Paprika springs into action to recover it before damage is done.

**Reference: Wikipedia, Fundango.com